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editorial
Somewhere in the dismal numbers, we must find hope
Published Thursday, 29-Nov-2007 in issue 1040
33.2 million
2.5 million
2.1 million
The figures are staggering.
In 2007, 33.2 million people were estimated to be living with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS; 2.5 million people were newly infected with HIV; and 2.1 million people died of AIDS.
On average, there were 6,500 new HIV infections each day.
The 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization reported that, although the percentage of people living with HIV was level with 2006, the total number of people living with HIV has increased.
In 2001, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia the number of reported cases of people living with HIV increased by 150 percent, and in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV and AIDS still ravages the region, accounting for more than one-third of all new infections and AIDS deaths annually.
Some organizations have questioned the accuracy of the report, saying, at best, the figures are guesswork. The trouble, too, they say, is that the vast majority of people infected with HIV don’t know they have it.
According to an Associated Press news report, the decline in AIDS cases is mostly attributable to revised methods of collecting data.
Some say accurate numbers would be much higher.
But somewhere in all this – the figures, the reports, the guesswork – we must find hope to fight the good fight.
As HIV/AIDS gains momentum worldwide, our efforts must increase to combat this epidemic.
The trouble is, many in the GLBT community, despite the best efforts of advocacy organizations, believe we’re winning the war on HIV/AIDS.
Reports that reflect declines in AIDS deaths are no help – they fail to capture the reality of the increasing number of people living with HIV.
Progress in antiretroviral treatments has made HIV and AIDS manageable diseases – and, in some cases now, HIV is undetectable in people’s systems. The reality, though, is that it exists. Although HIV has become a virus we can live with, AIDS continues daily to claim lives worldwide.
HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence – but, the fact remains, people are dying, and one death is one too many.
The war on HIV/AIDS isn’t won until the epidemic is eradicated, and, so, a fundamental shift in momentum must occur.
While we laud the efforts of those committed to improving the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS, we must not lose focus. We must not allow ourselves to become complacent. The efforts to educate must not stall.
According to researchers with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, significant progress has been made in developing a safe and effective vaccine, and, now, more than at any other time in the 26-year history of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there are more promising vaccines in development.
Although clinical trials for one of the most promising vaccines stalled in September, researchers carry on.
In the interim, education is our strongest tool. The highest rates of HIV infection occur in people under the age of 25. Educating youth and encouraging young people to become advocates is an important step toward curbing HIV/AIDS in new generations.
Leadership is the theme of World AIDS Day 2007, and organizations have called on government and faith leaders to make ending the epidemic a priority. Everyday people can be leaders, too. You can lead at a local level to effect change in your communities. Contribute time, money and knowledge to local or national organizations committed to fighting HIV/AIDS. With leadership on all fronts – in the medical field, in government, in faith-based and advocacy organizations and in our communities – we can battle HIV/AIDS, improve the quality of life for those living with the disease, and we can win this war.
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