AIDS Awareness Week

It seems we haven’t heard too much about HIV/AIDS lately. However AIDS Awareness Week runs from Friday, November 24 to World AIDS Day on Friday, December 1. Fittingly, the theme is ‘HIV/AIDS — Let’s talk about it: many faces, different stories.’

Here are some fascinating facts and figures about HIV/AIDS, compiled by the AIDS Trust of Australia.

Up to 15,300 Australians are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
An average of 345 diagnoses of HIV infection have been notified each year in NSW over the past five years.
By the end of 2005, 22,361 Australians had been infected with HIV, 9,872 had been diagnosed with AIDS and 6,668 had died.
Populations traditionally considered to have been at lower risk in Australia, including heterosexuals, are experiencing slow but steady increases in HIV infection over time.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has claimed over 25 million lives, including 3.1 million deaths in 2005, worldwide.
Approximately 40 million people are currently living with HIV worldwide, including two million children.
Globally, women now comprise more than forty percent of all adults living with HIV/AIDS.
Every minute, almost 80 people are infected with HIV around the world.
In Australia, in 2005 there were 950 new diagnoses of HIV infection and 194 new AIDS diagnoses.
Worldwide HIV/AIDS has become a disease of young people, with young adults aged 15-24 accounting for more than forty percent of the 4.9 million new cases of HIV infection worldwide in 2005.
The age profile of HIV in Australia is very different to the global trend. For example, in NSW, the largest proportion of HIV notifications are among people aged 30-39 and 40-49 years.
Every day, an estimated 1,900 children become infected with HIV/AIDS, equating to more than one child every minute.

During AIDS Awareness Week, Red Ribbons are sold as the international symbol of HIV and AIDS awareness. Money raised through the sale of Red Ribbons go towards support services for people living with HIV/AIDS including medical services, counseling services, support and peer education groups.

For more information visit: www.worldaidsday.org.au

You can also contact the AIDS Trust of Australia on: 1800 689 188 / www.aidstrust.com.au