HIV and AIDS in Africa |
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Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region of the world. An estimated 22.4 million people are living with HIV in the region - around two thirds of the global total. In 2008 around 1.4 million people died from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and 1.9 million people became infected with HIV. Since the beginning of the epidemic more than 14 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.1 In the absence of massively expanded prevention, treatment and care efforts, it is expected that the AIDS death toll in sub-Saharan Africa will continue...[More] |
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World AIDS Day |
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Red Ribbons on World AIDS DayWorld AIDS day is held on 1st December every year. The red ribbon is worn as a sign of support for people living with HIV. Wearing a red ribbon for World AIDS Day is a simple and powerful way to show support and challenge the stigma and prejudice surrounding HIV and AIDS that prevents us from tackling HIV in the UK and internationally.The red ribbon has been an international symbol of AIDS awareness since 1991. The Red Ribbon Project was created by the New York based organisation Visual AIDS, which brought together artists to create a symbol of support for the growing number of people...[More] |
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HIV incidence rise among Asian women |
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HIV rates are on the rise among Asian women, highlighting the need for new policy priorities, warns the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).In 2007, women accounted for 35 per cent of all people living with HIV in Asia, up from 18 per cent in 1990. Asian governments must pay more attention to the needs of women in their national HIV/AIDS policies, said Moni Pizani, regional programme director for the United Nations Development Fund for Women. "Tackling harmful gender norms that are at the root of women's vulnerability to HIV is crucial to stem the spread of the epidemic," Pizani told a seminar in Pattaya,...[More] |
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The Vienna Declaration: A global call to action for science-based drug policy |
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The Vienna Declaration: A global call to action for science-based drug policy28 June 2010 [Vienna, Austria] – Three leading scientific and health policy organizations today launched a global drive for signatories to the Vienna Declaration (www.viennadeclaration.com), a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies. Among those supporting the declaration and urging others to sign is 2008 Nobel Laureate and International AIDS Society (IAS) Governing Council member Prof. Françoise...[More] |
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Tough drug policies seen as increasing spread of HIV-AIDS |
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The society says current drug policies have led to increased crime, violence and the destabilisation of entire states without any evidence that drug use or supply has dropped. In some parts of the world, such as eastern Europe and central Asia, it says injecting drugs is the main cause for the spread of HIV. The society is calling for widespread needle and syringe programmes, as well as access to substitution therapy in which illegal drugs are substituted for less harmful substances. ...[More] |
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HIV and AIDS |
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Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The virus weakens a person's ability to fight infections and cancer. People with HIV are said to have AIDS when they develop certain infections or cancers or when their CD4 count is less than 200. CD4 count is determined by a blood test in a doctor's office. Having HIV does not always mean that you have AIDS. It can take many years for people with the virus to develop AIDS. HIV and AIDS cannot be cured. Although people with AIDS will likely one day die from an AIDS-related illness, there are ways to help...[More] |
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