Each year since 1988, December 1 has been designated as World AIDS Day. The World Health Organization and UNAIDS proposed this day as a time to focus on HIV prevention and treatment efforts, bring communities together for support and solidarity, and specifically recognize and remember those affected by HIV/AIDS.
The theme of the past few years in commemorating World AIDS day has been “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.” This is a lofty, ambitious goal, essentially calling upon today’s health care workers, community members, and the world to be the generation to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
What can one do to honor this day? Below are a few suggestions.
For Those Who Are HIV Negative
It can be a day to get tested and know your status, and encourage your friends, partner, and loved ones to do the same. Testing is available at numerous locations. The official website of New York City can help you find a nearby clinic, and the Mount Sinai Health System has numerous clinics and offices that offer free, confidential, rapid HIV testing, and many of which also offer testing for sexually transmitted diseases. You can also use this day to explore the increasing number of options you have at your disposal to remain negative, such as PrEP, PEP, and condoms.
For Those Who Are HIV Positive
It can be a day to be mindful of how far treatment has come, and to take pride in the ways you have not let this virus run your life. Now more than ever, those with HIV can live long, healthy lives. If you have been diagnosed recently, or are just out of care, it can be a day to take a simple step to call your local clinic and arrange for an initial consultation. Many Mount Sinai locations have a team of specially trained doctors, social workers, and nurses who are ready to get you started at your own pace.
For Everyone
This day can be a day of remembrance. There are many options for those who would like to revisit the harrowing and riveting path to this year.
- This New York Magazine list offers a list of the “top five” activities commemorating World AIDS Day in New York City.
- I also recommend viewing How to Survive a Plague. This documentary follows the lives and actions of the members of ACT UP and TAG, two groups who waged war on HIV/AIDS by calling for better, more advanced treatment for HIV. The film chronicles the lives of people who decided that the status quo was no longer good enough, and united to bring forth results, treatments, and answers.
- In addition, And the Band Played On, Precious, and, most recently, Dallas Buyers Club, are all movies that depict extraordinary people whose lives intersect with the disease.
The Changing Face of HIV
Lastly, this day can serve as a chance to understand the changing face of HIV. Whom HIV has affected and infected since 1981, when the then-unknown virus’s effects were being documented in hospitals among gay men, has changed dramatically over the past three decades. As of 2012, the New York State Department of Health estimates that 132,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV. HIV’s burden is increasingly being carried by minority men and women and aging populations. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 35 million individuals are living with the disease, many of whom do not have access to health care and medications to treat the infection.
This December 1st is a day of great weight, profound urgency, and real hope. It is a time to wear the red ribbon and understand that the goal of zero infections has never been more within our reach. However, it is also important to be aware that a lot of work is still needed, and that it requires the world’s support and our community’s action. World AIDS Day serves as a reminder that the war on AIDS will not be won by one person, one pill, or one vaccine; it will be won by all of us, together, united.