December 1 is World AIDS Day, observed since 1988 as part of an effort to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic, and for mourning those who have died of the disease or as a result of it.
This year’s theme is ‘Take the rights path: My health, my right.’ It is a reminder that everyone has a right to access the health services they need, including HIV prevention, treatment, and care services when and where they need them. This right must extend to everyone, regardless of their HIV status, background, ethnicity, gender, or where they live.
The HIV virus kills its victims by undermining their immune systems. When World AIDS Day was first observed 36 years ago, a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS was a death sentence, with patient life expectancy of two years. And yet today, we are within sight of achieving an AIDS-free generation in the foreseeable future.
Nonetheless, despite tremendous progress in prevention and treatment, marginalized populations remain at disproportionate risk of acquiring HIV. Individuals belonging to key populations frequently experience stigma, discrimination, and violence and may even find themselves running afoul of laws aimed at certain marginalized groups such as sex workers or men who have sex with men.
But HIV/AIDS cannot be eliminated as a threat to public health without addressing the unique needs of these and other key populations.
For our part, the United States is working through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. Since its inception in 2003, the program has successfully reduced transmissions, expanded testing, and saved more than 25 million lives in some 50 partner countries over the last two decades. “PEPFAR is focusing on forging a future where every HIV infection is prevented, every person has access to treatment, and every generation can live free from the stigma that too often surrounds HIV,” said President Joe Biden in a written statement.
“We are within striking distance of eliminating HIV-transmission. We have the science. We have the treatments. Most of all, we have each other,” he said.
“Let us honor all the families who have lost a loved one to this disease and all the people currently living with HIV/AIDS. Let us remember the activists, scientists, doctors, and caregivers who have never given up in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Let us recommit to finishing this fight — together.”
