AIDS is the only disease to have an entire UN organisation named after it.
One in every five adults in sub-Saharan African is HIV+.
Estimated number of HIV+ people globally:
1999 - 28-38 million
2000 - 29-40 million
2001 - 31-43 million
2002 - 33-44 million
2003 - 34-47 million
Number of deaths globally:
1999 - 2.1 million
2000 - 2.3 million
2001 - 2.5 million
2002 - 2.8 million
2003 - 3.0 million
All AIDS patients are HIV+, but not all HIV+ people have AIDS. AIDS is the last stage of the disease.
All persons with AIDS are infected with HIV, but not all persons with HIV infection have AIDS. AIDS is only the end stage of this infection.
The HIV actually has many enemies - it cannot survive outside the human body.
HIV cannot survive in dry form.
It does not survive if exposed to heat, or disinfectants for long.
However it can survive in a frozen state for years.