DECEMBER 1ST WORLD NEVER DIE OF IGNORANCE AIDS DAY

in your workplace. This World AIDS Day, help raise awareness (and money) in your school or college to help fight HIV..

Disease, a word which makes everyone stand a large distance away from us, be it a mild fever or a more contagious one. We are taught not to stay close to a person who is suffering from any syndrome because it might transmit through any means such as a cough, cold, blood transfusion and so on.

One such kind of disease is AIDS – Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome which is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  By damaging the immune system, HIV interferes with the body's ability to fight the organisms that cause disease. And this is a syndrome that occurs through sexually transmitted infection (STI), unlike others.

World AIDS Day is one of the eight officials global health campaign is celebrated on 1st December since 1988 which was marked as an international day dedicated to raising awareness through education on AIDS prevention and control of this pandemic disease caused by the spread of HIV infection and commemorating those who have died of the disease.

This year 2018, it has marked the 30th Anniversary and the theme was declared as “know your status” which is explained as significant progress has been made in the AIDS response since 1988, and today three in four people living with HIV know their status. People who are still unaware of their status yet are ensured that they are provided with quality care and prevention services and are made known through UNIADS report.  There are many new ways of expanding access to HIV testing. Self-testing, community-based testing and multi-disease testing are all helping people to know their HIV status.

People going through this condition are required and requested to take HIV testing which is essential for expanding treatment and ensuring that all people living with HIV can lead healthy and productive lives. It is also crucial to achieving the 90–90–90 targets and empowering people to make choices about HIV prevention so they can protect themselves and their loved ones.

But, why do some people who are suffering from this disease are still stepping back to take HIV test when there are ensurances made that quality care is given?

Well, Stigma and discrimination are the reasons that still deter people from taking an HIV test. Access to confidential HIV testing is still an issue of concern. Many people still only get tested after becoming ill and symptomatic. We as responsible citizens of our world need to take preventive steps to ensure the safety of our own health and our neighbors and also raise awareness about the importance of knowing one’s status and calling for the removal of all barriers to accessing HIV testing.

Finally, we should never end up with the famous line quoted by Elizabeth Taylor “It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance.”