December 1st, 2007
Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.
Of the more than thirty-three million people in the world that are living with HIV, almost half of them are women - compared with forty-one percent in 1997. In many places of the world, the rates of infection in women is increasing much faster than men. In some cultures, young women are more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS due to unequal power relationships caused by cultural, social and economic factors as well as violence against women.
You may ask why I’m talking about HIV and AIDS. It’s because today is World AIDS Day.
It’s hard to believe that twenty-five years ago, the first report of a small number of cases of a deadly disease among gay men in Los Angeles is now a world-wide epidemic striking men and women of all races, religion, and sexual orientation. More than twenty-five million people have have died since those first five reported cases. Last year alone, more than two-million people died and 2.5 million people were diagnosed with HIV.
There is no “cure” for AIDS, and to this point, prevention has been the only weapon. Please, educate yourself and educate those that you love, especially teens in your life.
For more information:
- National Institute of Health AIDS Information
- World Health Organization
- UN AIDS
- UK - World AIDS Day Info
- International Medical Corp
