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Today, 01 Dec 2008 is World AIDS Day.  It is also the 20th Anniversary of the event.  Why do I mention it? A few reasons.  First off, it's what I do.  I work in a research lab that works on Mother to child HIV transmission.  While mother to child transmission in the US is still an issue, it is not near the issue that it is in Africa.  The second reason I call attention to it, is because it is the biggest pandemic the world has ever seen.  HIV was first described in 1981, and has exploded since.  There is no cure, and the virus has proven to be very elusive, able to work its way around drugs that are commonly given to fight HIV.

A few facts :

• 2007 33 million people are living with HIV (+/- 3 million)
• 0.5% - 1.0% prevalence in adults in the United States
• Regions in the US have a much higher rate, with the DC metro area amoung the highest in the country
• The WHO estimates that HIV/AIDS has killed 25 million people since it was first identified in 1981

HIV is preventable, and can not be cured.  Take 5 min and learn a little bit about HIV/AIDS.

Ian