1 December is World Aids Day; a day that brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world.
Between 2011-2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of "Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths." The World AIDS Campaign focus on "Zero AIDS related deaths" signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all; a call for governments to act now. It is a call to honor promises like the Abuja declaration and for African governments to at least hit targets for domestic spending on health and HIV.
Yesterday, the WHO announced that there has been significant global progress in preventing and treating HIV. The new Report on the global HIV/AIDS response, released yesterday, shows inspiring progress with a 15% reduction of new infections and a 22% decline in deaths. This progress highlights the importance of long-term investment in HIV/AIDS. There is now a very real possibility of getting ahead of the epidemic. However, gains made to date are being threatened by a decline in resources for AIDS.
Read the release…
Read the new fact sheet on HIV/Aids…
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