Today Is World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day: December 1st, 2005
Crisis & Opportunity

Africa has been hit harder by the HIV/AIDS virus than any other region of the world. More than 17 million Africans have died from AIDS and another 25 million are infected with the HIV virus, approximately 1.9 million of whom are children.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to over 70% of the total world HIV-positive population

Only 500,000 of the 4.7 million people in immediate need of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVS) in Africa have access to them. This is partly because of the price—the cheapest drugs are a dollar a day, but most Africans cannot afford this. It is also because of availability.

Every Day in Africa:

• HIV/AIDS kills 6,300 people
• 8,500 people are infected with the HIV virus
• 1,400 newborn babies are infected during childbirth

People with HIV/AIDS don’t suffer alone:

12 million African children have already lost one or both of their parents to AIDS

What we can do to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS:

• Access to ARVs will keep AIDS patients alive to work and care for their families. These drugs work so well that they produce a 'Lazarus' effect—patients at death's door can be back at work within 2 months of starting treatment.
• Evidence shows that Africans taking life-saving anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) adhere to their regimens much better than Americans or Europeans—the success rate is about 90%.
• Americans have made a difference: Today, thanks to U.S. support, 350,000 people with HIV/AIDS are receiving lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment, helping them to live to raise their children, harvest crops and build businesses.
• In Uganda, public education and prevention campaigns that were supported by the President cut infection rates from 14% of adults in the early 1990's to 5% in 2001
• Successes in a handful of countries such as Uganda and Senegal have shown that HIV rates can be brought down through effective AIDS prevention campaigns.

Blogs & Links

Many bloggers are addressing World AIDS Day. Below are just a few links that I found of interest and value:

World AIDS Day.org

the brotherlove

AIDS COMBAT ZONE

Slobokan’s Site O’Schtuff

So what can I do?

A Concert to Honor World AIDS Day 2005

Waving or drowning

Supermum

Jameed

The Daily Campus

modern fabulousity

Julien’s List

North Caribbean University

Bejata

Cosmic Variance

Center for Global Development