By: Shahid Ul Islam
People, around the world, come together to observe World AIDS Day, every year, on December 1st. This important day serves as a reminder to raise awareness, show support for those living with HIV/AIDS, and remember those we have lost to the disease. It’s a day to educate, advocate, and inspire action towards ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
World AIDS Day was first established in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global initiative to unite people in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Since then, it has become one of the most recognized international health days, providing a platform for individuals and communities to join forces and make a difference.
Another crucial aspect of World AIDS Day is highlighting the importance of prevention and treatment. Through widespread access to education, protection including use of condoms, needle exchange programs, and antiretroviral therapy (ART), we can significantly reduce new infections and improve the quality of life for those living with HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day serves as a reminder that prevention and treatment are key to ending the epidemic.
Human Immune Deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune-Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/ AIDS) is the term given to a combination of symptoms which result from a break- down of the immune system. It is the final stage of HIV Infection, which causes severe damage to the Immune system and causes fatal infections. AIDS is the second widely spread communicable disease worldwide and the sixth common cause of death globally (WHO, 2004).
HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 39 million lives so far, with 29 million new infections estimated by the near 2020. The number of new HIV infections in people(under 21 yrs of age) worldwide was 2.3 million in 2000. After a two decades-long fight, the number of new infections was still 1.6 million in 2019. The data indicate that HIV prevention has failed to a significant degree, and there are potential significant problems with our understanding of HIV transmission, and, therefore, our strategies for HIV prevention.
AIDS is caused by a virus called Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) that attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of threatening infections and cancers. HIV is transmitted through sexual intercourse, transfusion of infected blood, use of no sterile, HIV in affected or contaminated syringes and needles and from an infected mother to her unborn child. HIV/AIDS is a life threatening disease and therefore people react to it in strong ways. HIV infection is associated with be behaviours such as homosexually, drug addiction, pros tendon or promiscuity that are already estimated in many societies.
Most people become infected with HIV through unprotected sex, which often carries moral baggage too. There is a lot of inaccurate Information about how HIV is transmitted, creating irrational behaviour and misperceptions of personal risk. HIV remains a major health issue that affects millions of people worldwide, a considerable number in India too.
World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1997 by James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Today, it is regarded as the longest-running disease awareness Initiative of its kind in the history of public health.
World AIDS Day is a powerful reminder about the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS. It’s a day to come together, raise awareness, show support, and take action. By educating ourselves, challenging stigma, and advocating for safety.
The writer is a law student at university of Kashmir & author of book ‘The Crestfallen Soul’.
