IMMUNOLOGY OF HIV INFECTIONS part 1

An estimated 33 million people globally are infected with the AIDS virus (HIV-1). Most of the infected individuals are poor, live in developing countries, and have little access to health care. Although initiatives are under way  to bring proper medications to these individuals via a large infusion of money, this will only approximately 2.5 million individuals and prevent 12 million new cases, as pointed out in a 2007 New York Times editorial. The remainder of these infected individuals will continue to increase the number of newly infected individuals. In this context, the medications decrease the viral load in treated individuals, but medications are expensive and would not reach many of the infected individuals living in developing countries.