Facts and figures
Every day 6,000 young people are newly infected with the virus. If young people are the ones being affected by HIV, they are the ones that need to make a change and take action to push back the virus. This is why Dance4Life believes in the huge potential that young people have in the global challenge to tackle HIV. To make this happen, Dance4Life approaches young people in a way that is appropriate and engaging to them. The project informs, mobilises and unifies young people through the use of dance, music, youth icons, encouraging them to learn more about HIV and to become active participants as ‘agents of change’ in youth awareness, campaigning and fundraising.
Some figures:
• Almost a quarter of people living with HIV/AIDS are between 15 and 25 years old; worldwide this means ten million young people.
• Every day, over 6,000 people between 15-24 years old are infected with HIV/AIDS
• Every seven seconds a new infection takes place. 
• 8,500 people die every day of AIDS related causes.
• Thousands of children lose their parents to HIV/AIDS.
• Only 31% of those in need of AIDS medication actually get it.
• 25 million people have already died of AIDS since 1981.
According to the United Nations, this figure will be 280 million in 2050 if we do not act now.
• In 2007 2.1 million people died of an AIDS-related illness.
• 2.5 million new infections in 2007
• 90% of people living with HIV/AIDS live in countries of the Global South! At the end of 2007, women accounted for 50% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 61% living in SUb Sharan Africa.
AIDS affects mostly young people, and most of them do not grow older than 35 years of age.
But there also is some good news!
• The number of people living with HIV and AIDS is decreasing in some countries. In other countries the number of people has stabilised.
HIV and AIDS in the UK.
- Many young people in the UK think that HIV is something they don’t need to worry about. 9 in 10 young people rarely or never think about HIV when making decisions over their sex lives and assume it is something that can’t affect them. This is not the case.
- Within the UK HIV infection rates are increasing significantly. There are now about 73,000 people living with HIV in Britain. (3rd highest HIV rate in Europe)
- It is estimated that 1 in 5 people in Britain is unaware that HIV is transmitted through unprotected sex, with knowledge levels lowest in London .
- Stigma still surrounds HIV and many young people are prejudiced against those with the virus.
Whilst the rates continue to increase, the declining awareness about HIV amongst the general public needs to be addressed. Otherwise, it’s likely that the UK epidemic will continue to expand in coming years. Dance4Life UK’s vision is to address this need.
Young people need to realise they can advocate on behalf of their peers across the world who are in less fortunate positions themselves. Living in an increasingly global society means that young people in the UK have a role to play in helping young people globally.
Information on the figures: Each year UNAIDS, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, releases new country and regional estimates on HIV/AIDS figures. These figures are published once a year in the UNAIDS/WHO AIDS Epidemic Update Report (For more information see www.unaids.org).
HIV/AIDS in Dance4Life Countries
If you want information about HIV and AIDS in international countries, please visit our Dance4Life International website www.dance4life.com
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