HIV Statistics

Since its discovery back in the 1980s, HIV/AIDS had become a serious concern of society. The deadly disease is not only a physical detriment. AIDS also has emotional, psychological, and social implications. PWAs have long been a victim of stigma, battling with discrimination all throughout their limited life span. Health officials all over the world, together with several world leaders, have been working all these years to combat the multi-faceted effects of the disease. Information campaign were launched in almost every part of the globe to educate people about the true nature of AIDS and to shatter fallacies that have lead to discrimination. But just like every research to find to ultimate cure for HIV, the fight is a long way from being won. Due to the spread of AIDS in an epidemic proportion, the disease had been linked to issues concerning national security.

Researchers in London have examined the link between HIV/AIDS and national security. It was found that HIV/AIDS is posing potential risks to national, regional, and global security. But it was stressed that the linkage between public health and national security has so far been missing. There were three main instances cited in which HIV/AIDS is linked to national security. The first is HIV's impact on individuals who are critical to international security, like peacekeepers and soldiers. Second is the impact of the disease in some sub-Saharan African nations, which could cause national instability. Third is the impact of the pandemic on "strategically important states" such as China, India, and Russia.

For many people, AIDS is only an adult's killer disease. But contrary to this notion, children of today are also crossing the line of HIV risks. Through blood transfusion and birth, many of our youngsters are living with HIV. Specially in some countries that HIV testing and treatment can hardly provide, the rate of children with HIV is increasing every year. This is the reason why many children are called AIDS orphans. Their parents died because of HIV infections and AIDS complications. But the most alarming fact is, in 2005's AIDS death rate about half a million were children under 15 years old.

Based on studies, during the last part of year 2005, approximately 2.3 million kids have HIV. However, because of insufficient monitoring devices, there are other children living with HIV who were not recorded during the survey period. This means HIV is devastating more and more children every year. Several children are dying due to AIDS. However, most of them are unaware what kills them. This shocking truth about children is really hard to accept. Yet, until today, we
can't find a way to stop and cure all HIV and AIDS victims. But if we can't find a way to end this killer disease, what kind of lives can we offer to our next generation?

The latest statistic on AIDS and HIV was published in November 2005 by The World Health Organization UNAIDS. According to the report, The total number of people infected with the disease was an estimated 40.3 million around the world; 38 million were adults while 2.3 million were children.

People newly infected with AIDS as of November 2005 totalled around 4.9m; 4.2 million adults and 700,000 children. The number of HIV related deaths of that year was an estimated 3.1 million; 2.6 million were adults and 570,000 were children.

AIDS is rampant in Africa and millions of people there die yearly because of AIDS, and even of AIDS-related illnesses. The AIDS symptoms or AIDS-related illnesses of those in Africa differ from the HIV infected people in developed countries.

Africans have Candida or thrush in the mouth and almost a hundred percent of the AIDS African victims have candida. Also, fifty percent of the infected have Oesophageal candidiasis, thirty percent of them get Tuberculosis, and the rest show signs of Cerebral toxoplasmosis, Herpes zoster infection, and Cryptosporidiosis.

In fighting the deadly AIDS disease, healthcare workers are the first in line to help address this dilemma. However, they are also the ones who greatly risk exposing themselves to AIDS.

According to statistics, health aides top the list of healthcare workers who already have AIDS, with about five hundred thousand and six hundred cases. This is followed by nurses who also have exceeded the five thousand mark. The report also includes technicians, therapists, dental workers, and paramedics, with surgeons showing to be the least infected with the HIV virus.

It is surprising how the cases of HIV and AIDS are rising in number each year. For instance, I came across this statistics, which was updated in the year 2005, and it showed a staggering five hundred thousand adolescent and adult people who have died due to AIDS.

Actually, it was a little bit more than that population. It is scary, is it not? What's more is that the males are the most common victim of AIDS, with a difference of about almost six hundred thousand incidents from females.

Since 1981, more than 25 million people have died of HIV AIDS. A large portion of this number comes from Africa. Just a month ago, statistics have shown that almost half of the HIV infected population are women. And the other half, still coming from Africa, the growing number of HIV infected people are increasing along with the population growth. With all these people affected with HIV, only a small percentage is given the medication and treatment. Awareness and safety are the only way to prevent this deadly virus.