People around the world today will join forces to show their support for those living with the AIDS virus, as well as those who have died from the disease, when the 26th World AIDS Day is marked.
An estimated 34 million people are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and more than 35 million have died from the disease. This year’s theme is “Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation.”
Ahead of World AIDS Day, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) urged more investment and access to treatment for children. The group said that 1.1 million infections among children under 15 have been averted, but that more needs to be done.
UNICEF said that while all other age groups have experienced a decline of nearly 40% in AIDS-related deaths between 2005 and 2013, those ages 10-19 are the only group in which AIDS-related deaths are not decreasing. “We must close the gap, and invest more in reaching every mother, every newborn, every child and every adolescent with HIV prevention and treatment programs that can save and improve their lives,” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said.
In the United States, approximately 1.2 million people are living with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 14% of all people with HIV in the U.S. don’t even know they have the virus, and the only way to find out is to be tested, the CDC says.
Today, hundreds of events around the world from Argentina to Cambodia, Abuja to Johannesburg will focus on prevention and treatment. World AIDS Day was first held in 1988.
In the United States the following events are scheduled:
- The White House will commemorate World AIDS Day at noon ET. You can watch the live stream here.
- The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is holding awareness and testing events in California, Florida, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
- Former Playboy playmate Rebekka Armstrong, who is living with HIV, will talk about AIDS and HIV awareness at Missouri State University in Springfield.
- At midnight, West Hollywood will broadcast the24-hour electronic art piece AIDS Watch.
- TheNebraska AIDS Project will present its “Shining Star Award” to Sherri Nared-Brooks and her husband Walter Brooks for their community work tackling AIDS at a ceremony at the University of Nebraska
