World Leaders Unite to Address AIDS Pandemic

This year marks the twentieth year that the world has been engaged in the war against AIDS. However, the fight is far from over. Instead, this devastating disease is spreading rapidly throughout the world. During this past year, political leaders from around the world have joined together to launch new global efforts against this deadly pandemic. In light of the continuing escalation of the pandemic, the United Nations selected HIV/AIDS as the focus of this year's Special Session, making the pandemic a central topic in the UN global agenda. Addressing HIV/AIDS in this context has increased global awareness of the disease on both social and political levels.

AIDS has claimed the lives of nearly 22 million people throughout the world. It is projected that the number of deaths caused by AIDS in the next ten years will be greater than the combined fatalities in all wars of the 20th century. In some countries today, the disease is spreading so rapidly and fiercely that more than one-third of their adult populations are infected with HIV.

While most developed countries like the US are not now experiencing such dramatic losses, it is crucial that all countries combine their resources to further combat this pandemic. Long ago, we realized that all people of every region, ethnicity, age, gender, and sexual orientation can be at risk for acquiring HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, it is increasingly evident that citizens in every nation are now affected by this disease, if not directly, then indirectly through the pandemic's influence on the social and economic well being of their global neighbors.

It will take concerted global efforts to provide the necessary resources, research, and educational programs to curb further spread of this disease. And yet, the world's best prevention and treatment techniques will not be fully effective until we first overcome the fear, denial, and stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

This year's theme for World AIDS Day -- I Care . . . Do You? Youth and AIDS in the 21st Century -- reflects the reality that HIV is reaching younger people, here in the US and around the world. Already youth under 25 represent half of all new HIV infections throughout the world, and five young people are newly infected with HIV every minute. New evidence indicates high rates of risky behavior and HIV infection in some groups of young people.

Admittedly, addressing the issues surrounding AIDS is difficult, because discussing risk behaviors with young people may be uncomfortable. However, providing persons of all ages with knowledge about protection from HIV/AIDS is absolutely crucial.

Because ideas about gender equity and self-esteem often develop during adolescence, focusing on HIV/AIDS education and prevention among youth is extremely important. Values instilled in young people at this stage of development will determine the types of decisions our youth will make and the kinds of behaviors they will choose.

We must ensure that youth today possess the values, skills, and knowledge needed to lead healthy lifestyles so that they can pass those healthy values on to future generations. Because adolescence is often a time of experimentation and curiosity about risky behaviors, it is essential to provide young people with information about how to protect themselves from the disease and to instill in them the desire to remain free from HIV/AIDS.

We at AAWH hope you will use this AIDS resource booklet to provide information about HIV/AIDS to as many people as you can reach with your prevention efforts. Only when we provide life-saving information to those who need it can we succeed in the war against AIDS.

Richard L. Wittenberg
President and Chief Executive Officer
American Association for World Health