World AIDS Day 2021: Every year December 1 is celebrated as World AIDS Day to spread awareness about HIV, show support for people living with HIV, and commemorate the ones who died of HIV. It was founded in 1988 and was the first-ever global health day.
Globally around 38 million people have HIV and since the detection of the virus in 1984, around 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS-related illnesses. World AIDS Day helps spread awareness about the disease and let people know about their rights to protect themselves against the stigma and discrimination caused by it.
World AIDS Day 2021
The theme for World AIDS Day 2021 is “END INEQUALITIES. END AIDS. END PANDEMICS.”
The UNAIDS warns of millions of deaths over the coming years if the leaders fail to tackle the inequalities regarding HIV.
“Progress against the AIDS pandemic, which was already off track, is now under even greater strain as the COVID-19 crisis continues to rage, disrupting HIV prevention and treatment services, schooling, violence-prevention programmes, and more. We cannot be forced to choose between ending the AIDS pandemic today and preparing for the pandemics of tomorrow. The only successful approach will achieve both. As of now, we are not on track to achieve either,” says UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.
“If we do not take the steps needed to tackle the inequalities driving HIV today, not only will we fail to end the AIDS pandemic, we will also leave our world dangerously unprepared for future pandemics,” says Helen Clark, Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
How Can You Contribute To The World AIDS Day and raise awareness
- One can buy a red ribbon to support and spread awareness about HIV and AIDS.
- To ensure that you are not infected, you can get tested for HIV and motivate people against the stigma attached to it.
- There are many NGOs fighting HIV and supporting the ones who live with the disease, you can get in touch with one such NGO and help them in various ways.