World Commemorates International AIDS Day

The global community on Tuesday commemorates World AIDS Day under the theme of "Global solidarity, shared responsibility," as this year's response to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome has been significantly challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2020) The global community on Tuesday commemorates World AIDS Day under the theme of "Global solidarity, shared responsibility," as this year's response to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome has been significantly challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

World AIDS Day, established in 1988, is marked annually to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic and collect funds to support people diagnosed with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) worldwide. Each year, the event is held under a different topic, and this year's theme was chosen to highlight the challenges the coronavirus pandemic posed to many international initiatives, including AIDS global health response.

UNAIDS, a program leading the global efforts against AIDS disease in the world, seeks to end the epidemic "as a public health threat" by 2030. The UN has urged the countries to invest more in pandemic responses overall, including that of HIV. The number of HIV cases is predicted to increase from 123,000 to 293,000 in 2020-2022, and an estimated death toll of 69,000-148,000 over the same period.

To mark the day, many world have been expressing solidarity with those affected by HIV on Tuesday.

"Health is a human right - and universal health coverage must be a top investment priority. To overcome #COVID19 and end AIDS, the world must stand in solidarity and share responsibility," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter.

The World Health Organization (WHO) commended the 75 -percent drop in incidence of AIDS since summer.

"Despite the #COVID19 pandemic, the number of countries reporting disruptions in #HIV services has declined by almost 75 % since June thanks to the unstinting work of health and community workers," the WHO tweeted, expressing gratitude to health workers and all those engaged in the fight against the disease.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council also expressed gratitude to all health care workers who were instrumental in combating the disease.

"On #WorldAIDSDay I pay tribute to health and community workers who have kept HIV services going in #COVID19 times," Michel tweeted.

Amira Elfadil Mohamed, Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission, thanked member states and partners for joint effort to combat the disease.

"As we commemorate World AIDS Day 2020 under the theme "Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility," I extend gratitude to Member States and all our partners who have continued to work together to protect communities from complete outage of HIV prevention and treatment services," the official said in a statement.

The UNAIDS noted that some states in sub-Saharan Africa have achieved the 2020 HIV targets, making them a reference point for other countries still falling behind.