World AIDS Day

 

Did you know Dec. 1 is international World AIDS Day?

According to UNAIDS, World AIDS Day was established in 1988 and is the first-ever international day for global health.

 It is a day when people all over the world come together to not only show support for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but also remember those who have been lost to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

 For me, it is a day that is well registered at the back of my mind. Growing up in Uganda, I knew so many families who lost loved ones to this epidemic, and as a result, this subject was added to our education curriculum in schools so that our generation could do better. This day thus always reminds me of the collective and individual conscious efforts to keep the fight on so that the prevalence rate of those affected by HIV/AIDS goes down. 

My friend, Gigi Carter, like me, always commemorates this day. She says, “Having lost several relatives to HIV/AIDS in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, issues of HIV/AIDS have always been close to my heart. As an adult, I wear red as a tribute to the loved ones I have lost and commemorate World Aids Day to raise awareness about the disease and break down the stigma associated with HIV.” 

Her fervent hope is that the world will be AIDS-free as soon as tomorrow. You too can honor World AIDS Day so that together we not only control this epidemic but erase it completely. 

To start with this World AIDS Day, and throughout December, you can wear a red ribbon. The red ribbon is not only pretty but is a motif that can draw awareness to what HIV/AIDS is and how we can all unite together to fight it. 

The theme this year is, “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.” This year marks the 34th year since the first World AIDS Day was founded. Visit UNAIDS to learn about the different themes over the years that demonstrate a testimony of the great stride to combat the disease. I hope like me you will heed this call and find active ways today and every day to force an end to this epidemic.