Providing accurate information regarding HIV and AIDS is one of the goals and challenges facing all of us affected by this epidemic. Through education we hope to bring awareness and compassion into our world.

We provide education on HIV prevention for youth and/or adult groups in congregational settings. Another facet of our educational program is providing speakers and seminars for others, including clergy and lay ministers.

Our educational programming is also designed to reach out to those faith communities which have not yet formally responded to the AIDS epidemic, to provide them with accurate information regarding the disease and dispel some of the fears associated with AIDS so that everyone can respond with knowledge and compassion to this crisis.

Among the many educational opportunities available through TIHAN are the following: training for volunteers; educational presentations available to ALL congregations which request one; continuing education workshops so that our volunteers may keep abreast of the latest developments and issues associated with HIV and AIDS; and clergy roundtable sessions.

To find out about TIHAN's educational programs, please follow the links below.

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HIV/AIDS Information

For the latest information about HIV and AIDS online, please check out the following sites:

The Body: The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource
www.thebody.com

Balm in Gilead
www.balmingilead.org

AIDSInfo
www.aidsinfo.nih.gov

National Minority AIDS Council
www.nmac.org

Association of Nutrition Services Agencies
www.aidsnutrition.org

National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project
www.natap.org

National Association of People with AIDS
www.napwa.org

National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
www.nnaapc.org

POZ Publications (includes Poz in Spanish)
www.poz.com

Project Inform: information, inspiration and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS for more than 20 years
www.projectinform.org

WORLD: Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (HIV and women)
www.womenhiv.org

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HIV/AIDS Statistics

The following statistics and information have been provided by the Pima County Health Department, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Health and are accurate as of February 2003 unless specifically indicated.

Worldwide:

• 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 35 million people have died from HIV/AIDS.
• 15,000 new infections happen every day.
  Over 80% of all new infections are the result of heterosexual sex.
• One in four of all new HIV infections occur in young people between the ages of 13-20.
  Around the world, 5 million people were infected in 2001, 800,000 of them children.
  AIDS is the #5 cause of death among all people ages 25 – 44; #1 is accidents.

The United States:

• Someone is infected every 13 minutes.
  One person in this country dies every 11 minutes due to complications of the HIV/AIDS virus.
  Hispanics represent about 13% of the U.S. population and account for 18% of all AIDS cases.
• In 2000, AIDS was the 2nd leading cause of death among Hispanic men ages 35 – 44 years.
• In 2000, AIDS was the 4th leading cause of death among Hispanic women ages 35 – 44 years.
  Of the estimated 40,000 new HIV infections that occur in the U.S. each year, 64% occur in the African American population.
• In 2000, AIDS was the #1 cause of death among black men ages 35 – 44 years.
  In 2000, AIDS was the 4th leading cause of death among black women ages 35 – 44 years.
  32% of reported AIDS cases in 2000 were in the Caucasian (white) population.
  

Arizona:

• In Arizona, the epidemic continues to predominantly affect men who have sex with men between 30-50 years old.
• Arizona ranks 23rd in the number of AIDS cases.
• Since 1983, over 8,500 cases of AIDS have been reported in Arizona.
• Approximately 60% of those 8,500 have died.
• AIDS cases have been reported in every county and reservation in Arizona.
• An estimated 18-20 thousand people in Arizona have HIV.
• African Americans make up 3-5% of Arizona’s population but account for 11% of HIV/AIDS cases.
  

Southern Arizona:

• Approximately 24% of HIV/AIDS cases in Arizona are in Southern Arizona.
• 87% of AIDS cases in Southern Arizona are in Pima County.
• Pima County has reported 1,746 cases of AIDS and 1,045 HIV cases since the beginning of the epidemic.
• Tucson ranks 73rd in major US metro areas in the number of AIDS cases.

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HIV/AIDS Glossary

The following is a list of terms common to all issues related to HIV and AIDS, as well as terms which are specific to TIHAN.

AIDS
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a series of diseases which weaken a person’s immune system, allowing other diseases to infect the body. AIDS is caused by HIV.

CarePartner
The term used by TIHAN and other organizations used to identify someone who is HIV-positive.

CareTeam
The term used by TIHAN and other organizations used to identify the group of volunteers who are providing non-medical support and compassionate care to someone who is HIV-positive.

HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is the virus which causes AIDS. Someone who is HIV positive (HIV+) has been infected with the virus.

Tuberculosis (TB)
A disease usually affecting the lungs. It was formerly known as consumption.

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