World AIDS Day

Introduction

World AIDS Day, observed on December 1 each year, is a day when people around the world raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and assert their duties and responsibilities with a view to increasing human cooperation and possible homogeneous correspondence between the mass and HIV affected people so that individuals and organizations come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic and introduce ways concerning how affects of AIDS can be treated, how further spread of HIV can be prevented and how the world can ensure that a similar pandemic never occur again.

The aim of the World AIDS Day is to bring people’s attention to the worldwide challenges and consequences of the epidemic in order to create change. World Aids Day was initiated following a summit of Health Ministers in London (1988). In the meeting, the leaders realized that a united global effort was required to check the spread of HIV and AIDS.

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The World AIDS Day provides Governments, national AIDS programmes, welfare organizations, community organizations and individuals an opportunity to focus on the global AIDS epidemic.

Each year a theme is chosen to highlight different aspects of the problem and ways in which different groups of people are affected by HIV.

What is AIDS?

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by a retrovirus known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which infects cells of the human immune system, destroying or impairing their function. 

This disease has no early symptoms but as the infection spreads, the immune system becomes weaker and weaker, and the infected person becomes more vulnerable to diseases.

The highly advanced stage of HIV infection is known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS; antiretroviral drugs can slow down the process even further. 

Mode of Transmission

HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse, transfusion of contaminated blood, sharing of contaminated needles, and between a mother and her infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

 The AIDS DAY in India

 It was in 1986, when the first AIDS case was detected in India. After the detection of AIDS, the Government of India took a decision to set up the National AIDS Committee in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to combat the epidemic.

The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) was established in 1992-99 after the launch of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).

Initially, the research for HIV infections was carried out only among the children. But, gradually this notion was demolished completely which resulted in the involvement of research activities among people coming from any strata of life irrespective of age, sex and nationality.

On the World AIDS Day, officials from the Government and other NGOs wear the red ribbon, the global symbol of AIDS/ HIV awareness and distribute condoms among the people.

AIDS can be defined as an evil for our society and we have to combat this evil through the weapons of knowledge, care, respect and dignity for the HIV-infected persons. People suffering from this disease are not untouchable and they have equal rights to live in this society.