Everyone knows how dangerous AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is, despite tens of years of struggle, it continues to affect millions of people around the world. Statistics indicate a terrible fact – out of 35 million people living with HIV in the world, 19 million do not even know that they are infected. AIDS has become a silent but relentless epidemic of our time. And it is no longer a sentence only for marginalized groups or developing countries. AIDS has become a threat that can affect each of us. But is a world without AIDS possible? The 21st century brought revolutionary medical breakthroughs and social changes. But will these efforts be enough to stop the pandemic once and for all?
Shocking statistics
Annually On December 1, the world celebrates World AIDS Day. This initiative aims to raise awareness and remind people that this epidemic is not over. AIDS is one of the most serious global epidemics in history. According to the UN, since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 40 million people around the world have died from AIDS, and about 38 million people are living with HIV infection as of today. This day serves as a reminder of the importance of joining forces to defeat this disease.
Every year, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, forces the world to rethink its health priorities. It would seem that with the progress of medicine and access to information, humanity should completely take control of the situation. However, the statistics are impressive: according to the WHO, about 1.5 million people in the world are infected with HIV and AIDS every year.
Ukraine, unfortunately, is among the leaders in Europe in terms of the rate of spread of the infection. By data According to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, as of 2024, 7,841 cases of HIV infection (19.1% per 100,000 population) were detected and officially registered with the highest rates of HIV infection:
- in Dnipropetrovsk region – 54.1%;
- in Odesa region – 43.9%;
- in the Kirovohrad region – 30.6%;
- in Chernihiv region – 26.8%;
- in the Mykolaiv region – 26.7%;
- in the Kyiv region – 26.2%.
On average, 29 cases of HIV infection, 8 cases of AIDS and 3 deaths from diseases caused by AIDS are registered in Ukraine every day. Most cases of HIV infection were recorded among persons aged 30-49 (68.95%). Diagnosed cases mainly prevail among men (65.6%).
As of 2024, 2,312 AIDS cases were registered (5.6% per 100,000 population). For 9 months of 2024, 899 deaths from AIDS were registered. The death rate is 2.2% per 100,000 population. The highest mortality rate was registered:
- in Odesa region – 8.1%;
- in Dnipropetrovsk region – 7.3%;
- in Chernihiv region – 3.5%;
- in Kyiv region – 2.8%;
- in Poltava region – 2.8%.
Among the dead, the majority are people aged 25-49 (64.9%). Most of the deceased persons were sexually infected (63.9%).
In connection with the state of war, the monitoring of the registration of internally displaced persons with HIV infection and HIV-exposed children in health care institutions is carried out. Thus, the total number of IDPs was 2,307, of which 60.6% were registered. Men make up 53%, women – 47%, of which 5 are HIV-positive pregnant women. Most IDPs belong to the following age group:
- 25–49 years old (74.6%);
- 18–24 years old is 2.9%;
- persons over 50 years of age – 19.9%;
- children under the age of 18 – 2.5%.
AIDS is not just a disease, it is a silent catastrophe that destroys a person from the inside, depriving him of the most important thing – immunity. An ordinary cold or a small scratch becomes a threat to life, because the body is no longer able to defend itself.
In the first stages, AIDS is insidiously disguised, imperceptibly undermining health for years. But later it manifests itself in the most terrible way: debilitating infections, malignant tumors, the destruction of all body systems. People die from diseases that seem trivial to healthy people—pneumonia, fungal infections, or even simple viruses.
It is especially painful to see how AIDS destroys not only the body, but also the social life of the patient. Because of stigma and fear, many remain alone with their illness. Friends avoid them, relatives fear them, and society sometimes treats them as outcasts.
AIDS is not a sentence in today’s world, but without treatment it is one of the most terrible diseases that a person can experience. It is a reminder of how fragile human life can be and how important it is to support each other in the face of such challenges.
How AIDS spreads
The AIDS epidemic is uneven. More than 60% of all cases of infection are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. There, AIDS is a social catastrophe: there is a lack of access to medicine, women face discrimination, and the stigmatization of the disease makes prevention impossible.
In developed countries such as the US and European countries, the situation seems more under control thanks to access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). But even here, not everything is perfect: young people are increasingly neglecting prevention, mistakenly considering AIDS to be a “problem of the past”.
In Ukraine, the problem is complicated by the war. The biggest challenge now is to ensure uninterrupted access to treatment for all who need it and to support those who are most vulnerable.
Migration, lack of stable access to medicine in the temporarily occupied territories, and insufficient financing of treatment programs make the country vulnerable to the spread of HIV. People living with HIV face insurmountable challenges every day. Unfortunately, our society is still far from being able to accept everyone as they are. That is why, instead of receiving support and understanding from those around them, HIV-infected people are constantly exposed to stigmatization and discrimination. That is why many hide their diagnosis because they are afraid of losing their job, friends or even the support of their relatives. This is especially common in rural areas, where the chances of finding a job are already few and far between, and almost everyone knows each other. Constant fear of complications, struggle with stereotypes and isolation deepen depression in many patients. In the conditions of war, when many medical specialists left the country, or gave their lives saving others, the medical system is simply not able to meet the needs of HIV-infected patients and provide them with proper medical care. Although Ukraine is gradually expanding access to ART, many patients are unable to receive the drugs in a timely manner due to supply disruptions, difficult logistics during the war, or lack of awareness.
Many HIV-infected people were forced to leave their homes, often without medical documentation. This makes it very difficult to continue treating such patients, because most of them simply do not know where to get medicine in a new region. The system for redirecting patients from war zones to peaceful areas is often overloaded. And in the occupied regions, access to Ukrainian medical programs is either impossible or limited.
Many HIV/AIDS clinics were damaged or destroyed during the hostilities. Currently, the country suffers from a lack of places for testing and counseling. Of course, all these factors together reduce the possibilities for starting full-fledged treatment of newly diagnosed patients.
Where did the deadly virus come from?
AIDS, caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), first attracted medical attention in the 1980s. Its origin is attributed to the mutation of a virus that was transmitted from monkeys to humans in West and Central Africa.
Scientists have determined that HIV originates from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which spreads among chimpanzees and other primates. According to research, HIV-1 (the main strain responsible for most AIDS cases) was transferred to humans from chimpanzees through contact with the animals’ blood during hunting or meat processing. And HIV-2, a less common strain, originated from another species of monkey – mangabeys. Genetic analysis showed that HIV-1 could start infecting people as early as the first half of the 20th century, but remained a local phenomenon. The first cause of the spread of the virus was migration to the cities of Central Africa. The use of non-sterile medical equipment contributed to the transmission of the virus. And in the 1970s, the virus spread beyond Africa thanks to international travel. It was then in the USA, Sweden, Tanzania, and Haiti that patients with strange symptoms of the course of some infectious and oncological diseases began to turn to doctors. All of them occurred against the background of severe exhaustion of the immune system, which led to the death of patients. Doctors feared that a new deadly disease had appeared.
AIDS was first described in the United States in 1981, when doctors discovered an unknown disease that affected the immune system. By the mid-1980s, a link to HIV was discovered, and the disease began to spread rapidly around the world.
Today, AIDS is a global epidemic, but thanks to advances in diagnosis, prevention and treatment, it can be contained. It is important to understand everyone’s role in this struggle.
How they fight AIDS around the world
The fight against AIDS in foreign countries is carried out with the help of integrated approaches covering prevention, treatment, research and social support. Each country adapts these measures to its social and economic conditions, but the key remains a comprehensive approach and accessibility of services for the population.
For example, in the US, the government provides extensive funding for prevention and treatment through programs such as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. In the EU, testing and ART are free. And South Africa has the world’s largest government-funded ART treatment program.
In general, many countries have large-scale campaigns that educate people about the ways of HIV transmission and methods of protection (use of condoms, avoidance of risky behavior). Syringe exchange programs are in place in developed countries to prevent HIV transmission among people who inject drugs. Pregnant women with HIV are offered antiretroviral therapy (ART) to reduce the risk of passing the virus to the baby.
Treatment in many countries is a free or subsidized procedure. ART helps people with HIV live a fulfilling life and reduces the risk of transmission of the virus. In countries with a developed health care system, specialized clinics for the treatment of HIV/AIDS are being created. Also, various studies are constantly being conducted with the aim of creating vaccines against HIV. Drugs for the treatment of HIV, which have fewer side effects and are more convenient to use, are constantly being improved.
Many specialized organizations are engaged in campaigns to reduce discrimination against people living with HIV. And such patients have access to counseling and support groups.
A complete victory over AIDS is not only a matter of medicine. It depends on how society reacts to the problem: whether we are ready to openly talk about prevention, support patients and fight discrimination.
The future of the fight against AIDS in Ukraine is large-scale information campaigns, increased funding of medical programs, as well as social solidarity. Only in this way will we be able to change the course of the pandemic.
A world without AIDS is possible. But this requires not only medicine, but also compassion, enlightenment and a willingness to act.
AIDS is a mirror of society that shows our weaknesses: stigmatization, indifference, inequality in access to medicine. In the 21st century, we have all the tools to stop the pandemic: drugs that make the virus manageable, knowledge that can prevent new infections, and examples of countries where the fight against HIV has been successful.
However, the real struggle is not only in laboratories or hospitals, but in our thoughts and actions. AIDS can be stopped if everyone stops turning away from the problem, because it is closer than it seems. And if we don’t change today, the pandemic will continue to change our tomorrow.
