Programs fighting against HIV/AIDS will be held in many cities around the world on this day. San Francisco numbers among places where these programs are not limited to December 1rst.

The World Health Organization says that the percentage of people living with HIV has leveled off because of programs like the AIDS walk, free testing and AIDS education. Almost 25,000 people participated in July at the annual AIDS walk.

According to latest statistics, 33 million people around the world are diagnosed to be living with HIV. The number seemed to have leveled off from 40 million worldwide which sounds promising but it still is a matter of great concern. Another 2.5 million people contracted the virus this year, which means a 40 percent lower than the estimate for 2006. Two million people more have died from AIDS since the beginning of the year.

The most affected region of the world is known to be sub-Saharan Africa. Eight African countries account for almost one third of all new HIV infections and deaths, according to the International Herald Tribune. Zimbabwe, for example, has known a drop of HIV prevalence rates, but AIDS is still the biggest challenge the country faces, according to Owen Mugurungi, who heads the government's HIV/AIDS and TB unit, quoted by Zimbabwe's Financial Gazette.

Worrying data come from Western Europe too. According to a survey in Great Britain the number of HIV cases is almost as high as in South Africa and that’s a country where about 19 percent of the population is HIV-positive. What is the most worrisome is that one in seven British people aged between 14 and 25 say they wouldn’t stay friends with an HIV-infected people.

According to World Health Organization HIV has increased by more than 150 percent in Eastern Europe and central Asia in the past six years. The number of people living with HIV has more than doubled in Vietnam, while Indonesia has the fastest growing epidemic.

Almost 700,000 people are infected with HIV in China according to a survey released on Thursday by the United Nations and the Chinese government.

Countries around the world made available more money for HIV/AIDS programs. The United States is the world leader in its level of support for the fight against the virus. "This investment has yielded the best possible return: saved lives," said President George W. Bush. What is ironic is the fact that even if Washington D.C. is the capital that gives the most global funding for AIDS, is also the leader in number of people suffering from it.

Detroit, for example, has more than 40 percent of Michigan’s HIV and AIDS cases. Infection rates for African American are seven times higher than for whites and 17 times higher for black women than for white women. The number of gay men contracting the virus is also increasing.

More organizations around the world are dealing with people having the virus. Such organization is the Advocates for Youth, whose leader is James Wagoner. "The chief problem is denial -- denial by adult policy makers and politicians that young people need sex education to prevent HIV. Denial that the research shows that if you educate young people about sex, about condoms, about prevention, it does not cause sexual activity, despite the protestations of numerous governments and policy makers," said Wagoner according to the Voice of America.

Despite better prevention efforts, more than 6,800 people are infected each day and nearly 6,000 people die from AIDS.

December 1rst is a day which tries to prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading, and according to these reports worldwide, there’s still a lot of work to be done fighting the disease and the prejudice that accompanies it.

What is the most certain is that there are too many people dying because of AIDS and one can’t say that the impossible has been done to solve the problem.