"A Fresh New Global Overview of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic"

In February, 2009, Hans Rosling explained the HIV/AIDS pandemic with the aid of fabulous new shifting graphics.

He has converted the best available data from UNAIDS and WHO into understandable Gapminder bubbles.

While the statistics are difficult to accurately quantify in some areas of the world, especially sub Saharan Africa, this does illustrate the reality as we know it.

The two key messages that the global HIV epidemic has reached a “steady state” with 1% of the adult world population infected and that there are huge differences in HIV occurrence between and within African countries.

Many African countries have the same, relatively low, HIV levels as can be found in most of the world, whereas 50% of the world’s HIV infected persons live in a few countries in Eastern and Southern Africa (with 4% of the world population).

You will notice that Zimbabwe’s HIV rate of infection soared at one stage, but has been reduced quite dramatically in recent years.  While the rate of infection is still alarmingly high, we would suggest that one of the key factors in the turn-around had to do with government’s shift in policy that went from denying the existence of HIV to recognizing its reality and beginning to allow something to be done about it.  

Hans Rosling closes his speech by summarizing probable reasons for the high HIV burden in parts of Eastern and Southern Africa and he claims that the focus must be on preventing further HIV transmission in these highly affected populations.

Please go to "Relevant Web Reports ..." to the right, and click on "A Global View Of The HIV/AIDS Pandemic."

I encourage you to watch this clip, and go to http://www.gapminder.org/videos/ted-talk-2009-hans-rosling-hiv-facts/ where you will be able to download the movie FREE in order to pass it on.