Reflections on the AIDS Epidemic Update for 2009 – Dr. Tim O’Shea

Dr. Tim O’Shea, Give a Day supporter writes…UNAIDS recently released their AIDS Epidemic Update for 2009.  In previous blogs I have emphasized how important it is to keep in mind the personal stories behind the staggering statistics associated with this virus.  However, reflecting on the information contained in the update, it becomes clear that the numbers do indeed speak for themselves.  The overall numbers are jarring; in 2008 there were 33 million people living with HIV,  an astounding 2.7 million new infections and 2 million deaths.  Looking deeper at the statistics, however, reveals what for me is one of the most outrageous aspects of the HIV pandemic . The burden of this disease is being borne increasingly by the women and children of sub-Saharan Africa.  Over 14 million children have been orphaned since the start of the epidemic, and astoundingly 91% of the 430,000 children born with HIV in 2008 were born in sub-Saharan Africa.  The fact that transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child continues to occur at such rates at a time when we know how to reliably manage this risk should be a source of shame for the entire international community. 

                Reading and reflecting on statistics such as these can leave one alternating between feelings of deep outrage and depression, guilt and hopelessness.  The scope of the pandemic seems so overwhelming, and the problems so complex that it is difficult to know how to make a difference.  That is why it is so essential to learn about the work that organizations such as Dignitas International and the Stephen Lewis Foundation are carrying out.  Visit their websites, attend a talk, volunteer, Give a Day.  Getting involved with these groups will begin to replace your sense of rage with a sense of purpose, and your feelings of despair with hope.

Published by: GiveADay on November 30th, 2009 | Filed under Give a Day 2009, HIV/AIDS in Africa, Media, Recipient News, Workplace Campaigns, World AIDS Day 2009
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