Two decades after it first appeared, AIDS now threatens human health and economic stability in communities around the globe. To date, more than 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide. If current trends continue, that number will swell to 100 million by 2010. In some countries today, a quarter of the population is already HIV positive. But the disease is entirely preventable, and we can make a difference. From grassroots support groups in Russia to national outreach campaigns in Uganda, individuals and governments are mobilizing to combat the disease and educate others. You can help by learning more about the issues, people, and countries represented in Pandemic: Facing AIDS.
Use these resource links to learn about specific AIDS topics and groups fighting against the devastating effect AIDS is having worldwide. More importantly, find out about how you can contact and help these organizations in their fight. 
AIDS Orphans Resources
UNAIDS estimates that there will be over 40 million AIDS orphans worldwide by 2010. The loss of parents, teachers, and community leaders will leave an entire generation of children to raise themselves.
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Mother-to-Child Transmission Resources
Thirty percent of HIV-positive mothers in India give birth to newborns who also carry the virus. Simple, inexpensive treatments, like two-dose nevirapine therapy, can dramatically reduce the rate of transmission from mother to child, but they must be funded. |
Access to Treatment Resources
In many of the countries hardest hit by AIDS, the combination drug therapies that have been so successful among patients in the West are out of reach. Brazil’s national AIDS program, which provides free AIDS drugs and health care to all citizens, could serve as a model for change. Several international organizations are working to make medications and treatment more widely available. |
The Sex Industry Resources
Young women in the international sex industry are often forced to have unsafe sex with their clients. As a result, many are dying of AIDS. Unregulated sex industries around the world help spread the virus. Thailand’s education and prevention campaign is too late for some, but it is helping others
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Harm Reduction Resources
Needle exchange programs have successfully reduced HIV infection rates around the world, without encouraging drug use. In much of Russia, however, these programs remain illegal, even as the number of HIV-positive injection drug users continues to skyrocket. Harm reduction programs around the world work to educate at-risk groups about HIV transmission and empower them to protect themselves. |
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