( CNN ) -- New HIV infections have fallen worldwide by 17 percent over the past eight years , a testament to prevention efforts , according to a U.N. report released Tuesday . In addition , the number of people living with HIV , the virus that causes AIDS , has increased , and over the last five years , AIDS deaths have declined by 10 percent , thanks to antiretroviral drug therapy and access to lifesaving treatments , said the report by the Joint U.N . Program on HIV/AIDS and World Health Organization . However , not all the news was good as researchers found evidence that some prevention programs miss the mark because they are not tailored for different populations affected by the epidemic . Success was seen particularly in sub-Saharan Africa , where new infections declined about 15 percent , or some 400,000 people , according to the report . However , that area remains the region hardest-hit by the virus , accounting for 67 percent of infections worldwide , the report said . `` The epidemic continues to have an enormous impact on households , communities , businesses , public services and national economies in the region , '' it said . In 2008 , for instance , more than 14.1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa were estimated to have lost one or both parents to AIDS . In East Asia , new infections declined by nearly 25 percent , and by 10 percent in South and Southeast Asia , the organizations said . In Eastern Europe , a region that had seen a dramatic increase in new infections among intravenous drug users , `` the epidemic has leveled off considerably , '' the report said . In Eastern Europe and Central Asia , an HIV epidemic that once resulted from injected drug use is spreading to the sexual partners of those drug users , according to the report . And in some parts of Asia , heterosexual couples are being affected . The prevalence of HIV continues to increase in those regions because of the new infections , the report said . And in Swaziland in southern Africa , more than two-thirds of adult infections occur in people 25 and older , but few programs are aimed at those adults , the report said . While the decline in new infections is welcome , `` if we do a better job of getting resources and programs to where they will make most impact , quicker progress can be made and more lives saved , '' said Michael Sidibe , executive director of UNAIDS in Geneva , Switzerland . There is also an increased evidence of risk among key populations , the report said . For instance , although high prevalence among sex workers has been widely noted , evidence was limited on the prevalence among men engaging in homosexual activity and intravenous drug users . `` In recent years , studies have documented elevated levels of infection in these populations in nearly all regions , '' according to the report . `` In all settings and for diverse types of epidemics , it is clear that programs to prevent new infections among these key populations must constitute an important part of national AIDS responses . '' Also , the level of resources directed at prevention programs for those key groups is `` typically quite low , even in concentrated epidemics , '' according to the report . Another shortage can be seen in the programs that are designed for people living with HIV .
New infections in sub-Saharan Africa 15 percent lower in 2008 , report says . That area remains the region hardest-hit by HIV . Decline attributed in part to HIV prevention efforts , UNAIDS official says . Comment: Number living with HIV has increased , and AIDS deaths have declined over five years .