Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immune deficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight the organisms that cause disease.HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
It can also be spread by contact with infected blood or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding. Without medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS.
There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but there are medications that can dramatically slow the progression of the disease. These drugs have reduced AIDS deaths in many developed nations.
The World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 each year globally. The day is observed to raise awareness among people towards the problem of AIDS and HIV, a disease that affects the immune system of the body. Among the current problems facing the world, perhaps the biggest of them all are AIDS and HIV infections. According to official data, more than 25 million people have died of these infections between 1981 and 2007.
Despite improved preventive measures such as condoms as well as improved antiretroviral treatments, the problem still remains a worry across the globe. The idea of a World AIDS Day was first mooted in 1987 by two public health officials working in the World Health Organization. The two officials were James Bunn and Thomas Netter. The idea for a day dedicated to the problem of AIDS and HIV was approved by then director of UNAIDS, Dr. Mann.
The first ever World AIDS Day was celebrated on December 1, 1988. Up until 1996, the day was organized by the World Health Organization. However, in 1996, A Global World AIDS program was made by Dr. Mann and Bunn, and a new organization was formed under WHO in order to promote awareness of AIDS and HIV among people.
This new organization was called the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, also called UNAIDS. Since 1996, UNAIDS has been responsible for organizing the day as well as raising awareness among the masses towards AIDS and HIV and the steps they can take to prevent it.
The purpose of formation of UNAIDS was to have a year-round effort towards promoting AIDS and HIV awareness. Thus, in many countries, an AIDS Awareness Month is observed instead of a single day. Awareness drives and efforts are organized across cities in order to promote health sex habits among the masses among other things.
The writer is a poet, banking professional
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