Water and HIV Aids
It is crucial that the fight against HIV/AIDS includes a clean water initiative to prolong lives, improve health, and render medications more effective.

December 1, 2003 marked World AIDS Day, a commemoration aimed at stimulating awareness of and mobilizing action related to the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on human lives. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) with the World Health Organization (WHO), in their annual report AIDS Epidemic Update 2003, present some sobering numbers:

The world contains 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly 3 million of these are children under 15 years.

3 million died of AIDS in 2003 (1 every 10 seconds); 1/2 a million were children.

There were 14,000 new HIV infections per day in 2003; 8000 were in people less than 25 years of age.

More than 95% of new infections occur in low and middle-income countries.

So, what does AIDS have to do with Lifewater and providing safe drinking water? More than we might have imagined.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) breaks down the immune system over a period of time until the person becomes vulnerable to common illnesses. At this stage, called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), infections from diarrhea and malaria can become fatal even for adults.

In the least developed countries, up to 90% of AIDS patients suffer from chronic diarrheal diseases, which contribute to an increase in diarrheal deaths. Providing safe water to AIDS-infected individuals is essential to increasing the lifespan of infected parents, professionals and others - the groups that lay the foundation for a healthy society.

Sufficient supply of safe water nearby is important to reduce the impact and spread of AIDS for many other reasons:

People weakened by AIDS will not be able to walk long distances to get water.

If drugs are available for treating HIV or other infections, they are often in pill form and need to be taken with clean, safe water in order to be more effective.

AIDS patients are susceptible to skin conditions or eye infections that need to be washed with clean water.

Many AIDS patients get a fungal infection of the mouth or throat (thrush) that causes a burning or dry sensation, which can be helped by drinking water.

Caregivers will need water for hand washing before and after caring for ill people so as not to spread the disease to others.

Mothers with HIV may choose to protect their infant children from getting infected by using formula instead of breast milk, but safe water is needed to mix the formula.

Without clean water, those affected by the disease have little hope of survival. It is crucial that the fight against HIV/AIDS includes a clean water initiative to prolong lives, improve health, and render medications more effective. As Lifewater continues to respond to the need for clean water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene around the world, life expectancy increases and hope of a better day is restored in the midst of this deadly disease.