World AIDS Day

Note: This page was published 11 years ago, which means that the content may be out of date or no longer relevant. You should verify that the information on this page is still current while we're working on keep it fresh.

AIDS Day

South Africa together with the rest of the world, commemorate World Aids Day on 1 December 2009. The AIDS(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) pandemic is continuing to ravage communities, and partly through realizing this the South African National Aid Council together with other SADEC member states declared 2009 the year of prevention.

Facts :

• The international theme for World AIDS Day 2009 is “Universal Access and Human Rights"
• According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV, including 2.1 million children under 15.
• 2 million total deaths in 2008 due to HIV.
• World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1
• World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988.
• Each year, a theme is chosen for World AIDS Day.

There ore over 80,000 people living with HIV in the UK and new infections continue to increase every year. Over a quarter of people living with HIV in the UK don't know they are Infected. People living with HIV still face discrimination, but treatment is improving and life expectancy is increasing.

Launch of  Red Ribbon Express

NACO in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi foundation proudly announces the launch of second leg of the world's largest mass mobilization drive against HIV and AIDS.All queries related to NRHM will be answered in the Red Ribbon Express.

Venue : Delhi Safdarjang Railway Station 
Date : 1st December 2009 
Time : 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm

We can Prevent AIDS  :

• Through interventions such as Voluntary Counseling and Testing, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, prevention and treatment of Sexual Transmitted Infections and Post Exposure Prophylaxis.
• Through behavioral/attitudinal change.

Since its recognition two decades ago, the impact of HIV/AIDS on humanity is unparalleled by any other cause or event. Over 53 million people are infected by this dreadful disease, 18.8 million have died and 13 million children have been orphaned with these figures increasing daily. About 70 percent of the cases and 84 percent of the deaths are in Africa, a continent that also shoulders most of the cases and deaths from other epidemic diseases.

Official Website of World Aids Day : www.worldaidsday.org

Official Website of NACO : www.nacoonline.org

The controversy surrounding HIV/AIDS is well known in the country's government circles. Health ministry officials told DNA they were aware of the dissident. "The debate is within the scientific community and can only be resolved by them. We will go with the consensus on HIV/AIDS, a senior official said on the condition of anonymity. Last year, following the National Family Health Survey, the union health ministry reworked the India-specific HIV/AIDS statistics and wrought down the number of HIV+ people from 5.1 million to 2.5 million. Though UNAIDS was initially reluctant to admit it had been wrong all along. It revised its estimates to match India's.