The Buzz from Bella Luccè

World AIDS Day 2005

December 1, 2005

Today marks an in incredibly important today- World AIDS Day 2005. Please take a moment to consider these sobering statistics:

There are 40.3 MILLION people around the world living with HIV/AIDS today

There will be an estimated 4.9 MILLION people diagnosed this year, more than 700,000 of them will be children

3.1 MILLION people will die from AIDS during the 2005 calendar year

More than 25 MILLION people have died of AIDS since 1981.

Africa has 12 MILLION AIDS orphans.

By December 2005 women accounted for 46% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 57% in sub-Saharan Africa.

Young people (15-24 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide - more than 6,000 become infected with HIV every day.

Of the 6.5 MILLION people in developing and transitional countries who need life-saving AIDS drugs, only 1 MILLION are receiving them.

Please consider attending an event today in support of World AIDS Day; raising awareness is critical. There are also many venues through which you can donate to help fund AIDS research…I encourage you to do something today to make a difference!