It is very difficult to obtain an accurate figure that tells how many people are suffering from AIDS and HIV in Togo. Current figures estimate that 4.2% of the Togolese population is HIV infected. In reality however, the figure is much higher. The truth is that many people, particularly those in more rural areas, are unknowingly HIV infected. It is then likely that such people will continue to spread the virus through sexual relationships or through child birth.

Such a scenario takes on even more devastating proportions in a society where AIDS is a taboo subject for the majority of the population. Victims of the AIDS epidemic in this country are often social outcasts, who are often abandoned by spouses and families alike. Although there are many attempts to better educate the Togolese society in regards to AIDS, the virus today still remains shrouded by ignorance, lack of education and even worse - shame.