World AIDS Day

Just over three decades ago, when we knew only the devastation HIV inflicted, those living with it had to fight just to be treated with dignity and compassion, and since the first cases of AIDS were reported, tens of millions of vibrant men and women have lost their lives to this deadly virus. Today, we have transformed what it means to live with HIV/AIDS. More effective prevention, treatment, and care now save millions of lives while awareness has soared and research has surged. This World AIDS Day, we come together to honor all those who have been touched by HIV/AIDS and celebrate the promising public health and scientific advances that have brought us closer to our goal of an AIDS-free generation.
–President Obama, Presidential Proclamation– World AIDS Day 2014.

Statistics: 

• Currently, 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States, with nearly one in seven of those unaware of their infections.
• Approximately 50,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV each year.
• More than 13,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the United States.
• In 2013, 1.5 million people died from HIV-related causes globally.
• Worldwide, 35 million people are living with HIV
• Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, with 24.7 million people living with HIV

—  U.S. stats from CDC Fact Sheet: HIV and AIDS in America: A Snapshot
–Global stats from WHO HIV/AIDS Fact Sheet

What you can do:

• Track the history of AIDS through 7 editions of TIME over the last three decades
• Educate yourself.  The CDC maintains comprehensive information about HIV and AIDS.
• AIDS.gov has a great list of resources  here for learning more, and here for getting involved.
• Go to an event.  There are events going on all over the world today in honor of World AIDS Day — try to make it to one near you and listen to stories of those living with AIDS and strides made in prevention and treatment.
• If you can’t make it out but still want to hear stories, check out the  Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign, which uses videos as it “raises awareness about HIV and its impact on the lives of all Americans, and fights stigma by showing that persons with HIV are real people—mothers, fathers, friends, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, partners, wives, husbands, and co-workers.”
• Check out Minnesota Dept of Health’s World AIDS Day Suggestions for Faith Communities, and Emily Davila’s Faith Advocacy Toolkit and see if you can incorporate some ideas in your community.

And come hang out with us for tonight’s Living in the Tension, where we’ll watch How to Survive a Plague.  Details here, and trailer below: