HIV/AIDS
34 million people worldwide have HIV/AIDS. In 2010, 2.7 million people were newly infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and 1.8 million people died from Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Infected people – almost 23 million – live almost exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa and most of them are between 15 and 24 years old (more >).
HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights are closely connected. In both cases prevention plays a leading part. DSW provides contraceptives and information about sexual and reproductive health and rights. We help during and after pregnancy, offer treatments for sexual transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and empower women and girls to make them less vulnerable.
Thus, even more can be done by bringing together political authorities in European and international conferences and workshops. In our advocacy work, we direct political and public attention to signed contributions as well as to commitments such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
HIV / AIDS
The HI (Human Immunodeficiency) virus is transmitted through blood and body fluids. The main transmission routes are unsafe sex, contact with infected blood (e.g. through blood transfusions, wounds or unclean medical instruments) and transmission by a HIV positive mother to her child during pregnancy or breast feeding. The HI virus causes the fatal condition of AIDS and is spread all over the world in varying degrees of prevalence.
Currently there are more than 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2010, 2.7 million people were infected with the HI virus and 1.8 million died from AIDS. HIV/AIDS prevalence is particularly high in developing countries. Most of the people with HIV/AIDS - almost 23 million - live in sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, HIV/AIDS is almost always transmitted through sex or mother-to-child contact. Almost 60% of those infected by HIV in the region are female, because for physiological and social reasons women and girls are more vulnerable to infection than men. Most of the people directly affected are at sexually active age between 15 and 49 years old, which is also the age at which the people living in the re¬gion are working and responsible for providing for their families. This means in practical terms that HIV/AIDS in developing countries first of all saps the productive strength of a society, which to a great extent nullifies development efforts.
HIV/AIDS is a sub-area of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), as it is not only deemed a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) but also has similar or even the same causes. The well-tested SRHR services provide information on risks of infection and prevention methods such as male and female condoms. Awareness raising and behavior change programmes for young people are an important measure to prevent HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is treatable, but not curable. Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) is available to only few people in developing countries, as it is still very expensive and most people affected by HIV/AIDS live in great poverty.
Since the mid-1990s, HIV/AIDS has also been widely recognized internationally. A milestone of international commitment was the first United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) in 2001 and the follow-up 2006 High-Level Meeting on AIDS UNGASS+5 in Summer 2006 in New York. Also the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis (GFATM) in 2001 as a partnership of governments, civil society and the private sector has been an important contribution in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
