The Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic

by A. Scott Moreau and Mike O’Rear

Few topics have more coverage on the Web than HIV/AIDS. A Google search results in nearly ninety million hits. Having been a major world concern for years, AIDS finally seems to be gaining broad attention by evangelical Christians worldwide.

Few topics have more coverage on the Web than HIV/AIDS. A Google search results in nearly ninety million hits. Having been a major world concern for years, AIDS finally seems to be gaining broad attention by evangelical Christians worldwide.

A few quotes and statistics¹ illustrate why this subject warrants so much attention:

• AIDS has killed twenty-five million people since it first emerged in the early 1980s—more deaths than occurred in World Wars I and II;²

• Every minute five people die of AIDS³; every day 8,000 people die from AIDS;⁴

• There are approximately fourteen million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS;⁵

• At current rates, 100 million people worldwide will be infected with HIV by 2010;⁶

• Of the 14,000 new people infected every day, 85% live in the developing world;⁷

• In Botswana, nearly four in ten adults are infected;⁸

• Eastern Europe is experiencing the fastest-growing AIDS epidemic in the world;⁹

• Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called HIV/AIDS the most serious threat to humankind and “the greatest weapon of mass destruction on earth.”¹⁰

Many of our readers are doing significant, real-world AIDS ministry, and we regret that this short article will not allow us to point to the many evangelical church and missions AIDS programs. We chose what we believe to be a few key sites, networks and documents on the nature and epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

First, a couple of disclaimers. Most of the Web material referenced in this article and the MisLinks Directory is not “Christian” and some sites naturally contain explicit sexual content. We do not necessarily endorse the material or approaches advocated by sites referenced in this article. Acknowledging that we are not experts on the subject of AIDS and AIDS ministry, we have no doubt overlooked important websites. We invite your suggestions for additional sites to be included in the MisLinks directory.

KEY DOCUMENTS
The AIDS/HIV section of About.com provides a good initial overview and includes a broad collection of introductory material concerning AIDS. Similarly, the AIDS homepage on Wikipedia, written by a variety of volunteer contributors, provides a broad popular-level introduction. AVERT.ORG, an international HIV and AIDS charity based in the UK, has an extensive site covering prevention, history, treatment, social issues and summary reports of AIDS in specific countries and regions. “Understanding HIV & AIDS Statistics” is an excellent introduction to interpreting HIV/AIDS statistics.

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, provides authoritative documents and reports. They can be read online or downloaded in PDF format. A good place to start is by reading “AIDS Epidemic Update—December 2004,” the UN’s annual report on the latest developments in the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. It includes maps, regional summaries and a special section on women and AIDS.

The online document library Eldis has an extensive Resource Guide.

AIDS, the “official journal of the International AIDS Society,” gives free online access to articles older than twelve months.

The Truth About AIDS, originally written by Patrick Dixon in 1994 and updated in 2002, is perhaps the most widely read Christian overview of the subject. This 320-page book is available free online.

CHRISTIAN MINISTRY RESPONSES
Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH), a broad coalition of ministries, is a goldmine for Christians concerned with engaging in practical AIDS ministry. It includes presentations from previous CCIH conferences and profiles of member organizations and links to their sites.

The emerging GRHM (Global Religious Health Assets Mapping project holds great promise for “Putting Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) and their networks on the map.” Seeking to increase awareness of the health services of FBOs around the world, it provides a wealth of practical information covering health facility lists, maps, reports and background information for the countries currently in its database.

An extensive, annotated “Bibliographical Collection of Christian Resources on HIV/AIDS, Malaria & TB” was compiled in June 2001 and is subdivided by various topics; it can be browsed or searched online or downloaded. CCIH also offers a variety of online publications and mailing lists.

AIDS Care Education and Training International (ACET) is “a global network of independent agencies and church-based organizations seeking to encourage effective and compassionate responses to AIDS and related issues in every nation.”

The Micah Network site includes a section on HIV/AIDS. It provides articles, personal stories, Christian responses and case studies.

Churches Together—AIDS in Africa leads a network of North American churches “enabling them to establish effective, relational and mutually transforming partnerships with African churches that assist them in their fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.”

A Christian Response to AIDS hosts a website focused on church-based AIDS programs. Over 30,000 pages of Christian responses to AIDS around the world are available.

“The Contribution of Christian Congregations to the Battle with HIV/AIDS at the Community Level” (www.gmi.org/research/aids.htm) is a report edited by Stan Nussbaum and is based on the findings of a multi-national research project commissioned by the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies for its June 2005 Mission Briefing. It is available free online.

“Consolidating A Christian Response: HIV/AIDS in Africa” is a seventeen-page online report resulting from a September 2003 symposium held in Nairobi. The meeting was organized by The Pan African AIDS Network (PACANet) in collaboration with Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Christian Medical Fellowship‘s website contains numerous AIDS articles and press releases, such as “Children living with AIDS”; “Ten proposals on AIDS”; “Latest evidence shows government wrong to ignore abstinence education in fight to cut sexual diseases”; and “World undervalues role of Christians in fight against HIV/AIDS.”

The January 1998 issue of EMQ included an article by Daniel Fountain (available online for EMQ online subscribers), titled “AIDS: The 15/45 Window”. The expression 15/45 is an age reference that refers to the fact that most cases of HIV infection and AIDS occur in people between the ages of fifteen and forty-five.

Major international evangelical ministries including MAP International and World Vision have long been global leaders in AIDS prevention, care and advocacy. The World Vision website offers AIDS-related television spots, public service announcements and press releases. It also includes a page of compelling statistics.

AWARENESS AND PREVENTION
AIDSinfo is a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offering information on HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and research.

The World Health Organization (WHO), has a section on HIV Infections.

The Pan American Health Organization is the regional office of the WHO and provides AIDS information for North, Central and South America.

The HIV/AIDS section of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website focuses on awareness, treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS within the U.S.

The CDC National Prevention Information Network is “the nation’s largest collection of information and resources on HIV, STD and TB.”

The AIDS Education Global Information System (AEGIS) is one of the largest HIV/AIDS databases in the world. It includes a daily briefing, as well as a news page that is updated hourly.

Another informational site, The Body, bills itself as “The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource” with over 600 topic areas.

The mission of AIDS.ORG is “to help prevent HIV infections and to improve the lives of those affected by HIV and AIDS by providing education and facilitating the free and open exchange of knowledge at an easy-to-find centralized website.”

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance is the European Union’s largest HIV/AIDS-focused development organization and is dedicated to “supporting community action on AIDS in developing countries.”

World AIDS Day is December 1 of each year.

The Global AIDS Alliance is an activist group whose mission is “to galvanize the political will and financial resources needed to slow, and ultimately stop, the global AIDS crisis, and reduce its impacts on poor countries hardest hit by the pandemic.”

HIV InSite is primarily an advocacy and policy site run by the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.

RedRibbon focuses on Southern Africa and offers “everything you need to know about HIV & AIDS,” including “stats, facts, figures, news and views.” It includes a succinct collection of facts and statistics about HIV/AIDS and a downloadable report, “The Demographic Impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa: National Indicators for 2004.”

Several large-scale funding efforts are focused on awareness, prevention and treatment of AIDS.

• The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is “a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities.”

• The World Bank sponsors the Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Program (MAP) for Africa. Read online or download the 396-page World Bank report “Education and HIV/AIDS: A Sourcebook of HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs”, which covers programs in Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

• President Bush’s 2004 policy to provide $15 billion of AIDS funding is articulated in “The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: U.S. Five Year Global HIV/AIDS Strategy”. It targets fifteen countries, and faith-based organizations are encouraged to apply for program grants.

• The African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), is a public-private partnership between the Government of Botswana, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Merck Company, aimed at preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in Botswana. Their website includes a document and video library.

CARE AND TREATMENT
The HIV/AIDS Clinical Training Materials Database, provided by the International Training & Education Center on HIV (I-TECH), is an extensive online database of clinical training materials. The full text of nearly 2,500 documents (PDF files, PowerPoints, Word files, etc.) is available and users can browse by topic or do a full-text search for any word or phase in any included document.

The WHO-sponsored “3 by 5 Initiative” aims “to provide three million people living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries with life-prolonging antiretroviral treatment (ART) by the end of 2005.”

The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC), is an advocacy group seeking to improve the quality of care provided to all people living with HIV/AIDS.

Aidsmap provides information on the treatment of HIV and AIDS.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation offers “cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay.”

The Johns Hopkins AIDS Service serves physicians and offers the free “Johns Hopkins HIV Guide.”

AfroAIDSinfo is an information portal providing scientific research with a South African focus. They are devoted to serving “researchers, health professionals, policy makers, educators and the public.”

The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), is “the nation’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, AIDS prevention, treatment education and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy.”

The Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative is “dedicated to promoting research, education, and leadership to end the AIDS epidemic in Africa, Asia and other resource-scarce settings.”

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), “is a global non-for-profit organization working to speed the search for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.” IAVI works with scientists in Africa and Asia to study how a vaccine can be most effective and affordable.

The International AIDS Society (IAS), is “the world’s leading independent association of HIV/AIDS professionals.” It organizes the International AIDS Conference, advocates for greater investment in AIDS research and provides an online medical journal “dedicated to the dissemination of HIV/AIDS research conducted in developing countries.”

We join many of you in praying for success in the battle against HIV/AIDS. We hope you find Missions on the Web articles practical and helpful and, as always, we value your comments, critique and suggestions. Please email us using the “Contact Us” link on the MisLinks home page.

Endnotes
1. “The only sure thing about any HIV/AIDS statistic is that it is under dispute,” according to Stan Nussbaum in “The Contribution of Christian Congregations to the Battle with HIV/AIDS at the Community Level,” page 4. www.gmi.org/research/aids.htm
2. www.globalaidsalliance.org/cd_FAQs.cfm#WhatisGAA
3. www.stopglobalaids.org/facts/about.html
4. www.aidsalliance.org/sw1280.asp
5. www.stopglobalaids.org/facts/about.html
6. www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news _ s yndication/article_050515aids.shtml
7. www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_050515aids.shtml
8. domino-201.worldvision.org/worldvision/appeals.nsf/stable/hope_aidsfacts
9. www.stopglobalaids.org/facts/about.html
10. www.globalaidsalliance.org/cd_FAQs.cfm#WhatisGAA

——

A. Scott Moreauis editor of EMQ and chair of Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College Graduate School (Wheaton, Ill.). His e-mail address is <A.S.Moreau@wheaton.edu, and the Wheaton Missions Department Web address is <www.wheaton.edu/intr.

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