World AIDS Day is
held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to
unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV
and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever
global health day and the first one was held in 1988.
HIV facts
HIV stands
for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus which attacks the body's
immune system — the body's defence against diseases. The virus
can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.
There are
two types of HIV, HIV-1 and HIV-2.
Both types
of HIV damage a person’s body by destroying specific blood cells, called CD4+ T
cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases.
HIV can be passed on through infected
bodily fluids, most commonly via sex without a condom or by sharing infected
needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment.
HIV cannot
reproduce outside the human body. It is not spread by:
- Air or water.
- Insects, including mosquitoes.
Studies conducted by CDC researchers and others have shown no evidence of
HIV transmission from insects.
- Saliva, tears, or sweat. There is no documented case of HIV being
transmitted by spitting.
- Casual contact like shaking
hands or sharing dishes.
- Closed-mouth or “social” kissing.
In 2011, an estimated:
- 34 million [31.4 million - 35.9 million] people globally were living with HIV
- 2.5 million [2.2 million - 2.8 million] people became newly infected with HIV
- 1.7 million [1.5 million - 1.9 million] people died from AIDS-related illnesses
From its inception until 2004, UNAIDS
spearheaded the World AIDS Day campaign, choosing annual themes in consultation
with other global health organizations.
As of 2008, each year's World AIDS Day
theme is chosen by the World AIDS Campaign's Global Steering Committee after
extensive consultation with people, organizations and government agencies
involved in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. For each World AIDS Day
from 2005 through 2010, the theme was "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise"
with a yearly sub-theme. This overarching theme was designed to encourage
political leaders to keep their commitment to achieve universal access to
HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support by the year 2010.
Since last year
“Getting to Zero” is the theme selected by the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) to
commemorate World AIDS Day on 1st December. This new theme, that will be used
until 2015, echoes the UNAIDS vision of achieving
“Zero new HIV
infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.” The decision to
choose "Getting to Zero" as the theme came after extensive
consultations among people living with HIV, health activists and civil society
organizations.
A new World AIDS
Day report: Results, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS), shows that unprecedented acceleration in the AIDS response is
producing results for people.
Declining new HIV
infections in children
The area where
perhaps most progress is being made is in reducing new HIV infections in
children. Half of the global reductions in new HIV infections in the last two
years have been among newborn children.
Fewer
AIDS-related deaths
The report shows
that antiretroviral therapy has emerged as a powerful force for saving lives.
In the last 24 months the number of people accessing treatment has increased by
63% globally.
More investments
The report shows
that countries are increasing investments in the AIDS response despite a
difficult economic climate. The global gap in resources needed annually by 2015
is now at 30%. In 2011, US$ 16.8 billion was available and the need for 2015 is
between US$ 22-24 billion.
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