Also read: HIV, coming out, AIDS, legislation

2009 marks the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1). Established in 1988, World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS epidemic. While the overall message is of prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, each year the World AIDS Campaign's Global Steering Committee chooses a more focused theme. This year's theme is "Universal Access and Human Rights."

Some will recognize today through memorials and candlelight vigils for those who have died from AIDS, while others will hold awareness and educational events and, perhaps, display blocks from the National AIDS Quilt. Whether this day is spent remembering those who have passed away or celebrating the lives saved, it is clear that AIDS continues to affect communities globally. 

Is AIDS Still on the Rise?

According to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, in 2008, approximately 2.7 million people tested positive for HIV. Over the past eight years, however, new cases of HIV have been reduced by 17 percent.

As a result of successful antiretroviral therapy and population growth, people are living longer with HIV/AIDS. An estimated 33.4 million people are living with HIV worldwide. The United States has approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, according to amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

While nearly 2 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2008, the promising news is that the number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by more than 10 percent in the past five years.

UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that since the availability of effective treatment in 1996, some 2.9 million lives have been saved.

Room for Improvement

Despite the improved outlook overall for people with HIV/AIDS, some regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, continue to struggle against the threat of HIV/AIDS. Two-thirds of all people who are living with HIV/AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2007, 1.9 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone were newly infected with HIV.

A report released by UNAIDS and WHO at the end of 2007 revealed that nearly 3 million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries. Unfortunately, this group only covers 31 percent of the estimated 9.7 million who are in need. This leaves more than 6 million people lacking medicines that could potentially save their lives.

Who Is Most Impacted?  

While AIDS was originally considered a "gay man's disease," recent numbers show a significant shift in which groups are most affected. According to amfAR, worldwide, women account for more than 1 in 4 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses and deaths caused by AIDS. In the United States, Black women constituted 66 percent of all women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2005. And while Blacks and Latinas represent 24 percent of all women with HIV/AIDS in the United States, they account for 82 percent of AIDS cases among women. AIDS remains the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25 to 34.

In New York City over the past two decades, the proportion of women among all AIDS diagnoses in New York City has climbed from 11 percent to 32 percent. In response to this disturbing trend, organizations such as Women's Institute of the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) are designing campaigns that target women in their multiethnic communities. 

New Developments

• On the medicine front, according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), since 1987, 31 medicines have been approved for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Currently, there are 97 products in development, including 23 vaccines and 54 antivirals. These drugs are either in human clinical trials or awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

• This past June, President Barack Obama announced he would lift the U.S. ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants, which has been in place since 1987.
   
• Tapping into the power of social networks, UNAIDS has launched AIDSspace.org in order to increase awareness and expand outreach. The network's goal is "to connect, exchange ideas, post and share HIV-related content … including key policies, case studies, multimedia materials, conference posters, reports and other essential resources."