Today we are celebrating an important and social awareness day. It is 'World AIDS Day'.
World AIDS Day, designated the 1st of December every year since 1988, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease. Government and health officials, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control.
World AIDS Day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day.
As of 2013, AIDS had killed more than 36 million people worldwide (1981-2012), and an estimated 35.3 million people are living with HIV, making it one of the most important global public health issues in recorded history. Despite recent improved access to antiretroviral treatment in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claims an estimated 2 million lives each year, of which about 270,000 are children.
In the US, the White House began marking World AIDS Day with the iconic display of a 28-foot AIDS Ribbon on the building's North Portico in 2007. The display, now an annual tradition, quickly garnered attention, as it was the first banner, sign or symbol to prominently hang from the White House since the Abraham Lincoln administration.
U.S. presidential proclamations of World AIDS Day have been issued annually since 1995.
So, let us celebrate this social and medical awareness day, as we stand united, and promise to eradicate this deadly disease from this world.
Namaskar
Thanking you all,
Ria Mukherjee
Adm. Assistant
URI East India
