World AIDS Day

The 1st of December, World AIDS Day, is the day when individuals and organisations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

Take Action:

There are many ways you can take action in response to HIV/AIDS:
*get tested for HIV
* practice safe methods to prevent HIV

*decide not to engage in high risk behaviors
*talk about HIV prevention with family, friends, and colleagues
*provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS
*get involved with or host an event for World AIDS Day in your community

Resources:

You can find some basic facts about HIV/AIDS in the US in the following documents. The second document is one of the fact sheets developed for the Campaign supported by Altarum’s (the institute I am employed with) Regional Resource Coordinators over the past two years.

*HIV/AIDS in the United States (CDC, August 2008, PDF, 1.03 MB)
*Americans and HIV/AIDS (HHS National HIV Testing Mobilization Campaign, August 2007, PDF, 187 KB)

There are numerous sites with information about World AIDS Day. The following two sites include historical information, statistics, and ways for individuals and organizations to get involved.

http://www.hhs.gov/aidsawarenessdays/days/world/index.html http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/en