On the initiative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), World AIDS Day has been celebrated on 1 December since 1988. It is one of the organisation's eight major public health campaigns.
In 2021, the World AIDS Day slogan, also promoted by the United Nations AIDS Programme (UNAIDS), is: The end of inequality. The end of AIDS. The end of a pandemic (End inequalities. End AIDS. End pandemics). This highlights the urgent need to end all inequalities that fuel AIDS and other pandemics.
HIV has remained a major public health problem for years, affecting millions of people. Worldwide in 2020:
- 37 700 000 people were living with HIV;
- 680 000 people have died from HIV-related causes;
- 1 500 000 new HIV infections have been detected;
- 73% adults living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Ahead of 1 December, UNAIDS reminds us that a lack of bold action runs the risk that the goal of ending AIDS by 2030 will not be achieved due to structural inequalities that hinder the implementation of proven HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment solutions, rather than a lack of knowledge or tools to defeat AIDS.
Although the world has made significant progress in tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in recent decades, important global targets set for 2020 have not been met. Divisions, disparities in access to health services and disregard for human rights are some of the reasons for failure, causing HIV to remain a global health crisis.
The COVID-19 epidemic, which has been ongoing for two years, is leading to widening inequalities making life more difficult for many people living with HIV. Tackling these inequalities will not only be key to ending AIDS, but will also advance the human rights of key populations and people living with HIV. It will make societies better equipped to overcome HIV, which will translate into economic recovery and stability in the future.
Over the past few decades, investments in medical care and the provision of treatment for people with HIV and AIDS have strengthened health systems in the field and supported the fight against COVID-19. The future prospects for people living with HIV have changed in recent years. Thanks to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and the rapid detection of the virus in the body, HIV infection is no longer a sentence; life can be enjoyed for many years. The introduction of ARV treatment has resulted in a decrease in infectiousness, a decrease in the number of AIDS cases and a decrease in AIDS-related mortality in developed countries.
In Poland, according to the National Institute of Public Health - National Research Institute, from the implementation of testing in 1985 to 31 December 2020, infection was found in 26 486 people.
At the end of October 2021, ARV treatment in Poland included 14 326 patients, including 96 children. The treatment is provided and financed within the framework of the Health Policy Programme of the Minister of Health entitled 'Antiretroviral treatment of people living with HIV in Poland for the years 2017 - 2021'.
It is of concern that about 50% infections are detected at a very late stage, often full-blown AIDS. It is therefore important to undertake prevention initiatives that respond to the different needs of the audience.
Since 2020, the National AIDS Centre has been running an educational campaign entitled "Do you know...? "Did you know that...", dealing with various issues related to HIV/AIDS: from basic knowledge, through the promotion of HIV testing, to multifaceted pharmacological prevention. The latter theme was unveiled in the second half of November (more on https://aids.gov.pl/czywieszze/ )
On 1 December, we encourage you to join in the commemoration of World AIDS Day by pinning on your clothes and/or sharing through your information channels (social media, website) the Red Card - a symbol of solidarity with people living with HIV, AIDS and their families/relatives.
We join the invitation issued by the Polish Humanitarian Aid Foundation "Res Humanae" to participate in the event organised on the occasion of World AIDS Day XXVIII Conference "People living with HIV in family and society". This year's conference will take place on 1 - 2 December. The conference is the largest discussion forum on HIV and AIDS from a medical and social angle, organised on the occasion of World AIDS Day in our country. The National AIDS Centre is sponsoring two sessions:
Session I - HIV and co-infections
Session II - Through the eyes of a researcher - The National Programme for HIV Prevention and AIDS Control in the national and international dimensions.
The conference will be conducted in a hybrid system. For more information and conditions of participation, please follow the link https://aids2021.pl/
On behalf of the organisers, we warmly invite you to participate.