World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS day. Lest you think AIDS is a disease of the past in the United States, be aware that according to the CDC,

In 2003, approximately 40 million people around the world were living with HIV/AIDS, including 2.5 million children under the age of fifteen. More than 900,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States since 1981; and an estimated 40,000 Americans become infected with HIV every year. At the end of 2003, an estimated one million persons in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS, with 24-27% undiagnosed and unaware of their HIV infection. HIV infection is the sixth leading cause of death for people who are 25-44 years old in the United States.

You can find out more about World AIDS Day at the Department of Health and Human Services web site.