[Alter Kaker]

Even supposing those numbers are accurate, and unless there’s a medical diagnosis by a trained medical professional in each and every case of suspected AIDS death worldwide, how does “Some 39.4 million people in the world live with HIV.” translate into 40 million CHILDREN in AFRICA with AIDS/HIV?

Huh? Did I claim that there were 40 million children in Africa with HIV/AIDS? Cite?

[metmom]

AK Post 43 Really? How would you frame a disease that has already killed 25 million people, the equivalent of two of Hitler's Holocausts. Somewhere around 40 million people are currently infected -- most will die of the disease -- and 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa alone are orphans because their parents have died of AIDS.

OK, mis-recalled the post. 40 million infected in sub-Saharan Africa alone does not equate to 40 million children infected in sub-Saharan Africa alone.

However, a review of your posts shows you throwing around statistics and names of countries at random, making several implications.

The 40 million believed to be infected is the number believed to be infected WORLDWIDE, not in sub-Sahara Africa alone as your post states but your post 262 shows....

I cited a 40 million figure, which was what a 2006 study suggested. In looking into your question, I discovered that the latest research (The 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update published December, 2007) jointly by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization estimated that 33.2 million people worldwide are HIV+. The Update is the closets thing we have to an authoritative source, and its figures are used and cited by the White House, the CDC, the NIH, etc. Source. The same study breaks down HIV/AIDS cases by region and country -- of those 33.2 million, 15.4 million are women, and 2.5 million are children under the age of 15. The study found that AIDS is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa.

So how does this equate to those numbers being sub-Sahara Africa? Which is it then? World wide or sub-Sahara Africa?

So why all the focus on sub-Sahara Africa? If there are 40 million worldwide, why imply that it's sub-Sahara Africa alone? Why ignore the rest of the world? Don't they count too? Or are we just playing the *What about the poor starving children in Africa* card for the sake of vilifying others as being heartless when they don't want $$$$$'s being wasted?

In addition, the figure of 25 million is estimated deaths worldwide since 1981, not per year.

Now the constant obfuscation of data, indeed the contradiction of data, (as in posts 43 and 262) can only suggest an deliberate attempt to mislead and confuse.

Also noted are the tems in the source you site of *fairly rough estimate, with numbers differing depending on the source*,*estimated*,*The Update is the closets >>>as in coming out of?<<< thing we have to an authoritative source*... Not terms that inspire a high level of confidence.