That's the number of people living with HIV in South Africa, the biggest HIV+ population in the world.
5.9 million. The number of people between the age of 15 and 49 living with HIV in South Africa.
3.5 million. The number of women in South Africa living with HIV.
200 000. The number of people estimated by UNAIDS to have died totally preventable deaths from AIDS in 2013.
2.4 million. The number of people with access to treatment in the South African public health sector.
Until every single soul is free and equal, none of us are. Every single soul deserves information about how to prevent HIV and TB, and if we are ever so unfortunate as to contract HIV or TB, we have the right to treatment, no matter how poor and what the cost, and to health services necessary to prevent a totally avoidable death, and to avoid transmitting it to our loved ones. Each soul deserves to live free from discrimination and stigma; no soul should fear that they might be stoned to death because of their status.
The Treatment Action Campaign started in 1998 and took on the international pharmaceutical industry to secure affordable essential medicines for South Africans living with HIV. Then they battled through the Mbeki-denial-'HIV-doesn't-cause-AIDS-poverty-does'-just-eat-more-African-potatoes era. They secured free Nevirapine for HIV positive mothers to prevent mother to child transmission. They secured a National Strategic Plan (NSP) for the roll out of HIV treatment and prevention plans. They continue to sit on the South African National Aids Council; to monitor public health care facilities across the country; to monitor the provision of antiretrovirals in the public sector; to campaign for delivery on the right to quality and affordable health care, to educate communities on HIV and TB virology, transmission, prevention, treatment and adherence; and to fight stigma. Have you seen the 'HIV positive' t-shirts? That's TAC. HIV positive and positive about HIV.
10 million. The amount TAC needs to raise to keep its doors open and to keep doing the incredibly important work that it does. Please, please, please go to www.tac.org.za/donate and give a contribution, even if it's R100, or only R50.
The battle is not won. 'Even if we're not infected, we're still affected.' TAC said that.
A luta continua.
