World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day is observed each year on December 1st, dedicated to educating and spreading awareness of AIDS and the fight against HIV. While there have been strides in the decades since AIDS was first declared a pandemic in 1981, the disease continues to remain a public health concern. In 2021, 650,000 people died from HIV-related causes and 1.5 million people tested positive for HIV (1).
You can observe Worlds AIDS Day and show support to AIDS awareness by wearing a red ribbon. You can add a virtual red ribbon to your social media profile picture, include one in your email signature or post it on social media with the hashtag #rocktheribbon. Download your virtual red ribbon here.
Fact or Myth about HIV/AIDS
Fact: HIV is not the same as AIDS
AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection, or stage 3 HIV when the virus is left untreated (2).
Myth: You can contract HIV from touching someone who has tested positive for HIV
The virus can only be transmitted through body fluids. It is most often transmitted through sex (when protection is not used), or through needle or syringe use. However, it is NOT transmitted through air, water, sweat, or saliva (3).
Fact: You can test yourself for HIV from the privacy of your own home
The FDA has approved several self-testing kits that can be purchased at drugstores or online. The availability of HIV self-tests has helped increase awareness of HIV infection people (4).
Myth: AIDS is untreatable
When AIDS was first discovered there were no available treatments, but this is no longer the case. While there still is no cure for HIV/AIDS, there are treatments available to help control the virus (5).
Fact: You don’t always feel sick
In 2020, about 13% of people with HIV in the United States were unaware that they have the virus. HIV doesn’t always show symptoms and it is possible to be infected for years and feel fine. That is why it is important to get tested regularly (6).
Myth: Only people who are gay can contract HIV
While HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacts LGBTQ+ individuals, the disease can affect anyone. People who acquired HIV through heterosexual contact made up 22% of HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2020 (7).
Sources:
(1) “HIV”, World Health Organization, November 9, 2022, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids
(2) “What Are HIV and AIDS?”, HIV Gov, June 15, 2022, https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/what-are-hiv-and-aids
(3) “HIV Transmission”, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, October 28, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/transmission.html
(4) “Self-Testing”, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, July 30, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/testing/self-testing.html
(5) “HIV Treatment”, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, July 14, 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/livingwithhiv/treatment.html
(6) “Diagnoses of HIV Infection in the United States and Dependent Areas”, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV Surveillance Report, 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/reports/surveillance/cdc-hiv-surveillance-report-2020-updated-vol-33.pdf
(7) “U.S. Statistics”, HIV Gov, October 27, 2022, https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics#:~:text=Fast%20Facts%201%20Approximately%201.2%20million%20people%20in,HIV%20infections%20occurred%20in%20the%20U.S.%20More%20items