Support World Aids Day

December 1, 2008 marks the twentieth World AIDS Day. In 2007 it was estimated that 33 million people live with HI/AIDS. An estimated two million of those people were children.

Two million people died in 2007 of AIDS/HIV and its complications. More than 25 million people have died since 1981 of AIDS/HIV.

At this time there is no cure, there are treatments with increasing effectiveness. In my opinion education about prevention is still one of the most important things we can all do. Educate yourself, educate others.

I was teaching at the local university in the early 80’s and incorporated AIDS Awareness in my freshman family life class. At the time I was told by students not to worry, they were not gay so this information was really not necessary.

AIDS is NOT a “gay” disease! In fact, here in the USA, around 72% of the women infected contacted it via heterosexual sexual contact.

AIDS is NOT someone else problem. If you live today, then the very least you should do is get yourself educated. Then if you care about others, share your information! If we all do something, eventually we can at least stem the tide of new infections, with the goal of ending it, finding a cure!

Each year HIV and Aids organisations Worldwide get to highlight and raise awareness on December 1st.
For me it is a day of conflicting emotions.
I have lost too many dear beautiful friends to this pandemic, I have experienced the anger, hatred and fear focused on those friends too.
But, I also thankfully have many friends living healthy lives, in thanks to the advancement of antiretroviral drugs. This then is such a cause for celebration. And so the day for me is bittersweet.

The theme for World AIDS Day 2007 and 2008 is “leadership”. This theme will continue to be promoted with the campaigning slogan, “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.”

‘Leadership was selected as the theme for World AIDS Day to encourage leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. Building on the 2006 theme of accountability, leadership highlights the discrepancy between the commitments that have been made to halt the spread of AIDS, and actions taken to follow them through. The theme empowers everyone from individuals to organisations to governments to lead in the response to AIDS’.
(from the World Aids Campain website).

There are many sites where you can get information on the web,
Ive included a link for the THT, a charity that is very dear to me and one I volunteered for in the early days when there were so few place’s to turn.
http://www.tht.org.uk/howyoucanhelpus/worldaidsday/