World AIDS Day 2008: 20 years, 20 facts
To mark the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, we've collated 20 facts that illustrate the global scale of the challenge posed by HIV and AIDS, some of the successes achieved and some of the ways in which DFID is helping to combat the problem around the world.
20 facts about HIV and AIDS in the developing world, and how DFID is helping
1. More than 33 million people are living with HIV globally
Over 30 million of these live in developing countries. Find out how DFID is helping to tackle this global problem through our strategy Achieving Universal Access.
2. South Africa is the country most affected by AIDS in the world
One sixth of all people with HIV live in South Africa.
3. Every day in South Africa, 800 people die from AIDS and AIDS-related diseases
And each day 1500 people become infected with HIV – around one person every minute.
4. More than 67% of all HIV positive people live in Sub-Saharan Africa
5. Almost 61% of people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa are women
Hawa Makuza, from Tanzania, is one of them. Read her story.
6. Countries where HIV rates are over 15% are described as “hyper-endemics”
All seven of these countries are in Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
7. In South Africa young women are four times as likely to be infected with HIV than young men
Soul City is a TV soap opera, supported by DFID, that reaches over 70% of the country's people with its message of safe sex. Watch a clip from an episode here. |
8. More than 1.3 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa were receiving life-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment in December 2006
This represents 28% of those in need compared to just 2% in 2003. Find out how access to ARV treatment has changed the life of a mother and her daughter in Malawi.
9. Almost 90% of people with HIV are infected through sex or mother to child transmission
Expanding access to sexual and reproductive education, including family planning, increases condom use and is an integral component of HIV prevention. Find out how DFID is helping to improve access to contraception and HIV testing in Zimbabwe.
10. Around 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS since 2004
One of them is 13 year old Life Mbedzi in Zimbabwe. Read his story.
11. 380,000 children under 15 died of AIDS during 2006 alone
Children who receive early treatment have much better survival rates. However, diagnosis of HIV in children remains complex and costly. Find out how DFID is helping to address this problem through one project in Nigeria.
12. Young people make up almost 40% of people living with HIV
Educating and raising awareness of HIV and AIDS is crucial to reducing the levels of infection in young people. In northern Nigeria, DFID is helping to do this by supporting an innovative
radio show.
13. Many countries have no laws to protect people living with HIV from discrimination
However, discrimination, and the stigma around HIV infection, prevent people from accessing HIV treatment. Find out how DFID is helping to combat prejudice in Yemen.
14. In Mozambique, only 32% of those in need had access to ARV treatment (as of 2007)
DFID staff based in Mozambique are working
to help improve access to healthcare there. Read their
blog about their work.
15. In India, some 5.2 million people are living with HIV
This represents two-thirds of all infected people in Asia. Watch the film, left, to find out about ten years of DFID work against HIV and AIDS in India. |
16. Injecting drugs is an increasingly important factor in new cases of HIV infections
In Vietnam, some 290,000 people are living with HIV. Intravenous drug users are the social group with the highest infection rate; an estimated 28% are thought to be HIV-positive. One of them is Nguyen Van Son.
Find out how a DFID-funded project is helping him.
17. An estimated 700,000 HIV positive people live in China
The Chinese government has realised the need for action to control the epidemic. Read about how DFID is helping, in our China Briefing Paper: HIV and AIDS (PDF format, 242kb; published May 2008).
18. In Pakistan, an estimated 96,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS; an increase of almost 50% since 2001
Despite this increase the overall prevalence level is still low. But there are
concerns about levels of knowledge about HIV and sexual health in general -
particularly amongst those in high-risk groups such as transgender sex workers.
Find out more.
19. In Latin America around 1.7 million people are living with HIV, mainly in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina
But even in countries such as Nicaragua, where the incidence rate is as low as 0.2%, and the mortality rate has dropped from 100% (in some regions) a decade ago, to just over 2% now, there are still concerns over stigma and prejudice. Find out about how DFID is helping to combat prejudice in one coastal region.
20. Despite the progress in treating HIV and AIDS, there is still no cure in sight
But DFID is committed to continuing research and development into new medicines, vaccines and treatments. International Development Minister Gareth Thomas recently announced a £220 million fund for research into new prevention technologies for diseases such as HIV.
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