Background Music

Breeezin - Tsutchie

People with HIV/AIDS

Below are picture links of people with HIV/AIDS:

http://www.adap.org.uk/Project-pic2.gif
http://www.myggsa.co.za/img/library/categories/hiv_and_aids/440/hiv_and_aids_03.jpg
http://www.eblessings.us/Ministries/Pastor_Emmanuel_UWAMAHORO/HIV_AIDS_Persons_Pastor_Emmanuel_400.jpg
http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/imgs/newsfeed/Asian+children_889_18416676_0_0_7006577_300.jpg
http://globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/iamhiv.jpg

Magic Johnson Speaks Out on World AIDS Day

What Needs to be Done / Resources

What can we possibly do to combat HIV/AIDS? As mentioned in the HIV/AIDS Overview post, options include volunteering, funding research and education, learning about the prevention, risk factors, and various treatments for HIV/AIDS. With continued support backed up by heightened determination, we can one day conquer this deadly pathogen. When that happens, our society will no longer have to live in fear of falling victim to HIV.

Which organizations are contributing to the treatment, prevention, and education of HIV/AIDS? Organizations that are assisting in the battle against this deadly disease include AVERT, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the John Hopkins AIDS Service, the National (USA) Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, the CDC, and many more.

Here are links to their websites:
("AVERT").
("International HIV/AIDS Alliance").
("National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors").
("CDC- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention").
("John Hopkins AIDS Service").

What is HIV/AIDS?

What is HIV/AIDS? Why is it dangerous? HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a sexually-transmitted disease that can be passed form person to person. Other ways of transmission includes blood transfusion and other means of exchanging bodily fluids. HIV is a unique virus because it targets the body's main defense against viruses and other pathogens—the immune system. Not only does HIV lead to the eventual arrival of AIDS, it makes the body susceptible to other deadly diseases such as tuberculosis. What's worse is that there is no known cure for HIV/AIDS, despite all the time and effort that has gone into researching it. While some medications slow the progression of HIV, they only delay the inevitable arrival of AIDS.

What are the symptoms of AIDS? One to three weeks after the transmission of HIV, people tend to experience flu-like symptoms. These include sore throat, headache, skin rash, and tenderness in the lymph nodes. Symptoms in later stages include weight loss, recurring diarrhea, thrush, and vaginal yeast-infection. HIV in children can be especially threatening. Because children have more undeveloped immune systems, they usually experience systems more quickly than most adults. HIV generally infects adult brains in later stages. In contrast, it infects the brains of children much earlier. This affects intellectual development and coordination. HIV is so dangerous to children, more than half of infants infected with HIV die before their second birthday.

Sources:
("AVERT Website- What is AIDS?").
("MSN Encarta - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome").

HIV/AIDS Statistics

Global HIV/AIDS statistics as of 2007.

	Estimate	Range
People living with HIV/AIDS in 2007	33.0 million	30.3-36.1 million
Adults living with HIV/AIDS in 2007	30.8 million	28.2-34.0 million
Women living with HIV/AIDS in 2007	15.5 million	14.2-16.9 million
Children living with HIV/AIDS in 2007	2.0 million	1.9-2.3 million
People newly infected with HIV in 2007	2.7 million	2.2-3.2 million
Children newly infected with HIV in 2007	0.37 million	0.33-0.41 million
AIDS deaths in 2007	2.0 million	1.8-2.3 million
Child AIDS deaths in 2007	0.27 million	0.25-0.29 million

Click here to view the chart of the number people infected from 1990 to 2007.

Source:
("AVERT Website- Worldwide HIV & AIDS Statistics").

HIV/AIDS Overview

For as long as humanity can recall, disease has taken the lives of millions. Often, it strikes unexpectedly. Among the worst of a group of silent killers is HIV/AIDS. This virus renders the human body's immune system nearly useless, causing many millions to become incurably ill and perish. Progress has been made by the efforts of many HIV/AIDS organizations around the world. Unfortunately, their efforts still haven't been nearly enough to stop this epidemic. We, as people whom this virus can directly or indirectly affect, must continue to fund treatment research and educate all areas about the severity of this disease.

AIDS has already killed millions of people, millions more continue to become infected with HIV, and there’s no cure for AIDS – so AIDS and HIV will be around for a while yet ("AVERT Website- What is AIDS?").