We recognize December 1 every year as World AIDS Day.
Since the virus emerged in the 20th century, HIV has taken the lives of over 35 million people worldwide. Here in the United States, amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS research, reports that between 1981 and 2013, around 1.1 million people were diagnosed with AIDS. Over 650,000 of those people died.
HIV is the virus that, if left untreated, can cause the condition known as AIDS.
Today, new treatments exist that give most HIV-positive people typical lives. That’s why it’s so important for folks to get tested — and if they test HIV-positive, that they can easily access treatment as soon as possible.
The federal government reports that about 1.2 million Americans currently live with HIV. According to the Philadelphia AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (AACO), approximately 20,000 Philadelphians are HIV-positive.
Today, there are multiple tools that can help prevent the virus, including PrEP, a pill HIV-negative people take once a day. You can learn more about PrEP, including how to obtain it, from the Department of Public Health. Other campaigns that promote conversations about sexual health include Take Control Philly focusing on condom use and Do You Philly focusing on young men.
While HIV infections have dropped significantly among certain populations, HIV continues to disproportionately affect LGBT people and people of color.
There’s still much work to be done.
That’s why it’s so important we continue to talk about HIV — and we all commit to having science, not stigma, based discussions with each other. It’s also why it’s so important for us to create safe spaces for those conversations to take place in.
On World AIDS Day, many museums and organizations simultaneously observe the Day Without Art, a commemoration of the toll HIV/AIDS has had on the world’s creative community. There’s also the AIDS Quilt, a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic, which contains over 48,000 individual memorial panels honoring those who have died.
You can learn more about the Quilt, and see its upcoming display schedule, on the project’s website.
On this World AIDS Day, take a moment to reflect on those lost — and, if you haven’t done so in awhile, consider getting a free HIV test. If you’re HIV-positive in or around Philadelphia, consider reviewing the many services AACO provides.