World AIDS Vaccine Day is celebrated every year on May 18. This day is a chance to thank the volunteers, community members, health professionals, and scientists working together to find a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine.
It is also a time to educate communities about the importance of preventive HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) vaccine research.
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The day is also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, with the goal of raising awareness about the importance of HIV vaccinations in preventing HIV infection and AIDS.
As of now, there is still no known vaccine that can be used to stem the flow of this deadly infection.
History and significance
This day is observed on May 18 and is rooted in a speech given by then US President Bill Clinton in I997.
In his speech, he stated that a vaccine was the only way to control the spread of HIV and eventually wipe it out. After his speech, the day was commemorated for the first time in May 1998.
Every year communities around the world organize various activities on this day to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS vaccines, prevention and educate people.
What is AIDS?
AIDS's full form is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Acquired means this condition is acquired that is a person becomes infected with a virus.
Immune denotes that the virus HIV affects the immune system of the person.
Deficiency: The person's immune system becomes weak and not able to work properly.
Syndrome - It may happen that a person suffering from AIDS may also experience other diseases due to a weak immune system.
The concept of World AIDS Vaccine Day is rooted in a May 18, 1997, commencement speech at Morgan State University made by then-President Bill Clinton. Clinton challenged the world to set new goals in the emerging age of science and technology and develop an AIDS vaccine within the next decade, stating, "Only a truly effective, preventive HIV vaccine can limit and eventually eliminate the threat of AIDS."
The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was observed on May 18, 1998, to commemorate the anniversary of Clinton’s speech, and the tradition continues today. Each year communities around the globe hold a variety of activities on World AIDS Vaccine Day to raise awareness for AIDS vaccines, educate communities about HIV prevention and research for an AIDS vaccine and bring attention to the ways in which ordinary people can be a part of the international effort to stem the pandemic.
World AIDS Day is one of the eleven official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Malaria Day, World Hepatitis Day, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, World Patient Safety Day and World Cages Disease Day.
As of 2020, AIDS has killed 36.3 million between [27.2 million and 47.8 million] people worldwide, and an estimated 37.7 million people are living with HIV, making it one of the most important global public health issues in recorded history. Thanks to recent improved access to antiretroviral treatment in many regions of the world, the death rate from AIDS epidemic has decreased by 64% since its peak in 2004 (1.9 million in 2004, compared to 680 000 in 2020).
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