For those who don't know, today is World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2.1 million (between 1.9 and 2.4 million) lives in 2007, of which 330,000 were children.
I recognize that for some it is difficult to put a face on the epidemic, because it seems far and not neccessarily part of your daily life. Perhaps to some, it is only relagted as an African issue - or for the less developed nations. But, this is simply not the case. The first cases of what would later become known as AIDS were reported in the United States in June of 1981. Since that time, approximately 1.7 million people in the U.S. have been infected with HIV, including more than 550,000 who have already died and an estimated 1.2 million living with HIV/AIDS today. The response to the U.S. epidemic has yielded numerous successes, but challenges remain:
• Annual HIV incidence is down from its peak of more than 150,000 in the 1980s to approximately 40,000 new infections per year today. However, it has remained at this level for more than a decade and recent analyses suggest a potential rise among some populations.
• HIV testing is important for both prevention and treatment efforts and new technologies, such as rapid testing, are now available. Yet approximately 25% of those infected with HIV do not know it. (please visit Kaiser Family Foundation, the source of this data, for more information).
This year, World AIDS Day focuses on ‘leadership’, the theme set by the World AIDS Campaign under the five-year slogan “Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise”.
People living with HIV:
• 33.2 million people living with HIV worldwide
• 30.8 million adults
• 15.4 million women
• 2.5 million children under 15
New HIV cases in 2007:
• 2.5 million total new cases
• 2.1 million adults
• 420,000 children under 15
All figures from UNAIDS AIDS Epidemic Update 2007.
Communities for life!
To mark World AIDS Day (1 December), the International HIV/AIDS Alliance is holding a photography exhibition called Communities for Life! showing the extraordinary things that ordinary people are doing to respond to HIV around the world. It is available as an online exhibition on the AIDS Alliance website and as a public exhibition in Brighton, UK, from 23 November to 7 December.Outside of the devastating emotional impact of AIDS, the global HIV pandemic has had a deeper, multisectoral impact on the structure of hard hit nations, affecting their development and economic growth, communities, households, and individuals:
• AIDS has been identified as a serious challenge to development, with both short and long-term economic effects. Because HIV/AIDS often hits working age populations hardest, the workforce of many nations has been affected, as skilled workers are lost to the epidemic.
• The education sector is also affected, as AIDS claims the lives of teachers and has contributed to serious teacher shortages in several African countries. It also can affect school attendance and enrollment among children affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Increasing demand for health care services is overwhelming the public health infrastructure in many developing countries. At the same time, many countries are losing large numbers of health care workers to AIDS.
• Many of the nations hardest hit by HIV/AIDS also suffer from malnutrition, food insecurity, and famine. These challenges are interrelated with HIV/AIDS, each intensifying and complicating the effects of the other.
• The demographic effects of the epidemic may also be significant in hard hit countries, affecting their population growth, mortality rates, and life expectancy. Individuals die at prematurely young ages, during their most productive and reproductive years. One consequence of this is that there are fewer working age people to support children and the elderly. And, in some parts of world, there are disproportionately fewer women compared to men, due to HIV mortality.
Impact on Women & Young People
• Women represent half (50%) of all adults living with HIV/AIDS, as they have since the mid-1990s. The impact on women is more significant in sub-Saharan Africa, where women represent 61% of all adults living with HIV/AIDS and their share is growing in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Gender inequalities in social and economic status and in access to prevention and care services increase women’s vulnerability to HIV. Sexual violence may also increase women’s risk and women, especially young women, are biologically more susceptible to HIV infection than men. The epidemic has multiple effects on women including: added responsibilities of caring for sick family members; loss of property if they become widowed and/or infected; and even violence when their HIV status is discovered.
• Teens and young adults, particularly girls and young women, continue to be at the center of the epidemic. Young people aged 15–24 account for about 40% of new HIV infections (among those 15 and over). In sub-Saharan Africa, on average, three young women are infected for every young man; in some countries in the Caribbean, young women are more than twice as likely to be infected with HIV compared to young men. Still, there are encouraging signs. Recent data indicate that HIV prevalence among young pregnant women attending antenatal clinics has declined since 2000/2001 in 11 of 15 countries with sufficient data for such analysis. In addition, preliminary data from several countries indicate reductions in risk behavior among young people.1
• Globally, there were 2.5 million children living with HIV/AIDS, 420,000 new infections, and 330,000 deaths due to AIDS among children in 2007.
• In 2007, there were an estimated 11.4 million AIDS orphans (children who had lost one or both parents to the epidemic) in sub-Saharan Africa, the region that accounts for most of the world’s AIDS orphans.
More indepth data is available at the Kaiser Family Foundation, who did a brilliant job of synopsizing the plethora of information provided by UNAIDS.
A little blip about moi..
Thanks to the folks at Elle Magazine, I received this interesting little tidbit written by Bridgett Walther. Pretty neat how close these things are sometimes. Given the serious tone of the above - thought I would add this as well. Almost forgot to add, don't forget to wear your red ribbons today and for the rest of the week!
Saturday, December 01 (Sagittarius)Happy Birthday, J! Your interpretation of world events, social trends, and the overall public pulse is way ahead of the curve. A visionary, you’re often controversial and singled out for both praise and criticism. You start trends instead of merely following the herd. You cannot help but be a pathfinder in your chosen field. Once you discover a unique method of doing something, you break the mold and move onto the next adventure. Because of your enviable talent, others tend to either adore or resent you. There’s nothing average about you. Even your appearance is outstanding. Many of you have beautiful eyes and a riveting gaze. Although you are sensitive, intuitive and imaginative, you’re somehow able to project an almost superhuman image. If people only knew how tentative you often feel, they’d be shocked. Behind your apparent cocksure attitude is a burning desire for acceptance, appreciation and respect. You tend to specialize in one field and become respected for your in-depth approach. Your body may or may not appear well defined, but is probably quite strong. Repelled by criticism, you may never forget a slight. Although you can treat those that have offended you with grace, you eventually strike back, sometimes in surprisingly devastating ways. Often underestimated, you generally know more than you reveal, largely because you’d rather learn from others than talk about yourself. You’re a flirt - not a predatory one - but an unrepentant fun-loving vixen. You also have an enormous influence on others and a magnetic presence that literally lights up a room.
Even as a child, others sensed your substantial potential. You don’t believe in limits - not as far as your own life is concerned. Taking orders from another is extremely unappealing to your independent sensibilities. You’re a free spirit who likes to make up the rules as you go along. This could present problems in relationships that demand constancy even in the face of boredom. You tend to get easily bored with routines, especially when you’re young. As a rule, you’re not a good candidate for an early marriage because you eventually outgrow youthful preferences and desires and become a very different adult. The career and partner that seem so ideal during your twenties may appear alien or unrewarding when you’re thirty or forty. You’re perpetually evolving, and are better off delaying marriage until you’ve proven yourself and done some serious traveling. Your high energy and restless imagination make domestication a difficult challenge. Eventually, you come to see the benefits of a comfortable home base and loving, trustworthy partner; but this awareness takes time and cannot be rushed.
Your bawdy sense of humor may offend half the people in a room, but make others laugh so hard their faces hurt. You enjoy stunning others with unexpected, controversial remarks. What others don’t recognize is where your provocative humor comes from. Many of you harbor a deep sadness that developed early in life. You may never quite make peace with wrongs that were done to you or other deep emotional wounds, but skillfully deflect sadness with outrageous humor, bawdy flirting, and a kind of loud showbiz mentality. You are the life of the party when you’re in the mood. Ironically, you can also retreat and live a hermit’s existence from time to time, particularly when you feel insecure or depressed. Watch your back and hips; they may be somewhat accident or injury prone.
To protect yourself from others’ criticism and prying, it’s wise to be discreet and protective of your private life. Telling all to the world is simply unnecessary, no matter how honest you are. Facile and fun loving, you fight against repression and limits on your liberty. Creative and adaptable, you cleverly blend into diverse groups and scenarios without surrendering your individuality. As a rule, you know more about the people you associate with than they know about you - and that’s the way you like it. Charming and sexy, many of you have smoldering eyes, and are able to arouse just enough controversy to keep things interesting for a long time. You don’t want anyone prying into your private life, and may seem standoffish to those that come on too strong.
A natural poet and philosopher, you also have an affinity for music and performance. Although you’re actually shy, you can shine as a performer. It’s all about having control and feeling prepared. You appear strong and self-assured when you understand what your job is and feel familiar with the circumstances. Since work or performance is second nature to many of you, you actually feel more relaxed while working than when making small talk at a party. When you’re not doing your job, privacy and freedom are extremely precious. Although you’re generous with your time, emotions and resources, you require more privacy than most to recoup spent energy, as well as to engage in profound thinking. Be careful to not fall under the spell of addiction. You’re very susceptible and need to be watchful about this. Exercise is a healthy mood elevator and balancing tool. Unless your health indicates otherwise, daily exercise keeps you sane, strong and focused. Your voice is unique. People may comment that they’re surprised by the disparity between your voice and appearance. Because you’re a treasure, give yourself the gift of inner peace in order to relax your mind and focus your phenomenal creative drive. Animals and close friends are essential to your happiness and fulfillment, as are travel and continuing education.
Born this weekend are Joan Ganz Cooney, Ridley Scott, David Mamet, Terrence Malick, Ben Stiller, Des’ree, Clay Aiken, Kaley Cuoco, Elisha Cuthbert, Billy Idol, Mike Leonard, Luther Ingram, Virginia Mayo, George McArdle, Mindy McCready, Bob Moore, John Ashton, Jimmy Bowen, Dick Clark, Roger Glover, Shirley Chisholm, Mandy Patinkin, June Pointer, Margaret Whitton, G. Gordon Liddy, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Sir Winston Churchill, Richard Crenna, Abbie Hoffman, Mark Lemon, Jonathan Swift, Oliver Winchester, Mark Twain, Woody Allen, Carol Alt, Eric Bloom, Eddie Britton, Ashley Monique Clark, John Crowley, Brad Delson, John Densmore, Mike Flores, Bob Goen, Charlie Jones, Richard Jordan, Bette Midler, Jeremy Northam, Richard Pryor, Andre Royal, Kirk Rueter, David Salzman, Reggie Sanders, Todd Steussie, Charlene Tilton, Lee Trevino, Stansfield Turner, Treat Williams, Mary Martin, Cyril Richard, Dick Shawn, Minoru Yamasaki, Britney Spears, William Wegman, Lucy Liu, Michael McDonald, Steven Bauer, Nelly Furtado, Stone Phillips, Rena Sofer, Gianni Versace, Tracy Austen, Gary Becker, Zack Crockett, Cathy Lee Crosby, Kevin Feighery, Jonathan Frid, Randy Gardner, Mark Kotsay, Brett Lindros, O.J. McDuffie, Tom McGuinness, Monica Seles, Treach, Kimberly Mays Twigg, James Willis, Ezra Stone, Dennis Christopher, Anthony Criss, Alexander Haig, Jr., Julie Harris, Nate Mandel, Meshulam Riklis, Rick Savage, John Testrake, Hal Ashby, Adolph Green, Randolph Hearst, Nikos Kazantzakis, Charles Ringling and Georges Seurat.
