sobering news about the widespread AIDS

We're always hearing sobering news about the widespread AIDS epidemic, but, until now, you've probably never "heard" about HIV quite like this.

Alexandra Pajak, a graduate student at the University of Georgia, has just created a whole new way of looking at the complexities of HIV by combining the biology of the disease with music.

For months, Pajak carefully studied the different types of

Thailand

Thailand

The CDC trial in Thailand is examining the safety and efficacy of tenofovir. The study is being conducted in collaboration with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Thailand Ministry of Public Health and has enrolled 2,400 HIV-negative intravenous drug users (IDUs) — male and female — at 17 drug treatment clinics in Bangkok. Participants are recruited at the drug treatment clinics, at community outreach sites, and through a peer referral program.

Botswana

The Botswana study is examining the behavioral and clinical safety of tenofovir plus emtricitabine and adherence to the regimen. This trial began as a safety and efficacy trial, but key challenges — including lower than anticipated HIV incidence and retention rates in the trial population — meant that the trial would be unable to determine efficacy. However, the study will still examine critical questions related to safety and adherence that will help guide potential implementation of PrEP, should efficacy be demonstrated in other trials.

The trial is being conducted in collaboration with the Botswana government and enrolled 1,200 HIV-negative heterosexual men and women, ages 18 to 39, in the nation’s two largest cities, Gaborone and Francistown. Participants were recruited through a number of venues, including HIV voluntary counseling and testing centers, sexually transmitted disease (STD) and family planning clinics, youth organizations, and community events.

H o w t o u s e t h i s t o o l

H o w t o u s e
t h i s t o o l
Use the fl owchart under differentiated strategies
to estimate the scope of actions for the education
sector in the fi eld of HIV and AIDS in the country
where you work.
Critically review the table with issues that put
children at a disadvantage and compare this
with your own context.
Use the issues under three dimensions for mainstreaming
as a framework for support.
Use the list of critical elements for effectiveness
when you are providing feedback to partners
and to sectors/governments on proposals for interventions,
or when you are planning, reviewing or
evaluating programmes.

Africa

Africa

Africa south of the Sahara is the worst-affected, with 2/3 of all living HIV infected persons. In 2008, 91% of all children there were living with HIV and there were 14 million orphaned children, whose parents had died of Aids. It is estimated that in Sub-Saharan Africa, one in 20 people (5%) carry HIV.

In 2008, South Africa, with 5.7 million, was the country with the highest number of HIV-infected people in the world. The situation is even more dramatic in some small countries, which have the highest number of HIV-infected people in percentage terms: Swaziland 26%, Botswana 24%, Lesotho 23%.

Global

Global

During the 70s and 80s, the HIV epidemic propagated from Africa via Haiti and the USA to every country in the world. HIV infection is primarily transmitted by sexual means.





Worldwide, the number of those living with HIV infection continues to rise, although more slowly. However, the number of those newly infected was steadily sinking from 1996 (3.5 million) to 2008 (2.3 million). This may be due to more frequent treatment with antiretroviral drugs (ART). In 2008, in poor countries every third HIV-infected person (4 million) received antiretroviral therapy, which is ten times more than in 2003.