World Aids Day 2024: Reflecting on the Past & Advocating for a Better Future
Every year on December 1st, we come together to commemorate World AIDS Day – a day to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, show support to those affected by the virus, and honor the memories of those who have lost their lives. Though great progress has been made, we encourage you to reflect on how far we’ve come while acknowledging the remaining challenges.
Why do we celebrate World AIDS Day?
World AIDS Day serves as an important reminder that we must stay persistent in our commitment to prevent HIV infections and provide life-saving services to all people living with HIV. This year, we observe the 37th World AIDS Day with the theme, “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress.”
Progress
The first World AIDS Day took place in 1988, providing a space to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and honor the lives affected by the epidemic. There has been significant progress in addressing HIV and AIDS thanks to advancements in medical research, increased access to treatment and prevention, and a better understanding of the virus. Since 1988, we have made remarkable advancements, including:
Preventative measures like PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)
Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), which has helped transform HIV from a life-threatening virus into a manageable condition for millions of people
Stigma reduction efforts led by empowered individuals to encourage testing, treatment, and education
Ongoing Challenges
Despite incredible strides, the work to end HIV/AIDS is not over. An estimated 39.9 million people worldwide are living with HIV, including 1.4 million children. Challenges such as unequal access to healthcare, ongoing stigma, and social inequities work against vulnerable communities, leaving many without the support and medical attention they need.
We must continue to remind everyone that HIV remains an urgent healthcare issue, and we must accelerate our efforts to address HIV and linked conditions. The progress we have achieved so far is a testament to the power of community. Governments, communities, and activist organizations have all played crucial roles in our shared goal to save lives and change the course of the HIV pandemic.
How You Can Help
There are many ways to make a difference and contribute to the global fight against HIV/AIDS.
Get Tested: Knowing whether or not you have HIV is an important step in prevention and is essential when it comes to early treatment. Make a plan to get tested and encourage the people in your life to do the same.
Donate: Consider supporting those working to provide care, support, and advocacy for those affected by the virus. You can find a list of organizations here.
Learn & Educate: Take the time to educate yourself (and others) about HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and stigma.
Want to learn more? Routledge is proud to publish tons of educational resources on HIV/AIDS. To get started, check out the books below.
Related Books
A Visual History of HIV/AIDS
The Face of AIDS film archive at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, consists of more than 700 hours of unedited and edited footage, shot over a period of more than thirty years and all over the world by filmmaker and journalist Staffan Hildebrand.
AIDS: Principles, Practices, and Politics
First published in 1989. Providing a voice of reason in the midst of the controversy, this book looks at the principles, practices and politics surrounding AIDS and includes the Surgeon General’s report; sections on AIDS awareness, women and AIDS, advice on choosing therapies, looking at patients and studies around public schools and intravenous drug users.
Post-AIDS Discourse in Health Communication
This book examines the discourse of a “post-AIDS” culture, and the medical-discursive shift from crisis and death to survival and living. Contributions from a diverse group of international scholars interrogate and engage with the cultural, social, political, scientific, historical, global, and local consumptions of the term “post-AIDS” from the perspective of meaning-making on health, illness, and well-being.
A WHO Public Health Approach to Ending AIDS in the Global South
In highlighting how a WHO Public Health Approach (PHA) has been successfully used in developing countries to provide HIV/AIDS patients with antiretroviral therapy (ART), this important book provides a template for how the PHA can be implemented to treat other chronic but non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well.
HIV/AIDS in India
India ranks third in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS globally. The country has high levels of poverty and inequality, poor healthcare infrastructure, especially away from the metropolitan areas, and a legacy of colonialism that bequeathed laws criminalizing non-heteronormative sexualities.
Remember, progress is possible. Together, we can make a difference.