World AIDS Day 2023: History, significance, theme and more

World AIDS Day 2023: Today, 1st December, marks World AIDS Day – an annual global health event to raise awareness and solidarity around HIV/AIDS as a global health priority. As the name suggests, the day is dedicated to raising awareness about AIDS which is caused due to HIV infection. People around the world unite to show support for people living with and affected by HIV and to remember those who lost their lives to AIDS.

History of World AIDS Day

First announced in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO), World AIDS Day was created during the early years of the HIV epidemic to boost consciousness and spur wise choices around testing and prevention.

Theme of World AIDS Day 2023

Four decades later, the WHO stresses that communities remain at the forefront of response efforts to eradicate AIDS. This year's theme is "Let communities lead", highlighting their role in connecting people with health services, building trust, spurring innovation and holding authorities accountable.

Indeed communities have led the way in tackling HIV transmission and supporting those living with the virus to lead full, healthy lives thanks to medical advances. Anti-retroviral treatment means an HIV diagnosis today is no longer the death sentence it once was.

Still, inequalities persist with marginalised groups left especially vulnerable amid the 1.5 million new cases each year. Stigma and discrimination continue to prevent many from getting tested or accessing treatment once diagnosed.

Significance

World AIDS Day represents a clarion call to action to enable communities to rectify such gaps. From local fundraisers to global campaigners, people around the planet unite today remembering those lost while advocating for progress.

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

The differences between HIV and the syndrome AIDS which it can eventually cause; are the importance of condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis and clean needles; getting regularly tested and beginning treatment regimens early.

Four decades on from the terrifying early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the end could finally be in sight. But World AIDS Day and the community mobilization it sparks annually remind us, that the fight is not over until transmission is ended for good.