MondayMourning: HIV - Forgotten But Not Gone

For most of my 1980s childhood, HIV was either the gay mans disease or something you got from leading a sinful life. We now know otherwise—not that our compassion should be limited to only those who live a lifestyle we approve of. Today, however, the disease is sometimes forgotten—by no means has it been irradiated, but it’s at least controlled by better education. For those who have it, it may not be curable, but it’s treatable with medication.

Globally it’s an entirely different story. According to recent estimates, nearly 40 million people are living with HIV; of that over 2 million are under the age of 15. Over 70% of all people living with HIV and almost 90% of all children living with HIV are in Africa.
 
What can be done? It used to cost over $10,000 to provide treatment to someone with HIV; keyword: used. That cost has dropped, and continues to drop, significantly. Today the cost of helping a person in a third world country is about $100. That means if you can spare about $0.25 a day, you could provide treatment to someone infected with the disease.
 
If you would like to donate money to either HIV / Aides research, or would like to contribute to helping provide treatment to low income communities, visit: http://aids.about.com/od/advocatelinks/a/Top-20-Hiv-Aids-Charities.htm
 
NOTE: I am not associated, nor do I endorse, any of these charities; before donating to any charity, it is always advisable to research them and make sure the money is being used responsibly. One of the largest charity watchdog groups has a database here: http://www.charitynavigator.org/