World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is celebrated on 1 December. It is devoted to raising awareness regarding the AIDS epidemic. On this day, memorials are held of people who have died of AIDS. Government officials observe the event and speeches are given on AIDS. Since the year 1995, the President of United States makes an official announcement on World AIDS Day. It has been followed by the governments of other nations too. It is estimated that AIDS is responsible for deaths of 25 million people between 1981 and 2007 and 33.2 million people are living with HIV, according to one of the studies. It has made AIDS, the most destructive disease in the history of epidemics. Though, now we can find some improvement because of the access of the facilities related to HIV i.e. antiretroviral treatment and awareness about the disease in many parts of the world, AIDS has taken lives of 2 million people in the year 2007. Out of them almost 270,000 were children.

Many campaigns are organized by WHO (World Health Organization) for creating awareness regarding HIV. The intention behind organizing the campaign is to provide basic information about HIV/AIDS and by doing so creating awareness among people. Observing AIDS day is one of the important steps of creating awareness all over the world.

Thomas Netter and James W. Bunn first celebrated World AIDS Day in August 1987. These two were public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Bunn and Netter told their idea about World AIDS day to Dr. Jonathan. Dr. Jonathan Mann was the director of the Global Programme on AIDS. It is now recognized as UNAIDS. He liked the concept and he approved him. Then he recommended that AIDS day should be observed on 1 December, 1988.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that one million of people are living with HIV in the United States. It has been studied that 56, 000 Americans are infected per year. One out of five, are not aware that they are infected with HIV and still living with it. The most affected group is gay who are still considered as the vulnerable group. MSM who have sex with men and bisexual is a high risk group.. These people display the majority of people who have died because of AIDS in America. Since the epidemic started, more than 576,000 people in USA who have been infected with HIV died through the year 2007.

World AIDS Day stands for creating awareness among people all over the world. It is observed on December 1.