December 1st - World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million (between 2.8 and 3.6 million) lives in 2005, of which more than half a million (570,000) were children.

The concept of a World AIDS Day initiated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments, international organizations and charities around the world.

World AIDS day Themes Since 1998
1988 - Communication

1989 - Youth

1990 - Woman and AIDS

1991 - Sharing the Challenge

1992 - Community Commitment

1993 - Act

1994 - AIDS and the Family

1995 - Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities

1996 - One World. One Hope

1997 - Children Living in a World with AIDS

1998 - Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign With Young People

1999 - Listen, Learn, Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children & Young People

2000 - AIDS: Men Make a Difference

2001 - I care. Do you?

2002 - Stigma and Discrimination

2003 - Stigma and Discrimination

2004 - Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS

2005 - Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise

2006 - Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Accountability

2007 - Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Leadership



A 67 m long "condom" on the Obelisk of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of an awareness campaign for the 2005 World AIDS Day


ABC of HIV


HIV/AIDS FACTS

-Everyday HIV/AIDS kills 6,000 people and another 8,200 people are infected with this deadly virus.

-TB is the leading AIDS-related killer and in some parts of Africa, 75 percent of people with HIV also have TB.

-In 2005, more than 2 million children aged 14 years or younger were living with HIV.

-By 2005, nearly half of the 39 million people living with HIV were women.

-UNICEF predicts that the number of children who have lost one or both parents due to AIDS will rise to 15.7 million by 2010.

-By the end of 2005, 12million children across sub-Saharan Africa had been orphaned by AIDS.

-Globally, as of 2005, an estimated 15.2 million children under 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS; about 80 per cent of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa.

-In South Africa, the country with the largest number of orphans due to AIDS, more than 7.1 million children under 14 living in poverty were benefiting from a government child support grant by April 2006.

-In 2005, a total of US$ 8.3 billion was estimated to be available for AIDS funding; this figure is estimated to rise to US$ 8.9 billion in 2006 and US$ 10 billion in 2007. But it falls short of what is needed -- US$ 14.9 billion in 2006, US$ 18.1 billion in 2007 and US$ 22.1 billion in 2008.

-The number of people receiving antiretroviral treatment in low and middle income countries has tripled since the end of 2001.

-The number of children orphaned by AIDS has risen, from one million in 1990 to 15 million today; by 2010, the number could exceed 25 million.

-Every minute that passes another child under 15 dies of an AIDS-related illness and another four young people aged 15–24 become infected with HIV. (Children, the missing face of AIDS - UNAIDS- UNICEF- 2005).

-Each day, 1,800 children become infected with HIV, the vast majority of whom are newborns.

-Through the expanded provision of antiretroviral treatment an estimated two million life years were gained since 2002 in low- and middle-income countries.

Reference(s):
[1]http://www.kdkfactory.com/abcofhiv.htm
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_AIDS_Day
[3]http://www.whiteband.org/resources/issues/did-you-know