World AIDS Day: How Far Have We Come

by Jordan Yerman | December 1, 2007 at 07:30 am

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Update: We're thrilled by how many photos you guys and gals are adding to this story. Check out the ever-growing slideshow by clicking down in the lower right of the media column.

Today is World AIDS Day, and our relationship to the disease has certainly changed over the years. Way back when, we pretended that it didn't exist. Then you could only catch it if you were gay. Then you could only catch it if you shared a toilet seat or a hug.

Okay, so we are far better-educated about Auto-Immune Deficiency Syndrome than we once were, but the battle is far from over.

Activists sought Saturday to keep the battle against HIV in the public eye on World AIDS Day in the face of growing complacency amid progress in treating and slowing the spread of the disease.

Even the Miss World beauty pageant on the Chinese holiday island of Sanya was enlisted to get out the message that the disease daily kills some 6,000 people.

Chinese President Hu Jintao appeared on the front page of major state-controlled newspapers shaking the hand of a woman HIV carrier the day after the UN warned up to 50 million Chinese are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

December 1 has become a time of grim stocktaking as AIDS campaigners worldwide sound the alarm over the disease's rampage through Africa, the threat it poses to Asia and former Soviet republics, and the risks to vulnerable communities such as sex workers, drug users and gay men.

In Australia, campaigners warned that complacency after earlier success in fighting HIV/AIDS risked giving rise to a new wave of infections.

"This is the moment it all could go astray. This is the moment when it can become a pandemic," said AIDS awareness educator Vince Lovegrove, calling for a new campaign aimed at a new generation.

Meanwhile, events are taking place around the globe, including the annual 46664 benefit concert in big, bad Johannesburg...

Nearly 50,000 people were expected to attend the concert -- the fifth of its kind launched under the campaign "46664" after Mandela's old prison number -- which features 30 local and foreign artists at the city's Ellis Park stadium.

Mandela himself was expected to make a rare appearance in between performances by stars such as Peter Gabriel, Live, Annie Lennox and Johnny Clegg, who have come together in support of Mandela's campaign to draw attention to AIDS issues.

Ludacris, the Goo Goo Dolls, Razorlight and Jamelia will also be performing alongside popular local artists for a campaign that has already raised some 20 million rand (two million euros, three million dollars) for AIDS projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

Even as we collectively get our arms around this thing, the numbers remain staggering:

In 2007, the estimated number of persons living with HIV worldwide was 33.2 million and there were 2.1 million AIDS deaths.

Yes, this is gonna get politicized, but the real battle is a personal one: get educated, know the risks, and if you're gonna do it, do it safely.

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edwap4

at 08:14 on December 1st, 2007

This is the Red Ribbon express which has been introduced by a joint collaboration of NATO and UNICEF (the AIDS awareness sector). The train aims at educating mostly the rural mass and this plans on touching 180 stations all over India. There are a total of 6 coaches out of which 4 are exhibition coaches, one counseling coach and one auditorium coach.

Jordan Yerman

at 08:22 on December 1st, 2007

It's such a great idea.

liza93

at 08:21 on December 1st, 2007

I just wanted to put a reminder on my page on flickr because I know so many young people don't even think about HIV/AIDS any more-there's been a sizeable increase (over 20%) in new infections in Greece in the last year..its been 20 plus years now that we know enough about this virus to stop even one more person becoming infected!

Jordan Yerman

at 08:26 on December 1st, 2007

Exactly-- it's amazing how many people now think of AIDS as something from the past, that just because we know more about it that it's somehow less dangerous. If we don't use our knowledge as a weapon against AIDS' spread, then that knowledge is useless.

dukeocc

at 08:42 on December 1st, 2007

Join The ONE Campaign and support Duke in the ONE Campus Challenge http://www.one.org/campus/mycampus.html?school_id=570

This photograph was taken during the Duke University World AIDS Day events. A ONE Campaign volunteer took the photo after he was one of many Duke students reading names over a period of four hours of persons who have lost their lives due to HIV/AIDS at the Duke LGBT booth display.

zia virgi

at 08:46 on December 1st, 2007

When i was a kid, back in the 80s, AIDS was the great taboo: people didn't talk about it.
Years passed by, but somehow I think people still don't talk about it anymore, as if not talking will keep us all protected.
On the contrary, not talking about it will just spread the disease even further.

1st of December is the world AIDS day, but I think it's of vital importance to keep AIDS in mind every day.

fayeosman

at 08:58 on December 1st, 2007

In Malaysia, World AIDS Day was celebrated by organizing a charity bicycle ride, aptly named Riding For Life, across two states.

I came to the event flag off to give moral support to my participating cyclist friends, and also to take photos of this special event.

This particular photo is of my friend, Ishsal, who proudly showed the necklaces his daughter gave him prior to the event.

Barry Artiste

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:11 on December 1st, 2007

jordan, an excellent story that must be told.

Some discount that Researchers are not doing enough to eradicate this terrible virus from the planet. But there are countless researchers around the world behind the scenes working overtime with little resources, Virologists are looking at every possible way to control this, though we have medicines to control, we have yet one to cure. Unfortunately some drug companies don't make money on cures, but on maintenance programs. In ending some Researchers may not be in the forefront of promoting awareness, after all they are researchers tucked away in their labs. Awareness and the resulting funding has to come from us, benefits and others. We have come a long way in 20 years, though iot may take another 20 years, we can take comfort one day a cure will be found.

Barry

christyfrink

at 09:35 on December 1st, 2007

On Friday evening, November 30th, a handful of people gathered in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC after work for a candlelight vigil observing World AIDS Day. The event is put on each year by the Whitman-Walker Clinic, and several speakers were present. And the end, people lifted their candles high into the air and sang a soulful rendition of "This Little Light of Mine."

Jordan Yerman

at 09:57 on December 1st, 2007

It's a quietly iconic photo- thanks for sharing this, and welcome to NowPublic.

horse.hugger

at 12:42 on December 1st, 2007

The annual Medicine Wheel, an art installation by Michael Dowling, is held annually on World Aids Day in an effort to help publicly express aids awareness. The Medicine Wheel is held in Boston, at the old Cyclorama building. The water shown in the buckets below is from the Charles River, the channel was a mile from the place and it was a very chilly walk as we all carried the buckets shown above to the river and everyone would half fill them and come back to light a candle for their bucket. It turned out beautifully and I can't wait until next year.

horse.hugger

at 12:44 on December 1st, 2007

http://www.flickr.com/photos/madalynwalker/2078786846/

Here is a picture that I took of the event.

mistercham

at 13:46 on December 1st, 2007

Act Up Paris, put bicycle seats protections on Velib' in Paris (France) with a pack who contains a masculin condom, a woman condom and advice for safe sex. On the protection seat you can read : "And you, how do you protect yourself ?"

ifindtrends

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:50 on December 1st, 2007

It's great to see that all over the world for one day people can come
together one common cause.

As has been stated here already, it's easy to
forget about as it has become almost common talk compared to the 1980's.

So even this one day every year helps to remind us of this
important issue and get the word out to some who are not aware of the
seriousness of the problem.

CelticLo

at 11:24 on December 2nd, 2007

We are the Dunn Eideann Convent of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Order of Perpetual Indulgence spans the World with houses in many countries.

On World AIDS Day we walk around every LGBT venue in Edinburgh giving out safe sex packs to the faithful. For the past few years we have seperate packs for both boys and girls.

Local website:

http://www.thesisters.org.uk

Global website:

http://www.thesisters.org

Play Fair. Play Safe

fistonista

at 06:23 on December 3rd, 2007

This event was held in Balikpapan, Indonesia. Organized by some non-govermental organizations and sponsored by a big energy company in Balikpapan. Peduli AIDS means Care about AIDS

Dari

at 11:50 on December 22nd, 2007

Désolé mais je ne comprends guère l'anglais... ce que je sais c'est que j'ai fais cette photo pour témoigner de ma vie de sidéen... "Liberté", "Free Style" & "Jesus" et mon corps marqué par le virus... mais je vis !!! ,o)

Dari has contributed a photo to this story.