Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Learn more about AIDS statistics


Since AIDS and HIV have become such a problem, more and more people get sick from it. If people want to avoid getting sick, they must first learn the facts about the virus. There is a lot to be known about this illness. The more that people know about it, the better the chance of lowering the amount of people that are sick with it.

AIDS is an epidemic. This means that it is a virus or disease that has spread and infected a wide number of people. It is also a pandemic. This means that it is an epidemic that is prevalent in a large portion of the world. In this case, AIDS and HIV can be found in nearly every country in the world. As a matter of fact, there are more than thirty three million people in the world that are currently afflicted with the virus. That is a staggering number when you realize that there are six billion people in the world. That means that .5% of the world is infected with AIDS, and that number continues to grow every year.

Although most countries have a population of people infected with HIV and AIDS, the continent of Africa has by far the most. This is especially the case in sub-Saharan Africa, which consists of all of the countries to the south of the Sahara desert. In fact, three quarters of the world's HIV sufferers come from Africa. There are many reasons why this area of the world has more people infected with the AIDS virus. For starters, many scientists believe that this is where the virus originally began. While they don't know for sure, they still believe this to be the case. There is also a lack of education and medical staff in these areas.

Education does a great bit of help in relation to the AIDS in Africa. Without the right information, people don't know about the illness and how it can be contracted. They will then not protect themselves and others the way that they should. In Africa, few people use condoms. This is because they don't have much access to them, and they don't realize how important they are. Organizations are working to help teach people so that AIDS in Africa becomes much less of a problem.

There are also organizations that are sending units of medical professionals to Africa as well. These doctors and nurses are helping administer important treatments so that the chance of spreading AIDS and HIV is lessened. They also give condoms and other protection to people so that they hopefully will cease to spread the illness to others. This work is very important and is a large reason why the world population of AIDS sufferers isn't larger than it already is.

Some people don't realize how many children are infected with AIDS and HIV every year. Most know that this virus can be spread the sexual acts and through the transfer of blood. Less know about how this all affects babies. Often, children can get AIDS before they are ever born. This happens when the mother is infected with the virus. She can pass it along to her baby during pregnancy. It can also happen through childbirth. If you have AIDS, do not breast feed your baby. This is a big way that most children contract the illness. Instead, feed your new child with formula. This way, you can ensure that they stay healthy and happy.

With these AIDS statistics, you can be much more well-informed about the virus. With proper education and research, the epidemic should subside.

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