World AIDS Day was first founded in 1988. Situated on the 1st of December, this international celebration is dedicated to raising awareness of AIDS caused by the spread of the HIV infection, and to mourn those who have passed after contracting the virus.
AIDS is a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's immunity, making the person extremely vulnerable to infections and malignancy, leading to death. It works by the HIV attaching to the CD4 cells, a glycoprotein found on the surface of immune cells, such as T helper cells. These are white blood cells essential to the immune system. It infects them in order to use them as a place to multiply. In doing so the immune cell can no longer work and deteriorates the immune system until it loses the ability to fight infections. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, described as a lentivirus for its delayed symptoms after it's infection. It comes from the Latin word 'lentus', meaning 'slow', and is most dangerous when it reaches its final stage called AIDS. Allowing infections and cancers to thrive.
A lot of ignorance and stigma about HIV and AIDS cause myths to surround the illnesses. The first, most common, and frankly rather stupid rumour is its transmission. Many people believe that you can get HIV from touching or even being around someone with the disease. This is entirely wrong as it can only be transmitted through blood, breast milk, semen, vaginal fluids and the inside anus lining - usually exchanged through sex. This is also commonly the stigma that causes a lot of HIV positive people to experience social challenges, since it creates a lack of interaction.
It is also believed that mosquitos transmit HIV. In theory this does seem plausible, since mosquitoes are blood sucking insects that travel from body to body in order to gain nutrients needed for survival. However the insects don't actually inject the blood of the previous mammal into their next body, and the HIV only lives for only a short time inside of them.
In addition to the myths around HIV, it is also believed that once a person has contracted HIV, then life as they know it is practically over. Although there is no cure for HIV, advancements in medicine have prevented thousands of HIV and AIDS related deaths, enabling patients to live a long normal and productive life. Doctors issue antiretrovirals to help control the growth of the virus, improve the working of the immune system, slow or stop symptoms, and even prevent transmission to others, partners and babies.
The final misconception is a popular conspiracy theory. Some people believe that HIV and AIDS were government created and issued to ethnic minorities, in order the supress them. This is incorrect, the rates of infection have nothing to do with the government. It is actually the opposite as it funds multiple HIV and AID researches throughout the NHS. It attempts to prevent contraction, by promoting protected sex, and teaching the youth of STDs in schools as part of the curriculum. The rates of infection are higher in minorities due to lack of health care, affordability and accessibility of medication and prevention, and other social and economic factors.
The contraction of HIV can be from a variety of sources. It said to originate from Kinishasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1920, when the virus crossed species from chimpanzees to humans, through its consumption. Then, there were no signs or symptoms which signified the presence of the disease. By the 1970s, HIV had become an epidemic, spreading to all five continents and approximately infecting 100,000 to 300,000 people. It was first seen in LA , 1981, through five healthy gay men contracting rare strains of lung infections and agressive cancers. From then, sysmptoms of the illness were reported around the world, and thousands died.
The epidemic baffled doctors and frightened civilians; it wasn't until April 1984 that HTLV-III (later changed to HIV in May 1986) was discovered to be the cause of AIDS by the National Cancer Institute. With their knowledge, the National Cancer Institute issued multiple procedures in order to prevent the spread of the illness, since the ways of transmission were discovered. For example in March 1985, the US Food and Drug Aministration licensed the first commercial blood test, called ELISA. It detected antibodies to the virus and was implamented in all blood banks.
Despite its history, people who are HIV-positive face a large number of social challenges. Homosexual acts are still illegal in more that a third of countries in the world, meaning gay men are more likely to be prevented from receiving treatment. 14% of people who inject themselves with drugs are living with HIV. They are also repeatedly denied access to harm reduction programmes. Sex workers are 12 times more likely to be living with HIV than the general population and are difficult for HIV services to reach.
Incarceration increases HIV vulnerability, especially when prisoners engage in high risk behaviours like injecting drugs. Not only are transgenders faced with strong opposition, stigma and discrimination, they are also provided a lack of HIV tailored services. Women are often vulnerable to HIV because of unequal gender relations affecting their ability to negotiate condom use for protected sex. 160,000 children became infected with HIV in 2016, the majority of which were from mother-to-child during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
The protection and enforcement of human rights is essential in order to ensure an effective response to the prevention and maintaining of HIV and AIDS.
Its been labelled the most destructive pandemic in history, killing 35 million people, despite its discovery in 1984. It is estimated that over 101,000 people are currently living with HIV in the UK, globally, 36.7 million may have the virus. Every year the number rises by 5,000 in the UK as people are diagnosed with HIV, and the social challenges stated above remain the daunting reality of many people living with the condition.
World AIDS Day is an important remind to the public of the presence of HIV. It unfortunately is still here, and there is still a need to raise money, increase awareness and education, and to fight prejudice. To show support to millions of people living with HIV globally, a red ribbon can be worn on the 1st of December, available in most MAC stores and Morrison supermarkets.
