The AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest global health crises of our time . In the 25 years since HIV was first identified as the cause of AIDS , an estimated 25 million people have died of the disease and 33 million more are currently living with HIV . Almost 7,000 people become newly infected with HIV everyday , and for every two people who start antiretroviral therapy , another five become newly infected with HIV . While a preventive vaccine is the best long-term solution to the pandemic , much still remains to be done to discover and make a vaccine accessible globally .