London ? The number of AIDS cases worldwide fell by more than 6 million cases this year to 33.2 million, global health officials said today. But the decline is mostly on paper.

Previous estimates were largely inflated, and the new numbers are the result of a new methodology. They show AIDS cases in 2007 were down from almost 39.5 million last year, according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations AIDS agency.

Although the decline is largely due to revised numbers, U.N. officials said it still showed the AIDS pandemic was losing momentum. “For the first time, we are seeing a decline in global AIDS deaths,” said Dr. Kevin De Cock, director of WHO’s AIDS department.