HIV carrier in Lebanon battles taboos ahead of World AIDS Day Some 1.7 million people still die every year from AIDS-related illnesses. Latest figures show the number of people in Arab countries infected with HIV more than doubled to 470,000 in the eight years to 2009, while the number of deaths also surged from about 8,000 in 2001 to 24,000 in 2009. As World AIDS Day approaches, one HIV carrier in Lebanon struggles to battle the stigma attached to the disease. A natural sound version of an AFPTV report.