World AIDS Day is observed every year on the 1st of December to mark awareness about the disease. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. This day is looked at as an opportunity for people worldwide to unite for fighting against HIV and to commemorate those who have lost their lives from AIDS-related illness. The Theme of World AIDS Day 2020 is ‘Ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic: Resilience and Impact.’
This condition is caused by the HIV virus which causes damage to the immune system. The immune system is responsible for helping the body fight infections. If HIV goes untreated, it can kill CD4 cells, a kind of immune cells. The more number of CD4 cells HIV kills, the more you are at risk of getting different types of infections. Due to this disease, people get exposed to vulnerable infections and diseases. This virus is transmitted through infected blood, or sexually through semen or vaginal fluids. There is not treatment for this disease, can be suppressed by combination anti-retroviral therapy (ART) consisting of 3 or more antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. ART does not cure HIV infection but suppresses viral replication within a person’s body and allows an individual’s immune system to strengthen and regain the capacity to fight off infections.
