Some Facts about HIV/AIDS: To date around 65 million people have been infected with HIV and AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized in 1981; The vast majority of the 38.6 million people living with HIV in 2005 are unaware of their status; In 2005 AIDS claimed the lives of 2.8 million people and over 4 million people were newly infected with the virus; At around 17.3 million, women make up almost half of the total number of people living with the virus.