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Started in 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising awareness, education and fighting prejudice. World AIDS Day was first observed on December 1, 1988, after an international summit of health ministers called for a new spirit of social tolerance and a greater exchange of information on HIV/AIDS. Observed annually on December 1, World AIDS Day serves to strengthen global efforts to address the challenges of the AIDS pandemic.
Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.
This is the theme of World AIDS Day 2005. "Keep the Promise" is an appeal to governments and policy makers to ensure that they meet the targets they have agreed to in the fight against HIV and AIDS. |
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According to UNAIDS estimates, there were 37.2 million adults and 2.2 million children living with HIV at the end of 2004, and during the year 4.9 million new people became infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35. 95% of the total number of people with HIV/AIDS live in the developing world. But HIV still remains a threat to people of all ages and nationalities.
The Red Ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around world AIDS day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment. The red ribbon started as a "grass roots" effort, and as a result there is no official red ribbon, and many people make their own.
AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, was first reported in mid-1981 in the United States; it is believed to have originated in Sub-Saharan Africa. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS was identified in 1983, and by 1985 tests to detect the virus were available. The credit for discovering the AIDS virus is jointly shared by Dr. Robert Gallo, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute, and Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute, France.
A fatal and incurable disease caused by HIV, AIDS attacks and destroys the immune system, gradually leaving the individual defenseless against illnesses that lead to death. With no cure at present, prudence could save thousands of people who have yet to be exposed to the virus. The fate of many will depend less on science than on the ability of large numbers of human beings to change their behavior in the face of growing danger.
Awareness-raising activities take place in almost all countries around the world, often with mass participation, AIDS organizations mobilize, and high-level governement officials speak out. There is broad, non-restrictive participation. Today, World AIDS Day has achieved such a level of recognition worldwide that it is set to remain a primary vehicle for reinforcing AIDS awareness at the international and national level, regardless of the theme or level of Unitied Nations participation. |
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