World AIDS Day

Today marks World AIDS Day, the day was marked by a number of events, educational programs and, pledges, as Governments around the world used the occasion of World AIDS Day Monday to pledge greater efforts to end discrimination against victims of HIV/AIDS and to fund treatment programs.

The number of people living with HIV/AIDS has only continued to rise over the years, despite increased knowledge of prevention, as it has risen from some 8 million people in 1990 to 33 million today, and the number of victims continue to climb. According to the UNAIDS/WHO in 2007 of the 33 million people with HIV/AIDS half are women and 2 million are children (adults are classified as those over 15). Almost 60% of HIV/AIDS cases are in sub-Saharan Africa, a figure which has almost crippled many communities, as prevention and retrovirals alike seem far and few in many countries, all of which has left the number of AIDS orphans rising. According to UNICEF 14 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and by 2010, this number is expected to exceed 25 million.

Many activists in China and other countries voiced their concern today that any 'true’ change would occur without large scale public awareness campaigns. In South Africa, which has the larges country population of HIV/AIDS cases, is pushing AIDS education efforts which place an emphasis on the use of condoms to counter to the risks from multiple sexual partners.

HIV/AIDS destabilizes families, communities and nations, it is a disease that has takes no mercy, a disease for which the fight against must be increased, but as history shows it must be a unified effort of all nations and peoples or the battle will be lost.

For more information please see 2007's World AIDS Day post and my previous posts on HIV/AIDS here.

For more information and news on the day please see;
The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) – 2008 World AIDS Day Resources
UNAIDS – Facts
AVERT
News:
Google/The Associated Press
The Christian Science Monitor