Today, people from around the globe commemorate World AIDS Day. We remember the people who have succumbed to this devastating disease, celebrate the great advances made in treatment during the past 20 years, and reflect on the work to be done to eradicate this scourge of humankind. Worldwide, an unprecedented number of people -- nearly 40 million men, women and children -- are living with HIV, according to figures released last week by the United Nations AIDS program. More than 3 million people are expected to die of AIDS this year alone, including half a million children under the age of 15. And every day this year, 13,000 people were infected with HIV. As the pandemic expands, women are increasingly on the front lines. Since 2002, the number of women living with HIV has risen in every region of the world, with the sharpest increases occurring in East Asia and Eastern Europe. In sub-Saharan Africa, an alarming 60% of HIV-infected adults are female, and it is estimated that 40 million children will become orphans in the next decade because of AIDS. Here in the United States, women are also increasingly affected by HIV/AIDS, and race is a major risk factor: African-Americanblack women ages 24 to 35.