Catholic Relief Services urged the Catholic community ahead of World Aids Day on December 1 to remember the more than 40 million people around the world affected by HIV/Aids. The agency warned that Africa in particular was in the midst of a devastating crisis. Many Africans infected and affected with HIV/Aids were also confronted with severe food shortages. Sub-Saharan Africa had only 10 percent of the world's population, but was home to 70 percent of the world's HIV-positive people.