Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has

grown to be a global pandemic and has become a chronic disease in many areas of the world. As of
2012, AIDS has resulted to 36 million deaths and in 2014, about 36.9 million are reported living with
HIV. Sub-Sahara Africa is the most affected region where roughly 5% of the adult population are
infected with South Africa as having the largest population with HIV by any country in the world at 5.9
million. South and South East Asia is the second most affected region while Middle East and North
Africa has the least prevalence at 0.1% or less of its population. In United States, an approximately 1.2
million people were living with HIV in 2008. In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) has
listed over 650 new cases of HIV cases in the month of October this year - a 21% jump on the same
period in 2014 based on the latest report by the DOH-Epidemiology Bureau. Since its clinical
discovery in 1981, how has the world been fighting against the menace of HIV/AIDS as a disease, as
an economic concern, and as a source of discrimination and conflict in religion?

Combating HIV/AIDS as a disease has shown significant progress but still, there is currently
no cure or licensed vaccine. The most effective vaccine, RV 144, introduced in 2009 was found to
show a partial reduction in the risk of transmission of roughly 30%, giving hope for developing an
effective vaccine. Current clinical treatment consists of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
that slows the progression of the disease and may lead to near-normal life expectancy. Other treatment
includes preventive and active treatment of opportunistic infections. Preventive treatment reduces the
risk of HIV transmission namely the consistent condom use, circumcision by male in Sub-Saharan
African region, comprehensive sexual education, counseling & HIV testing, antiviral medication for
pregnant women and bottle feeding. Active treatment of opportunistic infections includes preventive
therapy against tuberculosis, vaccination against hepatitis, and therapy against other known
opportunistic infections. Other measures are healthy diet and complementary or alternative medicine
like herbal medicines although the latter’s effectiveness has not been established.

HIV/AIDS has gotten large-scale funding as it drew a lot of medical and political attention
because of its economic effects upon the individual and the affected countries. The absence of proper
nutrition, health care and medicine results to higher adult mortality due to AIDS-related complications
thus lowering the number of workforce and finally affecting the GDP of the country. Unemployment in
people with HIV/AIDS has become a necessary consequence even with antiretroviral treatment as
reported in the 2015 Cochrane review. People with HIV/AIDS are often associated with suicidal
tendencies, and social isolation. AIDS has reduced the taxable population resulting to lower resources
available for public expenditures like education and health services and is further aggravated by the
growing expenditures on treating HIV/AIDS infected population. Hence, many governments and
research institutions participate in the on-going HIV/AIDS medical research which attempts to prevent
and treat HIV/AIDS along with fundamental research about the nature of HIV as an infectious agent
and AIDS as the disease caused by HIV.

Reforms are underway in recognition of the AIDS stigma that exists around the world and
religious authorities are taking a more calculated approach to address the highly controversial topic of
AIDS and religion that beset the past two decades. Recently, the US Supreme Court has upheld the
legality of same-sex marriage and in 2003, China, as part of overall reform on marriage and population
legislation, has recognized people with AIDS to marry. Some of these AIDS stigma include ostracism,
rejection, discrimination and avoidance of/violence against/quarantine of HIV infected people. In most
developed countries, AIDS is associated with homosexuality and bisexuality resulting to sexual
prejudice even though the most prevalent mode of HIV transmission globally is heterosexual
transmission. On religion, the Vatican Family Council is seriously reviewing the Catholic Church view
of the global AIDS crisis like the conservatives opposition to the use of condom as against sexual
abstinence, marriage, and homosexual behavior. In the Philippines, there is the approval of all the
revisions to the Reproductive Health Bill and recognition of pro-choice.

For the past thirty years, HIV/AIDS has received large-scale funding worldwide on medical
research to prevent and cure HIV/AIDS as a disease. It has become a global pandemic and chronic
disease that has impacted the economy of the infected individual’s country and family. It has also been
a struggle for the people living with HIV/AIDS against stigma and has caused stir amongst the
religious authorities. Current progress has stimulated hope for eventual effective vaccine & cure and
many governments & religious groups are continually participating in combating the global AIDS
crisis.