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!

On the 9th of November, the official donation of patronage aid (1000 units of rapid tests for the detection of viral hepatitis B and C and 480 units of sanitary ballot about prevention of TB and sexually transmitted infections) will be held on the territory of the Main Military Medical Department of the National Guard of Ukraine. This action is realized by the expense of the director of the International public organization "International HIV/AIDS and TB Institute" Eliot Jacobz Pearlman.

For reference: more than 2 years, the Institute cooperates with the medical service of the National Guard of Ukraine and actively assists the it's servicemen in confronting socially dangerous infectious diseases.

Yesterday NGO "International Institute of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis" implemented one of the items of the project of cooperation with the National Guard of Ukraine. Within the cooperation of the military-medical department of the National Guard of Ukraine with the Institute in combating the spread of socially dangerous infectious diseases, was provided 62 sets of sanitary posters about TB and other infectious diseases, and 2000 test cards for rapid tests to determine the HIV / AIDS and 1000 test-cards for determining hepatitis B and C.

"The main object of our cooperation is to reduce the danger to the lives of soldiers as a result of wounds. Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS are currently the most widespread infectious diseases and we are trying to provide the necessary tools to combat them", - said delegate of the International Institute for HIV / AIDS and Tuberculosis Maria Dolinska. 

Oleg Mikhailyk, the Chief of the Chief of the Main Military Medical Department of the National Guard of Ukraine, said: "Now we have more opportunities for timely detection and treatment of these diseases that are dangerous to our society. Primarily testing will be personnel who participated in the area of ATO and military personnel who had contact during emergency aid, as well as servicemen who were taken to the service of the National Guard of Ukraine".

Before, within the cooperation between the military-medical department of the National Guard of Ukraine with NGO "IHATI", 15 military doctors from different regions of Ukraine participated in the training courses "Voluntary HIV counseling by fast tests". Courses have helped to obtain the necessary skills for testing and counseling of patients.

"We hope for further cooperation with the National Guard of Ukraine. Our actions in realization of the project will help to save the life and health of the military personnel and will contribute to the happiness of the whole of Ukraine ", - commented the director of the Institute Eliot Jacobz Pearlman.

Video from the event

Recently, the director of the international non-governmental organization "International Institute for HIV / AIDS and Tuberculosis" Eliot Jacobz Pearlman, provided patronage assistance to the 59th and 66th military mobile hospitals: he gave 2 120 units of test systems for the detection of viral hepatitis B and C.

Also, within the program for the prevention of viral hepatitis, HIV / AIDS and tuberculosis among military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the US Army Colonel Eliot Jacobz Pearlman provided delivery of test systems at his own expense to the specified medical units (530 units of testing systems for hepatitis B and 530 for hepatitis C).

The main purpose of this program is to increase access to diagnostics of viral hepatitis B and C among the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Director of the International Institute for HIV / AIDS and Tuberculosis said that it is necessary to unite in order to raise awareness and mobilize communities to provide access to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and C, as this problem affects everyone.