Does World AIDS Day still matter?
Over its almost 40-year history, HIV/AIDS has gone from being a death sentence to something much more manageable. Treatments like PREP, and even hopeful signs of a potential cure, have de-stigmatised this awful disease. In many parts of the developed world, HIV/AIDS is not as big a concern.
Yet it absolutely should be.
That's because the most marginalised populations still suffer disproportionately from HIV/AIDS. According to the UNAIDS World AIDS Day report released this week, 650,000 people died as a result of AIDS in 2021. A further 1.5 million people were newly infected with HIV. At this rate, 7.7 million people could die from AIDS-related illnesses by 2030. Most of these will be women, girls, and those in the developing world.
So, does it still matter? I believe World AIDS Day 2022 is now more important than ever.
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