An estimated 36.5 million people of working age have HIV, the virus that causes the deadly disease of AIDS, and by next year the global labor force will have lost as many as 28 million workers due to AIDS since the start of the epidemic, according to a new global report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) published on Sunday.

What's more, the ILO estimates that in the absence of increased access to treatment, the number of workers lost due to HIV/AIDS will have increased to 48 million by 2010 and 74 million by 2015, making HIV/AIDS one of the biggest causes of mortality in the world of work.

The new analysis of 50 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and two developed regions, is the first global analysis of HIV/AIDS impact on the world of work.

By far the majority of countries most affected by HIV/AIDS are in Africa, where the regional average HIV prevalence among 15 to 49 year-olds is 7.7 percent, according to the report.

It also says HIV/AIDS is expected to have a severe impact on the rate of growth in gross domestic product (GDP) and of GDP per capita by destroying the "human capital" built up over years and weakening the capacity of workers and employers to produce goods and services for economies.

"HIV/AIDS is not only a human crisis, it is a threat to sustainable global, social and economic development," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia in a statement.

"The loss of life and the debilitating effects of the illness will lead not only to a reduced capacity to sustain production and employment, reduce poverty and promote development, but will be a burden borne by all societies -- rich and poor alike," he said.

The report, prepared on the basis of newly developed demographic and epidemiological data from the United Nations and other sources,will be presented at the 15th International Conference on AIDS in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 11-16.

Source: Xinhua