AIDS Day
Every year on December 1, the globe commemorates World AIDS Day. The purpose of the day, as the name implies, is to demonstrate solidarity for HIV-positive persons as well as those who have died as a result of the disease.
‘End inequalities. End AIDS.’ is the theme for World AIDS Day 2021. WHO and its partners are emphasizing the rising inequalities in access to basic HIV care, with a particular focus on persons who have been left behind. The day was first celebrated in 1988 and was also the first-ever international day for global health.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a chronic, sometimes fatal disease (HIV). HIV impairs your body’s capacity to fight infection and illness by destroying your immune system. For a person who is suffering from the disease, the immune system of the body gets damaged and the ability to fight diseases is drastically reduced.
There are various factors through which a person can contract AIDS. Some of them are as follows:
- Through the exchange of body fluids like blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, vaginal and rectal fluids, and breast milk of an infected woman.
- Through unprotected sex with a person who is infected.
- Through the sharing of injection needles, razor blades, knives among other things with an infected person can also be a reason for the contraction of the disease.
A few symptoms of the disease that one should be aware of are:
- Fever
- Nausea
- Skin rashes
- Body aches
- Headaches
- Sore throat
- Stomach infection among others
Although the condition is not totally curable, there are a number of preventative steps that may be taken in everyday life to avoid contracting it. To lower the risk of transmission, antiretroviral therapy (ART) and HIV medications are used.
Using protection during sexual intercourse, avoiding sharing needles, blades, and other items with other individuals, and maintaining excellent body immunity are all examples of HIV AIDS prevention strategies.
Today, scientific improvements in HIV therapy have been achieved, regulations to protect persons living with HIV have been enacted, and we know a lot more about the disease. Despite this, over 2.1 individuals in India are suffering from HIV (source: https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/asia-pacific/india ), many people are unaware of how to protect themselves and others, and stigma and prejudice continue to be a reality for many people living with the disease.
World AIDS Day is significant because it serves as a reminder to the public and government that HIV does not go away; there is still a pressing need to raise funds, promote awareness, combat discrimination, and enhance education.
