20th Anniv. Of World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day on December 1 draws together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), the day is one of the most visible opportunities for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world.
There are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, according to 2007 figures released by WHO.
An estimated 2.5 million were newly infected with the virus and 2.1 million died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) the same year. Eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa now account for almost one-third of all new infections and AIDS deaths globally.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that can lead to AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections, Wikipedia said.
HIV infection rates may be stabilizing in sub-Saharan Africa, but they are growing in Eastern Europe and Asia, the Red Cross said, as it warned against complacency over the disease.
“If there is something more deadly than HIV, it is complacency about HIV, “said Mukesh Kapila, the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies’ Special Representative for HIV, AFP wrote.
“Even if infection rates are stabilizing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, HIV is still growing elsewhere with many people unaware of the dangers, especially in eastern Europe and in parts of Asia, “he added on this year’s World AIDS Day.
The IFRC said it was boosting its HIV programs, particularly in East Europe, Asia and the Americas, where many remain unaware of the disease’s threat.
Bernard Gardiner, who heads the IFRC’s HIV Global Program, said, “The persistence of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV is unacceptable to any community rising to the challenge of HIV. “
Research supported by the UN’s anti-AIDS program published in September found that there was little awareness about the disease in China, and that there was serious stigmatization of people living with HIV.
China has about 700,000 HIV/AIDS carriers, with an estimated 50,000 people infected in 2007, according to UNAIDS.
other links:
World AIDS Day World AIDS Day 2003 Dec 01 2003
Aussies find new treatment for AIDS
