People marching on Parliament in South Africa, February 2003. Source: TAC www.org.za The spread of HIV/AIDS is a major worldwide health issue. To illustrate the problem just consider the following:

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region worst hit by HIV/AIDS but the epidemic also grows in other regions of the world such as China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Central Asia, the Baltic region and North Africa.

Although much is already being done to prevent new HIV infections and to help those already infected, there is an urgent need to boost prevention as well as cure in an effort to reduce the increase and impact of HIV/AIDS.