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al gore  |  desmond tutu - May 2009

Every six seconds someone in the world is infected with HIV. The number of people living with HIV has been rising and now stands at 33.2 million – although it does not stand still.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the world's worst-affected region. The region holds just over 10% of the world's population, but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV and more than three-quarters of all women living with HIV.

In Canada, the number of people living with HIV continues to rise. HIV treatments have improved survival while new infections continue to occur. Perhaps an unrealistic faith in pharmaceuticals has led us to become complacent. The latest information shows an estimated 58,000 people are living with HIV, up from 50,000 in 2002.

St. Joseph's Health Care, London is actively involved in the war against HIV/AIDS - both at home and in Africa. The Infectious Diseases Care Program cares for people in our Southwestern Ontario region who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Each patient receives care for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs as well as that of their family and friends.

Approximately 400 to 500 individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS receive care at the clinic. Unique in its approach, it is one of very few HIV/AIDS clinics which treat all patients regardless of age.

A world away, a hard-working woman struggles to look after her family, herself and her friends. Mama Joyce is a mother of 11 children and two orphans. Like so many others in her community of Mwanza, Tanzania, she is HIV positive. Mama is among a group of women working in a community kitchen. She is one of the "yogurt mamas" who produce homemade yogurt that contains a probiotic strain originally developed by Dr. Gregor Reid, Director, Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics at Lawson Health Research Institute. Daily ingestion of the yogurt eases diarrhea associated with HIV/AIDS drug regimens and has proved to increase immune strength.

Probiotics are now being used for those living with HIV/AIDS in our community. St. Joseph's Infectious Diseases Care Program recently participated in a study to examine the use of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in combination with yogurt-based probiotics to help improve the nutritional status and the immune system of people living with HIV/AIDS. It was met with almost unparalleled enthusiasm by those who participated in the study.

Dr. Reid's research has helped to strengthen the foundation for probiotic research and development in Canada to impact those who need it most in Canada and around the world.