World AIDS Day
The 1st of December is devoted to the fight against AIDS. For the first time, the World AIDS Day was celebrated in 1988 after calling for social tolerance and expanding the exchange of information on HIV/AIDS at a meeting of health ministers of all states.
The beginning of this process was laid on the 5th of June in 1981, when the American Center for Disease Control registered a new disease - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Given the rapid spread of the AIDS pandemic, the United Nations in 1996 created an alliance of six world organizations and approved the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). As co-executors of this project, the program was united by the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.
Today, UNAIDS supports long-term global HIV/AIDS prevention projects, supports the fight for human rights regardless of HIV status, provides assistance to states around the world through training on prevention measures, support for HIV/AIDS research and dissemination activities on the international front.
The symbol of the fight against AIDS since 1991 is the red ribbon. The symbol was created by artist Frank Moore, who lived in New York. The neighboring family was wearing yellow ribbons, which symbolized the desire to return a soldier from the Persian Gulf. The artist decided that the tape in the form of an inverted letter "V" may also be a symbol of the fight against AIDS. The red ribbon project was officially launched at the 45th annual Tony Awards ceremony on the 2nd of June in 2000. In the next few years, red ribbons became part of the dress code also at the Oscars and Emmi ceremonies.
HIV was called the Plague of XX century, and now we see thet 21st century is not exception. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is one of the major infectious causes of death in the world. Over the past 30 years, more than 25 million people in the world have died because of it. In 2017, there were about 34 million people living with HIV in the world. More than 60% of people living with HIV live in Africa.
Ukraine has not stayed aloof. Since the time when the first case of HIV infection was detected, in 1987 and up to 2017, almost 304 914 cases of HIV infection were officially registered among Ukrainian citizens. The situation with HIV remains tense and at present - the spread of HIV among various categories of the population continues, the cumulative number of HIV-infected people and AIDS patients is increasing. According to personalized records in the country today, more than 130 thousand HIV-infected persons are registered. According to official reports by 2011, the growth rate was more than 10% per year. At present, the situation has improved, the growth rate has slowed down, but radical changes, did not happen. Thus, in terms of the level of HIV infection among potential blood donors, Ukraine has been ranked first in Europe since 1997. This figure reflects a certain level of HIV prevalence in the general population. The general assessment of the number of young people at risk in Ukraine aged 14-19 is about 85,000 (55,000 boys, 30,000 girls).
The Constitution of Ukraine determined that each person has a right to health protection. The society and the government are responsible for the health and preservation of the gene pool of the people of Ukraine, ensure the priority of health care in the state's activities, improvement of medical care and the introduction of a healthy lifestyle.
Therefore, the fight against infectious diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS and socially dangerous diseases, remains a priority area of activity in the field of public health protection, as reflected in the Laws of Ukraine "Fundamentals of the legislation of Ukraine on health care", "On ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population","On population protection against infectious diseases", "On Prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Social Protection of the Population", "On Combating Disease TB" and other legislative acts.
Keep yourselves!