World AIDS Day was on December 1st.
HIV/AIDS has been a taboo topic for a long time but years of invested awareness from various parties has brought it to light. HIV/AIDS cannot be dealt with if people are afraid to voice out and seek help. Therefore, UNAIDS adopted a new strategy to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
“Epidemic = An outbreak of infectious disease to a large number of people within a short period of time”
Statistics
37,900,000 people globally were living with HIV (end 2018)
24,500,000 people were accessing antiretroviral therapy (end of June 2019)
1,700,000 people were NEWLY infected with HIV (end 2018)
770,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses (end 2018)
While the above may just seem like large numbers statistically, each individual living with HIV/AIDS struggle with the disease itself and have their own story to tell. Therefore, there is an urgent need to end this epidemic for the sake of humanity.
Prevention
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Abstinence (not having sex)
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Limiting number of sexual partners
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NEVER share needles
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Use condom the right way each time you have sex
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Take HIV prevention medicines: pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) & post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
What if I am already infected?
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Consult a doctor
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Take HIV medications - antiretroviral therapy (ARV)
Taking ARV can help prevent transmission to others. The medication help suppress the viral load which helps you to stay healthy as well.
The Power of Community
Communities do more than we think they can. Community-led organizations empower locals, care for the well-being of the community and remove barriers to active engagement in the response to HIV. People connect better knowing that others care and are willing to seek help.
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Communities educate women and children on contraceptives, to get tested and get treatment
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Communities give people the power to choose
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Communities empower people to thrive as every human has rights to health, education, work and many more
Let’s work together as individuals and communities with UNAIDS to achieve their shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths!
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References :
Picture credit:
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http://theconversation.com/how-aids-brought-global-health-to-the-world-political-stage-54415
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https://www.123rf.com/photo_72312143_hiv-and-aids-transmission-poster-of-infographic-logotypes.html
