WAD
Tomorrow is World AIDS Day. This years theme is "Stop AIDS. Keep the promise." World leaders have pledged (in the 2001 UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS) to reduce the number of young people with HIV by 25% by 2010 and in the most affected countries by 2005. Another significant promise was 3 by 5: to get ARVs to 3 million people by the end of 2005. Neither of these promises will be met but, for 3 by 5 at least according to Stephen Lewis, it does not matter. The amount of progress made in getting ARVs to people has been a huge improvement in and of itself. While it won't be three million, many people have started receiving the medicines to sustain them when they would otherwise be dead.
Canada's own infection has gone up by 20% in the past year. We're still very low thank goodness, only a couple of thousand1 infections per year, but there is an upward trend; and the percentage of non-homosexual male infections is increasing. In North America HIV/AIDS has generally been considered an affliction of gay men, but this is changing.
In Sub-Saharan Africa (and increasinly so in places like the West Indies and India) HIV/AIDS has become a predator of women and consequently children as well. Every minute one child is infected with HIV and another dies from AIDS related illness.
There are nearly 40 million people world wide living with HIV/AIDS. This includes over 5 million in India, about 0.9% of the adult population. This unfortunate percentage is set to rise sharply in India since it's at a jumping point where the number of infections in areas are high enough that it can move beyond very high risk populations (mobile workers, military and sex workers) to the mainstream population.
I've also been trying to get some red ribbons. Apparently they have them at St.Mike's, but I won't be able to drive into the city until later in the week. And apparently the red ribbon is also the symbol for MADD and some global anti-violence movement... who knew?
1. I made a mistake, I said HIV infections each year are a couple of hundred, but meant they're actually a couple of thousand. There are about 50,000 people in Canada with HIV/AIDS.
Public Health Agency of Canada HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report
Canada's own infection has gone up by 20% in the past year. We're still very low thank goodness, only a couple of thousand1 infections per year, but there is an upward trend; and the percentage of non-homosexual male infections is increasing. In North America HIV/AIDS has generally been considered an affliction of gay men, but this is changing.
In Sub-Saharan Africa (and increasinly so in places like the West Indies and India) HIV/AIDS has become a predator of women and consequently children as well. Every minute one child is infected with HIV and another dies from AIDS related illness.
There are nearly 40 million people world wide living with HIV/AIDS. This includes over 5 million in India, about 0.9% of the adult population. This unfortunate percentage is set to rise sharply in India since it's at a jumping point where the number of infections in areas are high enough that it can move beyond very high risk populations (mobile workers, military and sex workers) to the mainstream population.
I've also been trying to get some red ribbons. Apparently they have them at St.Mike's, but I won't be able to drive into the city until later in the week. And apparently the red ribbon is also the symbol for MADD and some global anti-violence movement... who knew?
1. I made a mistake, I said HIV infections each year are a couple of hundred, but meant they're actually a couple of thousand. There are about 50,000 people in Canada with HIV/AIDS.
Public Health Agency of Canada HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report
posted by csguy314 at
11/30/2005 06:49:00 AM
1 Comments:
Hmm I didn't know Madd went with red ribbons either. Thats one organization I truly dislike. If you EVER ever donate, know that for the rest of your life you will be pursued, cajoled, forced to give more and more every single time. I get like a call a month even though I tried to opt out. On top of that it may be a non profit but it's definately not volunteer. I know someone who works for their Sales dept. Get paid quite a bit.
Ok my rant for the day. :). I'm done now. he he.
By
Saira, at 8:54 AM
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