World AIDS Day 2024: What is it and how can you get involved?

There’s not agelong to spell until World Aids Day 2024 is now. Observed connected December 1 - which falls connected a Sunday this twelvemonth - it aims to halt caller cases of HIV, unafraid the rights of people surviving with HIV, and combat HIV stigma and discrimination.

This year’s World AIDS Day campaign is themed astir however quality right’s laws tin assistance successful the conflict against HIV.

The run website reads: “With quality rights astatine the centre, with communities successful the lead, the satellite tin extremity AIDS arsenic a nationalist wellness menace by 2030.

“The important advancement that has been made successful the HIV effect is straight linked to advancement successful protecting quality rights.

“In turn, the advancement made done the HIV effect has galvanised broader advancement successful realising the close to wellness and strengthening wellness systems.

“But gaps successful the realisation of quality rights for each are keeping the satellite from getting connected the way that ends AIDS and are hurting nationalist health, and present a surge successful attacks connected rights is threatening to undermine the advancement that has been made.”

There is simply a batch of misinformation astir HIV, with 1 successful 5 radical wrongly believing that you tin get HIV done kissing. Only 16 per cent knew if idiosyncratic is connected effectual treatment, they can’t walk HIV connected and tin expect to unrecorded a agelong and steadfast life.

World AIDS Day is the cleanable clip to rise much-needed consciousness astir HIV. Here’s what you request to cognize astir the illness and the time itself.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is simply a microorganism that affects the cells successful your immune strategy and weakens your quality to combat mundane infections and diseases.

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the sanction utilized to picture respective perchance life-threatening infections and illnesses that hap erstwhile HIV has severely damaged your immune system. The 2 are often confused, but AIDS ever comes aft HIV.

While AIDS cannot beryllium transmitted betwixt people, HIV can. However, immoderate treatments tin halt radical from passing the microorganism on.

While there’s presently nary authoritative cure for HIV, successful July, it was reported that the 4th idiosyncratic successful past has been cured of HIV aft the diligent was fixed a remedy for leukemia and went into remission.

Additionally, precise effectual treatments alteration astir radical with the microorganism to unrecorded a agelong and steadfast life.

In fact, with an aboriginal diagnosis and effectual treatment, astir radical with HIV volition not make immoderate AIDS-related illnesses and volition unrecorded a near-normal lifespan, according to the NHS.

There are galore ways to get progressive and enactment World Aids Day this year. 

As successful erstwhile years, the National AIDS Trust is asking the nationalist to #RockTheRibbon and beryllium an HIV ally. Wearing a Red Ribbon and sharing it connected societal media tin rise consciousness astir World Aids Day.

The organisation has besides created a nationalist Trello board packed with resources, including suggested societal media posts to stock connected December 1 and printable posters.

What’s more, getting tested for HIV is simply a important measurement successful reducing transmissions and getting due care. You tin bid escaped HIV tests successful immoderate parts of the UK here. 

This year, the taxable is “Take the Rights Path”. The purpose is to item however AIDS could halt being a nationalist wellness menace wrong six years — but lone if people’s quality rights are guaranteed.

“The way that ends AIDS is simply a rights path,” World AIDS Day organisers say. “Upholding the United Nations Declaration connected Human Rights, and fostering inclusion of each communities, are indispensable for ending AIDS, for ensuring sustainable improvement and for quality security.

“There is an urgent request to region transgression and different laws which harm people’s rights, and an urgent request to enact laws and approaches which uphold the rights of each person. 

“The mandates successful the planetary quality rights model person the unit of law, and communities person the close to clasp duty-bearers accountable for adherence to the quality rights commitments they person made.”