The AIDS pandemic is the most important health problem facing the world today. More lives are lost to HIV/AIDS worldwide than malaria and tuberculosis combined. HIV/AIDS has caused a rapid decline in life expectancy in many African Nations. This has lead to the loss of teachers, workers, heads of households, and young parents throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Also as a direct result of premature death from HIV, many countries are experiencing an expanding epidemic of orphans whose parents have died from AIDS. As a consequence of these events, AIDS is the first disease that has transitioned from a global health challenge to an international geopolitical crisis whose impact may soon be measured by increasing economic and political instability throughout the world.