Imagine your whole community dying of a preventable disease. Every day, seven thousand young people contract HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS not only affects the individual, it touches entire communities and countries. As more and more teachers die from HIV/AIDS, children are robbed of an education. Farmers dying of HIV/AIDS are unable to provide enough food for their families and villages, causing more poverty and hunger. Goal 6 aims to stop, and finally reverse, the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other deadly diseases by 2015 (Youth Action Guide, Millennium Development Goals, 2005)

Day in and day out people are being infected with HIV/AIDS. Every minute, six young people between the ages of 10 and 25 are infected with HIV/AIDS. It has been thought that the amount of new infections of HIV peaked in the 1990's for Africa. This means that many countries new infection levels are stabilizing, and in some cases decreasing - Kenya and Zimbabwe. However, a stable infection rate does not mean the pandemic is moving away, in fact it just means that the amount of people being newly infected equals the amount of people dying of AIDS.

There are places of high concern today, where new HIV transmissions are growing at high rates. These two regions are Eastern Europe and the 'Golden Triangle' of Southeast Asia. India which has the world's largest population have over 5million of its population being infected with HIV/AIDS.  HIV/AIDS has been found in every country of the world, while most countries have low-level prevalence rates. This does not mean, however, that certain countries have 'beat' HIV/AIDS. Countries like Senegal, Thailand, and Brazil are working very hard to keep their epidemics from expanding and trying to reduce the amount of new infections.

Currently there is no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS. There is research on-going in several fields. Testing of potential vaccines is happening right now. Previous attempts have not had great success, and even if one of the current attempts were to have positive results it would be years before it became ready for use. Education, prevention, treatment, and care will remain focal in the field for those working to tame the pandemic of HIV/AIDS.

A microbicide gel is being developed, which will be placed in the vagina to prevent HIV transmission. Studies and research have been on-going for this product for sometime and many hope one will be ready for use within the coming few years. The drive for such a product revolves around the fact that it is female controlled, as opposed to the current prevention technique of condoms that is largely male controlled.

Thanks to the support that is coming from UNAIDS,The Global Fund for Malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation HIV/AIDS and issues that surround it are being given a major attention.

Estimates show, and the continued increase in HIV infections prove, that the world's current efforts are not enough. Research, prevention, treatment, care, and support are all vitally important and the world has yet to reach the needed demand so that the HIV/AIDS pandemic can be altered in such a way that new infections as well as HIV/AIDS deaths drastically decrease.

Click here for update on current trends and other HIV/AIDS centered issues to know more from our program partner Working to Empower.

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