It is over 25 years since a disease started spreading across the globe whose name has become synonymous with untold human suffering: AIDS. Today more than 33 million people are estimated to be carrying HIV, the virus which triggers the immune deficiency syndrome. Most of the people concerned live in developing countries. The number is especially high in sub-Saharan Africa, where in some countries more than a fifth of the adult population is infected. The pandemic is a threat to the existence of entire societies. It is not only a disaster in human terms, but in economic terms too. The fight against AIDS is an important task and one of the greatest challenges facing international and German development policy.
