Today is World AIDS Day. Every December 1st since 1988 has been the day designated to focus global attention on the HIV/ AIDS epidemic across the world.

49 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide and there is still no cure.

Yesterday, AP Photographer, Teh Eng Koon captured these Malaysian students arranging a big red ribbon, the symbol of the AIDS World Movement, in preparation for today.

More than 10,000 red balloons were blown up on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004, to promote HIV/AIDS awareness at a university in Kuala Lumpur.

This ribbon of balloons, like the AIDS memorial quilt, is a symbol to remember those killed by the deadly disease. It is also a symbol of healing.

We hope it inspires you to action, no matter how small.

Here are some resources and ways you can get involved.

On November 23rd, 2004, UNAIDS, a joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS put out the following statement:

"A new report released today shows that the number of women living with HIV has risen in each region of the world over the past two years, with the steepest increases in East Asia, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In East Asia, there was a 56% increase over the past two years, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 48%.

Women are increasingly affected, now making up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, the worst-affected region, close to 60% of adults living with HIV are women -- or 13.3 million. These latest findings were published in AIDS Epidemic Update 2004, the annual report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The joint report was released today in advance of World AIDS Day, commemorated worldwide on the first of December.

The report indicates that there is no single AIDS epidemic worldwide. Many regions and countries are experiencing diverse epidemics, some still in the early stages. "These latest trends firmly establish AIDS as a unique development challenge," said Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director. "The time of quick fixes and emergency responses is over. We have to balance the emergency nature of the crisis with the need for sustainable solutions."

According to the report, the number of people living with HIV globally has also reached its highest level with an estimated 39.4 million people, up from an estimated 36.6 million in 2002. The steepest increases in HIV infections occurred in East Asia, Eastern Europe,and Central Asia over the past two years.

In East Asia, the 50% increase in HIV infections from 2002-2004 is largely attributable to growing epidemics in China, Indonesia and Viet Nam. The 40% increase in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is mainly due to Ukraine's expanding epidemic and the growing number of people living with HIV in the Russian Federation. With an estimated 860,000 people living with HIV at the end of 2003, Russia has the largest epidemic in Europe.

As the numbers of people becoming infected and living with HIV increases, so does the number of those needing antiretroviral treatment, as well as care for opportunistic infections. "We do not yet have a vaccine, but we do know that prevention and treatment work and we have the tools to deliver them. Government leaders, civil society and the private sector are all affected and we must all mobilise to save lives," said Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

On July 24-27, 2005 in Rio de Janeiro, the 3rd IAS conference on HIV pathogenesis and treatment will bring together the world of HIV science to address the challenges of research, prevention and treatment.

For further information about this conference developed in collaboration between the International AIDS Society (IAS), local hosts and an international scientific committee, please go to:

For rapid initial screening of HIV -1 and HIV -2, done in the privacy of your own home, go to:

Results of the Home Test appear in under 15 minutes. You do not send your sample to a lab. This process is easy, safe, private and 99% accurate.

One resource support and where you can learn more about World AIDS Day 2004 is:

Please take a moment today to pray for those in our world suffering from AIDS, as well as those who have been diagnosed as HIV positive.

For those like us in cities surrounded by this deadly disease, we encourage you to visit a hospital, or bring a meal to someone who feels alone because their partner, no longer at home, awaits death from a hospice.

If you live in or have some connection to the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, please consider supporting the forty residents living at The Leland House.

For information on how to get involved, go to:

Inspire & Be Inspired (R).

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and AIDS-free living, some day!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King