Impact of AIDS

India has been facing the HIV/AIDS epidemic since 1986 and many of the infected patients since then may have died in the absence of any curative treatment and inaccessibility to drugs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), estimate the by the end of 2004 there were approximately 36-44 million people living with HIV globally, and more than 30 million had already died of AIDS. Each year, there are approximately five million people infected with HIV and more than three million die of AIDS. Each day, there are approximately 14,000 people infected with HIV and 95% of them live in developing countries.

The overall objectives of this study are to quantify the poverty impacts of an escalating HIV/AIDS crisis in the Pacific, and to raise awareness and increase understanding among key decision makers.

Current Situation of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS in Asia Pacific October 2 to 8, 2005

The main objective of this project is to strengthen the national policy and programmes on HIV/AIDS in Malaysia by assessing the impact of HIV/AIDS on people infected by the disease to provide an information base on PLHIV (People Living with HIV) and the families/communities affected.

The global HIV/AIDS pandemic continues largely unabated. If current trends persist, it is projected that 0 million more HIV infections will occur by 0 and the annual number of new infections could increase by 0% or more by 0.    Beyond the substantial human toll, the epidemic has broader impacts throughout many parts of a society, largely because HIV remains a fatal disease that primarily affects those who are young and in their most productive years. Because of this, HIV is considered a threat to overall development in many of the hardest hit nations, complicating efforts to reduce poverty, improve access to education and health care, address gender inequality, and maintain national security. This broader “multisectoral impact” is one of the more unique and salient features of the HIV pandemic and is important to understand for informing policy and planning efforts at all levels of society: a multisectoral impact necessitates a multisectoral response.

Most adults who die of AIDS have older-aged parents who survive them. This, the first quantitative study in Cambodia to look at the impact of the death of a child due to AIDS on their older parents, directly contributes to "improving data collection and analysis on the status, trends and socioeconomic impact of the epidemic," a recommendation specifically set out by Cambodian government in their efforts to meet the United Nations Millennium Goals. Findings from this study can inform policy aimed at mitigating the impact of the epidemic on older persons.

Many people contributed to the Stigma-AIDS eForum discussions on HIV/AIDS. Thanks must be extended first and foremost to all the eForum members, and particularly those who actively participated throughout the dis- cussion and shared their experiences and knowledge so willingly. Coming from all corners of the world, this honesty and enthusiasm made the discussions on the Stigma-AIDS eForum particularly rich, meaningful and insightful.

Demographic Impact of HIV • In Africa, life expectancy has declined from 62 to 47 years • In Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Swaziland, life expectancy is less than 40 years of age • In Uganda, 60% of deaths among children under 5 years are due to AIDS; in Zimbabwe the figure is 70%

Every day, thousands of children in the Pacific encounter numerous threats to their security and well-being: poverty, hunger, labour, sexual abuse, social instability and political upheaval. Today, they face an additional threat that not only menaces their lives, but could also unravel their countries’ development gains of the past 30 years and ultimately, wipe out the Pacific’s unique blend of different ethnicities and cultures: AIDS.