World AIDS Day 1 December 2024 – Theme, History and Importance

World AIDS Day is a globally commemorated healthcare event observed every year on the 1st of December for the past 33 years (since 1988). On this day, various awareness campaigns and activities that promote the disease awareness are conducted by several organisations across the world, unite to show solidarity for people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), reminisced those who have died from an AIDS-related disease, and rally against the spread of the virus. The activities mainly focused on raising awareness about the status of the pandemic and encouraging progress in HIV / AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) prevention, treatment, and care around the world.

Need of AIDS Awareness Day

The need for AIDS awareness day is essential as HIV infection is currently incurable, but one can control it with proper awareness about the disease, especially in rural areas. It was once an unmanageable chronic health condition, but now, with advances in HIV prevention, diagnosis, manage, and care including for opportunistic infections, people with HIV can live long, and healthy lives. 66,400 new cases have been identified in India in the year of 2023. 13 lakh people were newly infected with HIV in 2023 globally. This is a 39% decrease from 2010, when 21 lakh people were newly infected. 

Globally, in the year 2021, 14.6 lakh people (13 lakh adults and 1.6 lakh children under the age of 15) acquired HIV (new cases), the disease is lethal, as 6.5 lakh HIV patients died in the same year (2021). Approximately 3.84 crore people (3.67 crore adults and 17 lakh children under the age of 15) have been reported as HIV infected (as of 2021), among whom 54% are women and girls, with the vast majority of those affected living in low- and middle-income nations.

Global facts of HIV as per UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS):

• In 2021, nearly 85% of patients knew their HIV status entirely, while the rest were completely unaware of the disease presence in them.
• At the end of 2021, 75% of people had access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 81% of pregnant people with HIV had access to ART to prevent transmitting HIV to their babies during pregnancy and childbirth.

Estimates place the HIV, with an estimated drop to 4.4 and 3.9 per 100,000 population in new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths globally by 2025, respectively, followed by a 90% reduction in both by 2030. To achieve such a target, awareness campaigns focused on education, treatment, and prevention should be implemented on a larger scale globally.

Success of Red Ribbon

To combat HIV/AIDS in India, the government established the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP). Since 2010, when NACP set its goal of reducing new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths by 80%, which was achieved, there has been a decline of 82% in AIDS-related mortality. However, only a 48% decrease in the annual number of new HIV infections have been reported. Globally, the existence of awareness campaigns since 1988 has been a major boon, as the number of new patients has declined by 32% since 2010, and AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 68% since 2004.

World AIDS Day 2024 Theme

This year, 2024, the World AIDS Day Theme is  “Take the Rights Path”. This theme emphasizes the importance of upholding human rights to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic effectively. It advocates for the removal of legal and social barriers that infringe on people’s rights, such as discriminatory laws and criminalization that hinder access to healthcare and social support for people with HIV. The campaign aligns with the principles of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, asserting that protecting everyone’s rights is crucial for ending AIDS and ensuring sustainable health outcomes globally.

The theme also encourages leaders and communities to promote inclusive policies and create legal frameworks that support HIV prevention, treatment, and care without stigma. The UNAIDS campaign highlights that achieving the goal of ending AIDS depends on protecting human rights, ensuring equitable healthcare access, and fostering a supportive environment for people affected by HIV/AIDS throughout December and beyond.

Year by year theme of World AIDS Day -

• World AIDS Day 2023 Theme: LET COMMUNITIES LEAD!
• World AIDS Day 2022 Theme: Equalize
• World AIDS day 2021 Theme: End inequalities. End AIDS. End pandemics.
• World AIDS day 2020 Theme: Global solidarity, shared responsibility
• World AIDS day 2019 Theme: Communities make the difference
• World AIDS day 2018 Theme: Know Your Status
• World AIDS day 2017 Theme: My health, my right
  

History of World AIDS day

World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1st, was first established in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to focus global attention on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, raise awareness, and honour those who had died from AIDS. Created by public information officers James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, it aimed to reduce stigma and educate the public. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) took over in 1996, emphasizing themes that evolved from general awareness to complex issues like human rights, gender equality, and social stigma.

Since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy in the late 1990s, World AIDS Day themes have focused on expanding access to treatment and prevention, especially in high-burden, low-income regions. Recent efforts have shifted toward achieving global goals such as ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, emphasizing scientific advances as well as tackling social and healthcare inequalities. World AIDS Day remains an important reminder of the need for compassion, awareness, and sustained commitment to combatting HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Prevention of HIV

There are many actions, one can take to prevent the transmission of HIV to others, as the famous quote says “Prevention is better than cure”.

• Safe intercourse
• Get tested and treated for STDs
• Single sexual partner
• Abstinence from unhygienic practice such as sharing needles
• Get tested for HIV
• Usage of HIV prevention medicines such as pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis

Department of General Medicine