About Aids

For billions of people aids does not really exist. They do not talke about it, they do not read about it; they pretend the disease does not exist. Still, some 33 million people all over the world suffer from aids or HIV, the virus that causes aids. This appears from figures from UNAIDS, the aids organization of the United Nations.

General

• 33 million people sufferfrom HIV/AIDS
• 2,5 million new HIV infections per year
• 6800 new infections per day, of which more than 96% in poor countries
• every 12 seconds somebody is infected
• every 15 seconds somebody is dying of aids
• 2 million people died of aids in 2007

Since 1982 25 million people were killed by aids. Fifteen million children lost both their parents to the disease. Fortunately, things have slightly improved lately. For the first time in 15 years the number of people infected with HIV has stabilized. Aids control has become more successful, thanks to more money, better information and more medication. But the figures show that it is not yet enough. Not until 2013 will the increase of aids patients have come to a stop.

Young people
Aids effects especially young people. Of all people infected with HIV, 50% is younger than 25 years. Most of them will not get older than 35 years. Whereas young people in western countries are occupied with school, studies or their very first jobs, millions of their African peers slowly pine away because of aids. Every minute the number of young people with HIV is increased by two. 50% of all new HIV infected people are younger than 25 years.

• Worldwide 23% of HIV infected people are younger than 25 years.
• Only 2 on every 5 young people in developing countries know how to protect themselves against an HIV infection.

Ninety percent of the people that are infected with HIV or aids are living in developing countries. But also in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caribbean and Asia the aids epidemic is developing seriously. Almost 70% of the people with HIV/AIDS are living in Africa, south of the Sahara. Of these 22 million people, 5,7 million live in South Africa. Every day approximately 2,000 new people are infected.

Children
Deaths of children younger than 5 years:
1990: 60 of every 1,000 children
2004: 54 of every 1,000 children
2005: 62 of every 1,000 children
This is a growth percentage of 20 to 37% in a period of 15 years.

Children who are born with HIV/AIDS: 100,000

Of these 100,000 children 50,000 died in the first two years of their lives.
Thereafter 25,000 children die within the first five years.

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