Twenty years ago, the AIDS era quietly and mysteriously began. Since that time, around 25 million people have died, and the virus continues to spread, becoming what UNAIDS calls “the most devastating disease humankind has ever faced.” Last year alone the pandemic claimed 3 million lives. It is evident that now, more than ever, greater international cooperation is needed to put an end to this deadly disease.

• Today, 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
  
  
• In 2001, 5 million adults and children were infected with HIV.
  
  
• HIV/AIDS is the number one killer in sub-Saharan Africa and the fourth leading cause of death worldwide.
  
  
• In sub-Saharan Africa, 28 million people are living with HIV/AIDS – more than half are women.
  
  
• There are more than 13 million AIDS orphans worldwide — 95% of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
• Every day, more than 8,000 people die of AIDS.
  
  
• Every hour, nearly 600 people become infected.
  
  
• Every minute, a child dies of AIDS.
  
  
• According to UNICEF, over 50% of young people (aged 15-24) in more than a dozen countries have never heard of AIDS, or harbor serious misconceptions about how HIV is transmitted.
  
  
• As awareness on the role of condom use in preventing HIV transmission, - as well as their use in family planning - grows, the demand for condoms will continue to increase. UNFPA projects that the number of condoms needed annually in developing countries for HIV/AIDS prevention will reach 18.6 billion annually by 2015.
  
  
• Funding for condoms dropped to just $40 million annually in 1999 and 2000, down from a peak of $68 million in 1996.