Imagine what it would be like if everyone you know, all their families and friends, and every one they know, was infected with HIV/AIDS ... This doesn't even begin to describe the reach of HIV/AIDS in the world today. Entire villages in Sub-Saharan Africa have been devastated. Millions of children have been orphaned and many have been forced, by necessity, to drop out of school in order to find ways to feed themselves and their siblings. And yet people continue to have unprotected sex and expose themselves and their partners to infection. Nevertheless, I believe that there is hope and it starts with education. Below are some of the staggering figures related to the current status of HIV/AIDS world wide. For further reading, please consult the links below.
GLOBAL SUMMARY OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC - DECEMBER 2005
Number of people living with HIV in 2005
Total 40.3 million (36.7–45.3 million)
Adults 38.0 million (34.5–42.6 million)
Women 17.5 million (16.2–19.3 million)
Children under 15 years 2.3 million ( 2.1–2.8 million)
People newly infected with HIV in 2005
Total 4.9 million ( 4.3–6.6 million)
Adults 4.2 million ( 3.6–5.8 million)
Children under 15 years 700 000 (630 000–820 000)
AIDS deaths in 2005
Total 3.1 million (2.8–3.6 million)
Adults 2.6 million (2.3–2.9 million)
Children under 15 years 570 000 (510 000–670 000)
The ranges around the estimates in this table define the boundaries within which the actual numbers lie, based on the best available information.
[Source.]
Links/Resources on HIV/AIDS
UNAIDS - http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp
WHO (World Health Organization) - http://www.who.int/hiv/en/
Population Action International (PAI) - http://www.populationaction.org/news/views/2005/11_28_AIDS.htm
(More later, the power keeps going off and on, off and on.)
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