by Tharien van Eck, AWC Antwerp
World AIDS Day (WAD) is celebrated December 1. It is a moment where people from around the world commemorate HIV/AIDS. It was started in 1988, the first-ever global health day.
SDG 3 includes this target: “By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.” Unfortunately, HIV remains a significant threat to the world. The world is not on track to deliver the shared commitment to end HIV by 2030. There are vast amounts of knowledge available about HIV/AIDS, but perhaps not the real interest to become fully aware of it. But the bigger threat is that of structural inequalities and therefore unequal access to HIV prevention and treatment.
- The 2022 WAD theme is Equalize.
- The first official case was reported in 1981 in Los Angeles, although there are various reports providing information on patients with Pneumocystis infections and Kaposi's Sarcoma as early as the 1950s.
- HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, with 40.1 million [33.6 – 48.6 million] deaths since 1981, a figure that public health specialists agree is an underestimate.
- UNAIDS set a target of 95–95–95, which stands for:
- 95% of women of reproductive age have their HIV and sexual and reproductive health service needs met;
- 95% of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV achieve viral suppression;
- 95% of HIV-exposed children are tested by 2025.
COVID-19 disrupted service delivery and therefore significantly impacted these targets as well.
- More than 650,000 people died from HIV related illnesses during 2021, with more than 1.5 million new HIV infections during the same period.
- Although there is no cure for HIV infection, it has become a manageable chronic disease.
- Check out the symptoms here.
- HIV is not the only sexually transmitted disease to be aware of. There are many others. Always wear a condom with a new sexual partner.
Sources:
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet
https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/2025-AIDS-Targets_en.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_HIV/AIDS
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids
Photo Canva Pro and image by AL Smith