Accounting for more deaths than the bubonic plague pandemic of the 14th century, more deaths than the total casualties of World War II, and 27 times more deaths than all American war casualties through October 2010, HIV is widely considered the most devastating disease of the 21st century.
According to the 2008 semi-annual report by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS):
» Since the beginning of the epidemic, almost 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million people have died of HIV-related causes. (More than the current populations of California and New York State combined).
» Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV worldwide, accounting for over two thirds (67%) of all people living with HIV and for nearly three quarters (72%) of AIDS-related deaths in 2008.
» In 2008, more than 14 million children in sub-Saharan Africa had lost one or both parents to AIDS.
» Women and girls continue to be disproportionally affected by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout the region, women account for 60% of all HIV infections.
» In 2008, 430,000 children were born with AIDS (over a child per minute) and 2.1million children under 15 were living with the disease
The devastation caused by HIV/AIDS reaches far beyond those who are infected. As AIDS is killing people in the prime of their lives, many children will grow up alone, and in communities with massive shortages of teachers, health care workers, civil servants, and business people. Without support these children are at increased risk for discrimination, exploitation and abuse. Additionally, this situation is one of the key factors that perpetuate many of the vicious cycles of poverty that further the spread of HIV.
In conjunction with treatment and preventing further spread of the disease, the UNAIDS organization lists empowering young people to protect themselves from the virus, prolonging the life of mothers, and fighting social drivers leading to gender inequality, social stigma and discrimination as key priorities in the complex fight against HIV/AIDS. Fighting this disease and its spread is about more than providing medicine and education – it’s also about working towards social structure and stability for those directly and indirectly impacted by its devastating effects. Help, support and assistance can come in many forms and the effectiveness of a multi-faceted impact can be powerful.
