"World AIDS Day"

It's WORLD AIDS DAY today.

Thank you for caring …

Thank you for sharing …

Thank you for praying.

Let's rise above the malaise of compassion fatigue and give a thought to the 35 million people who are living with HIV/AIDS today worldwide.

Statistics vary because so many population groups, particularly in Southern Africa, live in areas where stigma keeps many silent and where no accurate records are kept. Please take any statistic you read as a conservative estimate of the horrible reality.

As you notice the levelling off in the increase factor in some instances, remember the tragic damage to families (particularly children) and communities that's been left behind.



An estimated 23 million people died of AIDS between 1990 and 2007. In 2007 alone, more than 2 million people died from AIDS-related causes.
Source: 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary, page 18.
(www.UNAIDS.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

72% of the world’s AIDS-related deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, where 4-10% of the world's population lives.
Source: 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary, pages 5 & 18.
(www.UNAIDS.org/en’KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

In 2007, 1,000 new children (the majority, newborns) were infected with HIV each day.
Source: 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary, page 8
(www.UNAIDS.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

Every two minutes, a child under the age of 15 years dies of an AIDS-related illness.
Every minute, 14 seconds, a child is orphaned by AIDS.
Every minute, another child becomes HIV positive.
Source: UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2008, page 129
(www.unicef.org/publications/index_42623.html)
2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, Executive Summary, Page 9
(www.UNAIDS.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

Of the estimated 2 million HIV-infected children under the age of 15 years, 87% of them live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 22.1 milllion HV-positive people, 67% of the worldwide HIV-positive population.
Source: as above, pages 4,5& 9.

Only 20% of children with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Source: As above, page 4.
www.WHO.org