Commemorate World AIDS Day 2011. A Message of Hope!
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This Today is World AIDS Day 2011
After 30 Years, The End Remains Elusive
June 2011 marked the 30th anniversary of the first clinical description of AIDS, a report that uncovered what would become one of history’s worst pandemics.
And now, 30 years later, the theme of World AIDS Day 2011 is “Getting to Zero”: zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
“Heading into the fourth decade of AIDS, we are finally in a position to end the epidemic. The progress we have made so far is proof that we can realize our vision [of getting to zero],” said UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon in a press release for World AIDS Day.
And now, 30 years later, the theme of World AIDS Day 2011 is “Getting to Zero”: zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
“Heading into the fourth decade of AIDS, we are finally in a position to end the epidemic. The progress we have made so far is proof that we can realize our vision [of getting to zero],” said UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon in a press release for World AIDS Day.
Earlier this year, the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS created goals to reach by 2015: a 50% reduction in the sexual transmission of HIV, no new infections in children, antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 15 million people living with HIV, ending stigma and discrimination and closing the AIDS funding gap.
Although policymakers have echoed these optimistic sentiments, such as U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s vision for an AIDS-free generation, current data indicate that there still is much work to be done. Disparities in funding and the disproportionate impact of HIV among certain demographics and regions continue to plague those involved in the fight.
Although policymakers have echoed these optimistic sentiments, such as U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s vision for an AIDS-free generation, current data indicate that there still is much work to be done. Disparities in funding and the disproportionate impact of HIV among certain demographics and regions continue to plague those involved in the fight.
An estimated 2.7 million new infections occurred in 2010, which represented a 21% decrease in the incidence of HIV since 1997. However, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that 1 in 5 people infected with HIV in the United States (approximately 240,000) are unaware that they have the virus.
The results of recent preexposure prophylaxis trials for HIV have provided a measure of hope in the prevention of new infections. But incidence rates high across certain geographic settings and patient types due to the stigma and discrimination that remain prevalent.
In 2010, an estimated 34 million people were living with HIV worldwide, a 17% increase since 2001. The increase is a direct result of both improved ART agents and patients’ access to care, which have led to HIV becoming a chronic, manageable condition for many patients.
In 2010, an estimated 34 million people were living with HIV worldwide, a 17% increase since 2001. The increase is a direct result of both improved ART agents and patients’ access to care, which have led to HIV becoming a chronic, manageable condition for many patients.
The annual cost for HIV drugs also has significantly decreased over the past few years. Recent data from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief reported that the annual cost to cover a patient’s ART was $335 in 2011 compared with $1,100 in 2004.
But with the current economic downturn in the United States, both society and its elected officials may turn their attention and funding elsewhere.
But there certainly are many reasons for the current optimism being spread in anticipation of World AIDS Day 2011. For example, a 2009 report from the CDC showed that HIV no longer was one of the 15 leading causes of mortality in the United States.
With all of the renewed hope in the battle against HIV, the key is for society to continue its altruism and vigilance toward HIV despite this progress.
A song dedicated to those who have passed and are presently living with HIV/AIDS
Janet Jackson "Together Again"
But with the current economic downturn in the United States, both society and its elected officials may turn their attention and funding elsewhere.
But there certainly are many reasons for the current optimism being spread in anticipation of World AIDS Day 2011. For example, a 2009 report from the CDC showed that HIV no longer was one of the 15 leading causes of mortality in the United States.
With all of the renewed hope in the battle against HIV, the key is for society to continue its altruism and vigilance toward HIV despite this progress.
A song dedicated to those who have passed and are presently living with HIV/AIDS
Janet Jackson "Together Again"
And for People of Color
To coincide with tomorrow's World AIDS Day, the Centers for Disease Control has launched a new national campaign urging gay and bisexual black men to get tested.
You may already know that gay and bisexual men are the population most affected by HIV in the U.S. Black gay and bisexual men are getting hit particularly hard by the epidemic. Studies in major cities have found that, in those cities, nearly one in three black gay and bisexual men is infected with HIV, and the majority (59%) don’t even know it because they’ve never been tested or aren’t testing enough.
Dr. Kevin Fenton is director of the National Center For HIV/AIDS and is the CDC's frontman on the new campaign. You may already know that gay and bisexual men are the population most affected by HIV in the U.S. Black gay and bisexual men are getting hit particularly hard by the epidemic. Studies in major cities have found that, in those cities, nearly one in three black gay and bisexual men is infected with HIV, and the majority (59%) don’t even know it because they’ve never been tested or aren’t testing enough.
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TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TILL ONE DAY WE WILL SEE A WORLD THAT WILL NO LONGER HAVE HIV/AIDS!!!
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