THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF HIV AND AIDS
Tomorrow (Friday, December 1, 2006) is designated as the 18th annual World AIDS Day. The goals of this international effort are to increase awareness about HIV and AIDS, encourage support and understanding for people living with HIV and AIDS, and reinforce the need for continued education about the disease and the development of new and more effective prevention initiatives that can be used in the developed as well as the developing areas of the world.
My postings on this blog have centered mostly around the issues and treatment of HIV infected persons living in the United States, or other medically advanced societies. This is not to ignore the worldwide pandemic. I am very much aware of the devastation that this disease is causing worldwide, and of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles to education, prevention, diagnosis, and adequate treatment that exist in other parts of the world. I want to share some facts about the global impact of HIV and AIDS.
HIV and AIDS has been reported in all regions of the world, but most of the people infected with the virus are living in lower income (developing) countries. The pandemic is growing at alarming rates; It is estimated that AIDS has already claimed over 25 million lives, and that close to 40 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV and AIDS, although these numbers are not precise because many areas of the world lack the sophistication to develop accurate surveillance and reporting systems.
In the United States, HIV and AIDS prevalence continues to be high among certain sub-populations, such as African American and Hispanic women. However, certain regions of the world have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic; the most affected regions of the world are: Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Heterosexual transmission is the most common method if infection in these areas.
The United Nations and many international donors, as well as the governments of affected nations have made great efforts at fund raising to develop prevention and treatment initiatives that will be effective in these hard hit areas, but much work remains to be done. I also want to mention that, as a consultant and advisor for several major pharmaceutical companies who do research, development, and marketing of drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS, I know that the pharmaceutical companies themselves have become very much involved in manufacturing their drugs and distributing them at cost (with no profit to the company) in many of these regions.
HIV and AIDS is clearly not going away anytime soon. In a sense, we are all living with HIV. We need to promote education and understanding in our communities that these issues affect everyone. World AIDS Day is a start; don't forget to wear a red ribbon to show your support.
My postings on this blog have centered mostly around the issues and treatment of HIV infected persons living in the United States, or other medically advanced societies. This is not to ignore the worldwide pandemic. I am very much aware of the devastation that this disease is causing worldwide, and of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles to education, prevention, diagnosis, and adequate treatment that exist in other parts of the world. I want to share some facts about the global impact of HIV and AIDS.
HIV and AIDS has been reported in all regions of the world, but most of the people infected with the virus are living in lower income (developing) countries. The pandemic is growing at alarming rates; It is estimated that AIDS has already claimed over 25 million lives, and that close to 40 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV and AIDS, although these numbers are not precise because many areas of the world lack the sophistication to develop accurate surveillance and reporting systems.
In the United States, HIV and AIDS prevalence continues to be high among certain sub-populations, such as African American and Hispanic women. However, certain regions of the world have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic; the most affected regions of the world are: Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Heterosexual transmission is the most common method if infection in these areas.
The United Nations and many international donors, as well as the governments of affected nations have made great efforts at fund raising to develop prevention and treatment initiatives that will be effective in these hard hit areas, but much work remains to be done. I also want to mention that, as a consultant and advisor for several major pharmaceutical companies who do research, development, and marketing of drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS, I know that the pharmaceutical companies themselves have become very much involved in manufacturing their drugs and distributing them at cost (with no profit to the company) in many of these regions.
HIV and AIDS is clearly not going away anytime soon. In a sense, we are all living with HIV. We need to promote education and understanding in our communities that these issues affect everyone. World AIDS Day is a start; don't forget to wear a red ribbon to show your support.
posted by Laurie @ 11/30/2006
0 Comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home