December 1 is every year commemorated as World AIDS Day. Around the world, people unite to support people living with and affected by HIV and to remember those who lost their lives to AIDS.

This 2020 coronavirus pandemic has shown that no one is safe until everyone is safe. If we want to succeed or develop, then leaving people behind is not an option. To end the colliding pandemics like HIV and COVID-19, we have to eliminate discrimination, put people at the center, and must have gender-responsive approaches. With this point in mind, the World AIDS Day 2020 Theme is “Global solidarity, shared responsibility”.

Global solidarity and shared responsibility require the world to come together to ensure that:

Health is fully financed. Domestic and International Governments must come together and funding for health must be increased.

Health systems are strengthened. To strengthen the health system and health care workers, more investments in response to  AIDS must be done.

Human rights are respected. A human rights approach applied everywhere will produce sustainable results for health.

Access is ensured. Life-saving medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics must be considered as public goods and it must be ensured that these goods are easily accessible to everyone.

After considering all these points, now is the moment for bold leadership for equal societies, the right to health for all, and a robust and equitable global recovery to achieve healthier societies.

Information source: https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-aids-day

On this day,  NGOs, government organizations, civil societies, and other health authorities organize many events to make people aware of AIDS. The year 2019 theme has been ‘World Aids Day – Ending the HIV / AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community’. It recommends that Communities of people living with HIV and community health workers can play a key role in the HIV response.

In 1988, it is announced to celebrate World AIDS Day every year on 1 December. In the year 2007, World AIDS Day was marked with a red cross ribbon.

AIDS can affect any age group of people. Even today about 36 million people are living with AIDS. In which 1.6 million infections were in people aged 15 years and above and about 160,000 children in the age group of 0-14. But if we look at the previous figures, it has already improved a lot. This shows that many people have become aware of this, but looking at these figures, we can say that even today there are many people who are not fully aware of AIDS.

The main objective of celebrating World AIDS Day is to increase the prevention and control measures for AIDS globally, provide technical support for AIDS treatment, testing, and antiretroviral therapy and fight against it by making people aware of AIDS.

The various precautions a person should take to avoid AIDS are:

1. You should use a condom while having sex to avoid its infection. As the main cause of AIDS is unsafe sex.

2. Always use a new syringe for taking and giving injections.

3. HIV virus does not spread by joining hands, eating and living together thus never discriminate if someone around us has AIDS.

4. Never use blade that is being used by an HIV infected person.

 5. AIDS patients should start antiretroviral therapy at their nearest health center so that they can lead a happy and fulfilling life.