Today, (December 1st, 2009) we are celebrating World AIDS Day.

The goals are:

• To increase awareness and remind people that even though HIV/AIDS can be treated, it is still a very serious threat to men, women, and children around the world.
• To fight prejudice against people who are living with the virus.
• To improve HIV/AIDS related education.

UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) just published some startling statistics about HIV/AIDS:

• During 2008, more than 2.5 million adults and children became infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
• By the end of the year, an estimated 33.4 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS.
• 2 million people died from AIDS this year, despite recent improvements in access to treatment.

They also reported that the number of people living with HIV has risen from around 8 million in 1990 to 33 million today, and is still growing. Around 67% of people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa. Pretty scary, huh?

So, if you’re wondering about what you can do to help the fight against AIDS, avert.org (an international AIDS charity) gives some really great suggestions. Here are a few:

• Wear a red ribbon (the international symbol for AIDS awareness) on or around December 1st. You could also make a bunch (all you need is some red ribbon and safety pins) and pass them out to your friends and family.
• Play the AVERT AIDS game here to see how much you really know about HIV/AIDS. You can also send the link to your friends and have them play, too.
• Learn your stuff: you can read all about HIV/AIDS on our website, and gain knowledge that you can pass on to others.
• Attend a Word AIDS Day event such as a march, or candlelight vigil in your community.

-Amanda