AIDS Cases Worldwide Up 56% in 1987, Health Group Reports

The number of AIDS cases reported worldwide jumped 56% last year to more than 73,000, but the actual total may be as high as 150,000, the World Health Organization reported Friday.

The cumulative total of cases since reporting began in 1979 increased to 73,670 by Dec. 30, 1987, compared to 47,201 at the beginning of last year, the Geneva-based organization said.

The United States had the most reported cases last year--48,139, or about two-thirds of the worldwide total of 73,670. France was No. 2 with 2,523 cases.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome strips the body of its natural defense system against diseases. There is no known cure against the deadly virus. WHO said that more than half of all the cases have resulted in death.

Improved Reporting

WHO spokesmen said that the 56% increase last year resulted not only from the continued spread of the disease but also, in large part, from vastly improved detection and reporting in African and other Third World countries.

But the spokesmen cautioned that the known total could amount to less than one-half of all cases.

“The figures are somewhat misleading because of differences in reporting techniques, and a more accurate figure would be between 100,000 and 150,000 cases worldwide,” Dr. Jonathan Mann, head of a special WHO task force on AIDS, wrote regarding the latest figures.

Mann and other medical experts have been particularly concerned with the spread of AIDS in Africa, where officials fear that the detected and reported cases are only a fraction of the actual number.

Known cases in Africa have been doubling since 1984, and a substantial share of WHO’s funds have been spent on improving the reporting system there.

A breakdown of reported AIDS cases by country also included: Uganda, 2,369; Brazil, 2,325; Tanzania, 1,608; West Germany, 1,588; Canada, 1,423; United Kingdom, 1,170; Italy, 1,104; Kenya, 964; Haiti, 912; Mexico, 713; Rwanda, 705; Australia, 681; Spain, 624; Burundi, 569; Zambia, 536; Zimbabwe, 380; Netherlands, 370; Dominican Republic, 352; Zaire, 335; Switzerland, 299; Belgium, 280; Central African Republic, 254; Congo, 250; Ivory Coast, 250; Trinidad and Tobago, 206; Denmark, 202; Bahamas, 163; Sweden, 156; Colombia 153; Ghana, 145; Argentina, 120; Austria, 120; and Venezuela, 101.

By continent, the Americas accounted for 55,354 cases as of Dec. 30, Europe for 8,755, Africa for 8,652, Oceania for 742 and Asia for 224. The first 14 cases of AIDS in the United States were detected in 1979.

The World Health Organization, despite its deep concern over the situation, has rejected proposals for any international “AIDS-free” certificates or other controls for travelers. Mann and WHO as a whole have argued that educational and preventive programs are needed the most.