BY OLIVIA SPIRITO; EDITED BY BERNICE BORN
December 1 is World AIDS Day, this year commemorating the observance’s 30th anniversary.
This year’s theme is “Know Your Status.” Today, only three in four people living with HIV know their status — that they are HIV positive — according to a UNAIDS report.
HIV is a virus spread through certain body fluids that attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells, often called T cells. The virus was identified in 1984, and since then 36.9 million people have died from it, which makes it one of the most destructive pandemics ever recorded.
If HIV is left untreated, the most serious phase of infection leads to AIDS, along with related diseases and cancers. However, people can live a very successful and healthy life if they are participating in antiretroviral therapy, or ART, drugs. This therapy option reduces the amount of virus in the body and lowers the person’s chances of transmitting the virus.
WiRED International offers a 15-module health education series on HIV/AIDS. The training units cover:
World AIDS Day encourages everyone to show solidarity with those who are living with HIV and promote awareness worldwide to encourage more people to get tested. This year make it a priority to get educated on HIV/AIDS. A good place to start is to take a look at WiRED’s HIV/AIDS Series.