18 May 2008
The AIDS Walk New York began in 1985 and is now the largest AIDS fundraiser in the world. The 10km stomp starts and finishes in Central Park and passes some of the most beautiful and historic areas of the city, prompting over 40,000 people to get their boots on each year.The proceeds of this event go towards Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s most comprehensive provider of AIDS services for men, women and children.
Although HIV has obvious implications within the male gay community, the wider population’s risk is increasing. The frightening statistics speak for themselves: the number of AIDS cases among American women is doubling every couple of years; there are an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 people currently living with HIV in the US, with approximately 40,000 new HIV infections occurring every year; one out of every four Americans who becomes infected with HIV is a teenager; 50 per cent of new HIV infections are in people under the age of 25.
