CampaignOne world, two scenarios: sub-Saharan Africa where 28 million people with HIV face death due to lack of anti-HIV medicines; the rest of the world where 34 million people with the same infection have the chance of living healthy productive lives thanks to life-saving treatment and expensive medicines.
Of the 28 million HIV-infected Africans, only 300,000 are receiving anti-HIV therapy. The statistics are shocking and are now galvanising states into action, due in part to worldwide awareness campaigns.
Ireland's first Global Aids Foundation was launched in Dublin last week, marking an important development in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.
The Realta (Star) Foundation launched in Trinity College is founded by three Irish doctors living in Ireland - Dr Ceppie Merry, Dr Mairin Ryan and Dr Peter Coakley of Trinity College - who have been working in Ireland and Africa for several years on HIV/AIDS.
Ryan is a HIV pharmacist and Merry and Coakley HIV doctors.
The foundation's primary objective is to bring life-saving medicines to large numbers of HIV/AIDS infected people in Africa, by working on a number of vital training projects in Ireland as well as major sustainable projects in Africa.
Dr Coakley says an important part of their work is tailoring the most effective HIV therapies to local populations in Africa.
Anti-HIV drugs have been researched and used successfully on American and European men, but there's not much known on how they work on African and other Ethnic groups.
It's one area that presents problems.
"One big study in Milawi was designed in such a way that the medicine had to be given twice daily with food. It was ready to go and had passed through all the qualifying boards, but when we got there and asked one of the African men what time they had their meals, he said it was 4 p.m. [just one meal\].
"He explained that if they ate too early in the morning or too late at night, they'd go hungry all through the day.
"The drug was designed to be taken with food, and if it wasn't, it wouldn't work."
It's just one example of the importance of adapting the drugs to suit the people, and the genetic, food and time factors.
The foundation will focus on countries with limited resources and how best they can be helped. It will also look at quality control in relation to generic drugs which are produced at a much lower cost than the very expensive drugs used in the west.