Celebrate World AIDS Day December 1
November 25, 2009 - World AIDS Day began in 1988 to help raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice, and increase awareness of HIV/AIDS. This year’s theme is “Universal Access and Human Rights,” as global leaders have pledged to work towards universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, recognizing that these are fundamental human rights. According to Avert.org, the protection of human rights is essential to combating the global HIV and AIDS epidemic. Violations of human rights fuel the spread of HIV, putting marginalized groups such as injecting drug users at higher risk for HIV infection.
According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV around the world, including 2.1 million children under 15 years old. During 2008, approximately 2.7 million people became newly infected with the virus. And around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and succumb to AIDS before they are 35.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that at end of 2006, 1,106,400 persons in the United States were living with HIV infection, with 21% undiagnosed. And, in 2004, an estimated 4,883 young people received a diagnosis of HIV infection or AIDS, representing about 13% of the persons given a diagnosis during that year. Additional data from 2004 indicates that African Americans were disproportionately affected by HIV infection, accounting for 55% of all HIV infections reported among persons aged 13-24; young men who have sex with men (MSM), especially those of minority races or ethnicities were at high risk for HIV infection; and 62% of young people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were males, and 38% were females.
According to the CDC, risk factors and barriers to prevention among youth include sexual risk factors such as early age at sexual initiation; heterosexual transmission; MSM; and sexually transmitted diseases, which increase a person’s likelihood of acquiring or transmitting the disease. In addition, factors such as substance use (and IV drug use), lack of awareness, poverty, and low educational attainment can increase the likelihood of HIV transmission among youth. Research shows that young people who drop out of school are more likely to become sexually active at a younger age and to fail to use contraception.
To help celebrate World AIDS Day, the World AIDS Campaign website has a page that lists several events that will be taking place. In addition to holding events to help increase awareness of HIV/AIDS, schools can play a major role in helping kids steer away from behaviors that put them at risk for HIV infection by implementing a coordinated school health model that promotes such interventions as health education; family and community involvement; and counseling and psychological services – all of which can help kids stay healthy and in school.
To learn more about how HIV/AIDS affect students, check out and download NSBA’s publication Living with HIV/AIDS: Students Tell Their Stories of Stigma, Courage, and Resilience. Please note that hard copies of this publication are no longer available.
Source: Avert.org website; World AIDS Day website; “AIDS epidemic update,” UNAIDS, November 2009; and “HIV/AIDS among Youth,” CDC, August 2008.