Today is World AIDS Day - a day filled with sadness for many, but also with hope for the future. Treatment for HIV/AIDS has come so far in such a short time, but we still have a long way to go to reach an AIDS-free world.
The biggest issue facing the eradication of AIDs is a lack of information and understanding - and that’s what World AIDS Day hopes to change.
Here’s some important information about AIDS, and why it’s so important that we honour and remember those we’ve lost, so we can prevent it from happening in the future.
AIDS stands for ‘acquired immunodeficiency syndrome’, which occurs in the most advanced stage of HIV, often taking many years to do so.
HIV is a virus that attacks your immune system by targeting your white blood cells, and can be spread through bodily fluids such as blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluid. There are three stages of HIV, and it is only in the third stage that a person can then develop AIDS.
There is, and has been for a long time, a stigma against people with HIV/AIDS. Misconceptions about how it is transmitted, for example, thinking it can be caught through kissing, can lead to those exposed not seeking treatment when they should.
Raising awareness for HIV/AIDS, teaching people about how these illnesses are really transmitted, and that it isn’t a moral failing, means that people will be more willing to open up and get the treatment they need.
While there is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS, there are ways to prevent the spread of HIV, as well as slow down the progression of the virus into AIDS.
For example, antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) can prevent someone at high risk of catching HIV from catching it - but they can also prevent the virus from replicating once it is contracted, ensuring it never progresses to AIDS.
There are plenty of ways that awareness can be raised for how AIDS affects people - and something quite significant happened in the UK recently that is doing an amazing job.
The Mildmay London Overground line has been named after the Mildmay Hospital in Shoreditch, which played a huge role in the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s.
“While our understanding and treatment of HIV-related illnesses have advanced significantly, HIV remains a major global public health challenge,” says Mildmay Hospital CEO, Geoff Coleman. “Mildmay continues to be an internationally renowned specialist centre, providing rehabilitation and care for patients with complex HIV-related conditions. LGBTQIA+ communities hold a special place in our heart—especially on World AIDS Day.”
“More than just tracks and stations, the Mildmay Line symbolises a journey of acceptance, love, and belonging—a vibrant thread connecting our collective past, present, and future.”
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
National AIDs Trust. This charity works to stop HIV from standing in the way of health, dignity and equality, and to end new HIV transmissions. Learn more here.
The Elton John AIDs Foundation. This charity works with marginalised and forgotten communities to help eradicate AIDs. Support them here.
Frontline AIDs. They work with communities in more than 100 countries, taking local, national and global action on HIV, health and human rights. Find out more.
This article aligns with the UN SDGs Good Health and Wellbeing, Reduced Inequalities.
