December 1 is World AIDS Day, established in 1988. World AIDS Day commemorates AIDS victims and raises awareness of the HIV epidemic. One of the worst global public health concerns in history, AIDS has killed 40 million people globally since 1981 and infected 37 million. Despite medical advances, the AIDS pandemic kills two million people annually, including over 250,000 children.
AIDS Day History
The first global health day was World AIDS Day on December 1, 1998. The day provides a chance for the globe to unite in the battle against HIV and honour those who died from it.
World AIDS Day was created to capitalize on a media vacuum between the 1988 U.S. presidential election and Christmas. After a year of political campaigns, broadcast journalist James Bunn, who had joined the World Health Organization, thought the public would be interested in AIDS coverage. Bunn and Thomas Netter chose December 1 for the first observance and spent 16 months organizing and implementing it.
The inaugural World AIDS Day focused on children and teens to raise awareness of how AIDS affects them and their families. AIDS was also shown to affect more than only drug users.
From 1996 onwards, the observance of World AIDS Day was taken over by the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, expanding the campaign to an annual education and prevention campaign. The World AIDS Campaign was registered as a nonprofit organization in 2004 in the Netherlands.
“In order to be really fulfilled, we must constantly challenge ourselves to go beyond our weaknesses and hurts. A lot of hard effort will be required, but there is no other way to go where we want to go.” – Dr. Rob Andrew
Always remember:
Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time…. Floss everyday.
Change your toothbrush when it looks used.
Visit us every six months.
Eat a healthy diet.
Stay hydrated all day long, and don’t smoke.
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