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AIDS is a condition resulting from damage done to the human immune system by HIV. It affects tens of millions of people around the world. The United Nations' (UN) World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year to honor the victims of the AIDS pandemic and focus attention on the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS related conditions.


What do people do?

World AIDS Day is the focal point of the World AIDS Campaign, which is active all year round. During the days and weeks leading up to World AIDS Day, there is often a lot of coverage of the condition in the media and fundraising for AIDS and HIV-related charities. In addition, health education campaigns aiming to reduce the transmission of HIV and discrimination of people living with HIV and AIDS are often launched on or around December 1.

On World AIDS Day, many community, national and international leaders issue proclamations on supporting and treating people living with HIV and AIDS and stimulating research into the treatment of these conditions. Local communities may hold events to remember and honor members who have died of AIDS-related conditions or exhibitions around the subject. A particularly well-known example is the AIDS Memorial Quilt. This project allows friends or family members of a person who has died of AIDS to construct a quilt panel. The panels are then exhibited all over the United States.


Background

AIDS stands for "acquired immune deficiency syndrome" or "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome" and denotes a condition, which results from the damage done by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) to the immune system. The condition was first identified in 1981 and the name "AIDS" was first introduced on July 27, 1982.

HIV can only be transmitted between people through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the blood stream with a bodily fluid. Hence, there has been a lot of stigma around the spread of HIV and people living with HIV and AIDS. It has been estimated that around 33 million people around the world have been infected with HIV and that around two million people die from AIDS related conditions each year.

On October 27, 1988, the UN General Assembly officially recognized that the World Health Organization declared December 1, 1988, to be World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day has also been observed on this date each year since then. Each year World AIDS Day concentrates on a specific theme. Recently, these have been: "Stigma and Discrimination" (2003); "Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS" (2004); "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise" (2005); "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Accountability" (2006); "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Leadership" (2007); and "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Lead, Empower, Deliver" (2008).


Symbols

A simple red ribbon is one of the most widely recognized symbols of HIV and AIDS and the people who live with these conditions. The symbol was presented by the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus in 1991. The individuals in this group wished to remain anonymous, keep the image copyright free and create a symbol to raise consciousness of HIV and AIDS. The red ribbon was originally intended to be worn as a badge, but is now used in a wide variety of ways.

The symbol of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS consists of the word "UNAIDS". The letters "U" and "N" are in black and the rest of letters are in red. To the left of the word 'UNAIDS' is a red ribbon superimposed on the symbol of the United Nations. This symbol is shown in black and consists of an azimuthal equidistant projection of the globe centered on the North Pole surrounded by olive branches.

The symbol of the World AIDS Campaign consists of a sketched image of a red ribbon and the words "world aids campaign". The words "world" and "campaign" are in black and the word "aids" is in red. The ends of the ribbon merge into splashes of green, blue, purple and orange. The splashes of color can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but are often taken to indicate the diversity of people living with HIV and AIDS.