Today is World AIDS Day, when we raise awareness and honor the survivors and valiant fighters on the front lines of battling AIDS/HIV. World AIDS Day — the first ever global health day; the first commemorated on Dec. 1, 1988 — is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite and show support for people living with HIV and to honor those who have died.
If you've known someone with AIDS/HIV, you know that the tragedy can be immense. Before the advent of retroviral drugs, the worst case scenarios seemed insurmountable. Thankfully, the mortality rate has dropped steadily over the years.
We haven't won the battle yet. Losses still occur daily, and the epidemic is still widespread. According to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) earlier this week, nearly three out of four people in the U.S. infected with HIV are not getting enough medicine or regular care to stay healthy or prevent themselves from transmitting the virus to others. (Read more about the state of AIDS in the U.S. in Mitch Perry's feature, The Obama administration calls for an "AIDS-free generation." )
This article appears in Dec 1-7, 2011.