AIDS is expected to become the world’s No. 3 leading cause of death, killing 120 million people in the next 25 years.
AIDS currently lags behind heart disease, stroke, and respiratory infections as the world’s 4th leading cause of death. About 2.8 million people die of AIDS every year now. World Health Organization estimates that at a total of least 117 million people will die from AIDS from 2006 to 2030.
But if there were better strategies to curb HIV infections, and improved access to anti-retroviral drugs, a more optimistic projection may emerge and only about 89 million people will die from the disease.
By 2030, cancer deaths will increase 7.1 million in 2002 to 11.5 million.
The number of deaths from cardiovascular disease is expected to rise from 16.7 million in 2002 to 23.3 million in 2030.
Overall, they expect non-communicable diseases to account for 70 percent of all deaths globally, up from 59 percent in 2002.
