HIV/AIDS can no longer be viewed as a pandemic. It is in fact emerging as multiple epidemics. These epidemics vary from country to country, region to region and continent to continent. As a body of knowledge develops on HIV/AIDS and responses to it in sub-Saharan Africa, care is necessary when considering the experience of HIV/AIDS in other regions. This article considers similarities and differences between the epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia and the Pacific, and makes suggestions for policymakers.