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25 Years of HIV/AIDS—What Have We Learned?

25 Years of HIV/AIDS—

What Have We Learned?

Read the text of an online chat hosted by washingtonpost.com with Frank Beadle de Palomo

Frank Beadle de Palomo , senior vice president and director of the AED Center on AIDS and Community Health.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Project Changes Outlook

Halima Abdi is one of hundreds of social workers who make weekly visits to overburdened caregivers of children orphaned by AIDS as part of the AED Speak for the Child project. She provides them with the services and support they need to meet the children’s emotional, educational, nutritional, and health needs. Abdi is very proud of her work and writes about one family in the town of Vihiga, who underwent a complete transformation as a result of the program. READ THE WHOLE STORY

woman and child in clinic

The Current Situation

IN 2005, THERE WERE:
• 4.9 million new infections (more than 13,000 daily)
• 3.1 million deaths (more than 8,000 daily)
• More than 40 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS.

NO REGION OF THE WORLD HAS BEEN SPARED.
Regional rates of infection include:
• Sub-Saharan Africa--25 million
• South and South East Asia--7.4 million
• Latin America 1.8 million
• Eastern Europe and Central Asia 1.6 million
• East Asia/Pacific 944,000
• North America 1.2 million

ALL GROUPS ARE AFFECTED.
• More than 2.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS are less than 15 years of age.
• Women are an increasing proportion of that population.

1 UNAIDS Epidemic Report 2005

HIV and AIDS continue to infect people who have never seen a doctor or learned how it is transmitted, people who face enormous barriers to practicing preventive behaviors, people whose immediate need for food and security is so profound that long-term concerns like HIV prevention and treatment seem irrelevant.

"Tumaini Letu / Our Hope" This film follows the lives, struggles, and indomitable spirit of three caregivers left behind to care for children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS WATCH THE FILM

Even where resources are plentiful, many people with HIV disease do not receive the prevention and care interventions they need. In the United States, more than one-third of all HIV infections are undiagnosed and a large portion of the HIV-positive population receives substandard care. Across the globe, many people in need do not receive services simply because services do not exist.

HIV is more than a personal issue. It diminishes the prospects of entire nations. AIDS is a complex problem. Without comprehensive approaches, we cannot stop it.

Lessons Learned

AED works in the U.S. and in developing countries around the world to develop such approaches. What we have learned in Nashville, Tennessee, informs our work in Central America, just as our experience in African nations enhances our ability to design interventions for U.S. programs. As the impact of HIV/AIDS intensifies in many U.S. communities, and many countries begin to struggle with the pandemic, we cannot afford to overlook the lessons learned in fighting HIV/AIDS in any single country, city, or village.

IMPACT STORIES:
Because There is No Simple Answer to AIDS AED Efforts Provide Insight On Nutrition’s Role in Battling HIV/AIDS
AED Expands HIV/AIDS Prevention and Testing Efforts
AED Launches Orphan Support Pack Project for Young Children in Kenya Affected by AIDS
AIDS Interventions Target Those Most At-Risk
Anti-Stigma Initiative Addresses Forgotten Aspect of HIV/AIDS
Because There is No Simple Answer to AIDS Changing Workers’ Attitudes About HIV/AIDS in Vietnam
Combating HIV/AIDS Stigma in Africa
Confronting HIV/AIDS Stigma: A Q&A with Frank Beadle de Palomo
Partners Collaborate To Support Orphans and Vulnerable Children