HIV/AIDS Facts

Since I've been doing some research on HIV/AIDS and learning so much about the epidemic in Kenya, I decided to share some information with you.

*In Kenya, an estimated 1.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDS while 1.8 million children have been orphaned by the disease.
*Currently, the cost of treating a single HIV/AIDS victim for a year is US$34,000 while the annual wage of most people in Kenya is under US$500.
*However, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) started by President Bush in 2003 has relieved much of the cost for Kenyans because Kenya is one of 15 countries that Pepfar funds giving antiretroviral drugs, medical care, support services and prevention programs to thousands of people who previously could not afford treatment. Pepfar funds 275 treatment sites throughout Kenya. Nyumbani is one of those sites.
*20% of the Pepfar budget is spent on prevention. 80% is spent on care and treatment, antiretroviral drugs, laboratory support, TB/HIV services, support for orphans, infrastructure and training. One third of the 20% spent on prevention must be spent on abstinence-only campaigns.
*Kenya is the second largest recipient of funds from Pepfar.
*This year, Pepfar has implemented a new prevention program: prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT). The hope is that all pregnant women in Kenya who visit a clinic before giving birth will be tested for HIV and whoever tests positive will be given drugs to protect the child from the virus.
*85% of prostitutes in Kenya are infected.
*Young girls are especially vulnerable in the rural areas due to the widespread belief that AIDS can be cured by sleeping with girls who are virgins.
*Most Western drug companies refuse to allow developing countries to produce much cheaper generic versions of their products.
*80% of HIV infections throughout the world are through sexual contact.
*People under the age of 25, especially females, are most at risk for HIV infection. People under 25 years old account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide.
*Every 14 seconds, a child is orphaned in sub-Saharan Africa.
*As of 2006, there were 12 million orphans in Africa.
*Grim projections show that by 2010, the orphan population in sub-Saharan Africa will be 30-35 million, of which more than 7 million will be desperately destitute.
*A courtroom victory in 2004 (by Nyumbani Children's Home) forced the government of Kenya to allow more than 100,000 HIV/AIDS children there to attend public schools. Previously, HIV positive children were not allowed to go to public school due to the stigma against the disease.
*75% of babies who test positive for HIV at birth will eventually be found not to have the virus. Usually this happens by age 2 when the mother's antibodies are fully out of a child's body. However, most of these children are abandoned right at birth due to the stigma surrounding HIV and the assumption that there's no chance they will eventually test negative.
*The Kenya government will not allow HIV positive children to be adopted.
*In 1990 there were 7 million people infected with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
*In 2000 there were 25.3 million people infected with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
*As of November 2006, there were 39.5 million people globally living with HIV/AIDS- more than ever before.
*Out of the 39.5 million people infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide, 37.2 million are adults, 17.7 million are women, 2.3 million are children and 4.3 million were newly infected last year.
*2.9 million people died of AIDS in 2006
*Out of the 2.9 million who died of AIDS last year, 2.6 million were adults and 0.38 million were children.
*More than 25 million people have did of AIDS since 1981.
*Around 6,000 people become infected with HIV everyday.
*In developing countries, 7.1 million people are in immediate need of life-saving antiretroviral drugs but only 28% are receiving the drugs.