World AIDS Day 2010: Improving Care and

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day, one of the most widely acknowledged international observances in the world. For the millions of people globally who honor this annual event, the day is a time for both reflection and opportunity. The latter in particular because it represents a chance to improve the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS. To this end, the World AIDS Campaign, which is charged with developing the annual theme for World AIDS Day, has given this year’s observance the tagline “Universal Access and Human Rights.”

According to Britannica’s entry on World AIDS Day, the observance “was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1988 to facilitate the exchange of information among national and local governments, international organizations, and individuals.” Hence, one of the central goals of World AIDS Day is to disseminate information and raise awareness about the disease, especially about how its spread can be prevented and about how it is treated.

HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest threats to human health in the modern era. Since the 1980s, when HIV was discovered, the number of people infected with the virus has skyrocketed, from between 90,000 and 150,000 in 1988 to more than 33.2 million in 2007. Since the first AIDS case was reported in 1981, some 25 million people worldwide have died of the disease.

At the beginning of the 21st century, health officials and governments in many countries began working to secure antiretroviral drugs (e.g., protease inhibitorsand AZT) for at least four-fifths of their HIV-infected populations. Although these countries aspired to reach this goal by 2010, most have failed to do so, whether because of lack of adequate health care infrastructure, lack of awareness that such treatment resources exist, or difficulty in ensuring a continuous supply of medications.

It is now imperative that leaders on local, national, and international levels work to ensure universal access to HIV/AIDS care. And recognizing human rights is a fundamental part of this process. As secretary-general of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon stated earlier this year, “Universal access means more than ensuring that those who need treatment or prevention services receive them. It implies an extra effort to reach those who are marginalized, criminalized, or disenfranchised.”

Photo credits (from top): AbleStock.com/Jupiterimages; PRNewsFoto/AIDS Action Committee/AP Images