Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report Summarizes Reaction to UNAIDS/WHO Report on State of Global AIDS Epidemic
UNAIDS and the World Health Organization on Tuesday released their annual report on the state of the global AIDS epidemic, which found that five million new HIV cases occurred and three million people died of AIDS-related causes throughout the world in 2003. The report, titled "AIDS Epidemic Update 2003," shows that there are 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide in 2003. Approximately 14,000 people were infected with HIV each day in 2003, and more than 95% of new HIV cases occurred among people who live in low- or middle-income countries, according to the report (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/26). The following are summaries of editorials that discuss the findings of the UNAIDS/WHO update report:
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Denver Post: The UNAIDS/WHO report shows that "HIV infection and AIDS deaths are real, and there is no sign of AIDS subsiding," a Post editorial says. The Post concludes, "We must heed [the UNAIDS/WHO's] warning, educate ourselves as much as possible, take proper precautions, make private donations to agencies that educate and treat people inflicted with HIV and AIDS, and support government funding and programming to help people in developing nations that are being devastated by the deadly disease" (Denver Post, 11/26).
- New Orleans Times-Picayune: "At this point, slowing the rampant growth of HIV and AIDS infections worldwide is a daunting task," a Times-Picayune editorial says. Although efforts to combat the pandemic have "intensified in recent years, they have clearly been inadequate," according to the editorial. Solutions "will have to be tailored to the needs and the traditions of individual countries" and will "require tremendous resources" -- especially for antiretroviral drug programs -- to be successful in fighting HIV/AIDS. In addition, public awareness campaigns are "essential" because "basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS is poor" in countries most affected by the disease, the editorial says, concluding, "That knowledge alone could save thousands of lives" (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 11/26).
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