World Health Organization
AIDS Epidemic
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV destroys a type of defense cell in your body called a CD4 helper lymphocyte. These lymphocytes are part of the body’s immune system, the defense system that fights infectious diseases. But as HIV destroys the lymphocytes, people with this virus begin to get serious infections that the normally would not. Then they become immune deficient. The name for this condition is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV can be transferred from an infected person to another person through blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. The virus is also spread through high-risk behaviors like unprotected sex, and sharing needles used to inject drugs.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one most serious epidemic the global community is dealing with. More than 33 million people are living with the HIV virus. In 2008, there was estimated 2 million people have died to do AIDS. But the amount of new HIV infections has dropped approximately 30% since its peak in 1996 when there 3.5 million new HIV infections occurred vs. 2.7 million in new infections in 2008. But 430,000 children under the age of 15 were infected in 2008. This problem is not just a problem in one part of the world it is everywhere. Sub-Saharan is the most affected geographic region by the epidemic. This region represents 71% of the new infections in 2008. But in Eastern Europe and Central Asia prevalence continues to increase.