World AIDS Day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress toward ending HIV. The theme for 2024, “Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right,” highlights the relationship between health and human rights. Building healthcare systems that serve everyone is vital to reducing onward infections, ending HIV-related stigma, and ultimately ending HIV as a public health crisis.
This year, the call to action is more significant than ever. Despite decades of progress, challenges remain, particularly in underserved and marginalized communities.
What is World AIDS Day, and Why Does it Still Matter?
World AIDS Day was first established in 1988, one of the first global awareness days, and it was started to help unite and align the international community in the fight against HIV. This day continues to bring together medical experts, policymakers, and communities to help dismantle stigma and advocate for healthcare access for everyone.
This year, the theme asserts that health is a human right. Everyone, regardless of their HIV status, gender, or socioeconomic background, should have access to healthcare services, including HIV prevention, treatment, and care.
A Day to Reflect, Recommit, and Act Against HIV
World AIDS Day is a day to remember those lost due to HIV-related illnesses, reflecting on their courage in an era of stigma and limited treatment options. Their bravery in sharing their stories or breaking down healthcare barriers has been instrumental in the effort to end HIV. This year’s theme reminds us of our progress and the work that remains, emphasizing the need for everyone to have access to healthcare, including for HIV.
The stories of those HIV has impacted serve as a reminder to continue fighting to end this disease. They help us push for a world where access to healthcare and prevention is a universal right and stigma is replaced with understanding and support.
As we remember those we’ve lost, it is important to remember that World AIDS Day is also a celebration of progress. Thanks to the advocacy of early activists, we now have antiretroviral therapies that have changed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition. Advances like PrEP and PEP, as well as promising research into vaccines and cures, come from those who lived through some of the most challenging days of the epidemic. By acknowledging these achievements, we honour their sacrifices and remind ourselves of the importance of continuing with the same determination.
Today, we continue to ensure everyone has access to life-saving treatments and a supportive community. By remembering the past and celebrating the achievements made possible by those who came before us, we pledge to continue building a world free of HIV and where no one is left behind.
The Impact of Testing on World AIDS Day
The Global Impact of HIV/AIDS
Today, HIV remains a significant public health challenge. Today, there are an estimated 39 million people worldwide living with HIV; in 2022, there were an estimated 1.3 million new infections. The availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has allowed individuals living with HIV to live healthy lives. However, access to these life-saving treatments is still not accessible to everyone. Many countries struggle with equitable access to healthcare, leaving millions without the necessary treatment and care.
Why Testing Saves Lives
Testing is an important part of HIV prevention. Early detection is vital, as it allows people to start treatment quickly. Access to ART can reduce the virus to undetectable levels and prevent onward transmission through sexual contact. This is known as U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) and helps highlight the importance of widespread testing. The only way to know your HIV status is by testing.
Rapid Testing: A Game-Changer
Advancements in rapid testing technology, such as the INSTI® HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, have changed how we approach screening and diagnosis. Rapid tests, such as with INSTI®, provide results in as little as one minute, enabling healthcare providers to connect patients with care more quickly. Rapid tests can help reduce the burden on overwhelmed systems by breaking down barriers to accessing healthcare, particularly in areas that are hard to reach, face barriers to funding, and for marginalized demographics.
As rapid tests become more widespread, self-testing test kits help boost test access and allow individuals to take charge of their health privately and at a time that works best for them.
Building Awareness With Testing Events
World AIDS Day is a great day to highlight the impact that large-scale testing events can have worldwide. These campaigns often focus on reaching high-risk populations, underserved communities, and individuals who may not have regular access to healthcare services. Testing events have successfully tested millions, connecting people to life-saving treatment and helping create a greater understanding of the importance of knowing your HIV status.
Youth and HIV: The Role of Testing and Prevention to Stay Safe
Youth and young adults remain one of the most affected groups, accounting for a significant proportion of new HIV infections. Ensuring equitable access to testing and prevention tools like PrEP and PEP are vital to reducing HIV transmission. By tailoring outreach and education to meet youth where they are, we can help ensure that we build a world where the right to healthcare is accessible for everyone, regardless of age.
The principle of health as a human right demands that all young people, regardless of their background, have the resources they need to protect themselves from HIV. Accessible testing, prevention, and awareness resources help support an informed youth generation in reducing new infections and eliminating stigma.
Equipping the Next Generation with Tools to Protect Their Health
Testing is the first step to taking care of sexual health, especially for youth who may be navigating their sexual health for the first time. Making access to regular testing equitable helps youth know their status and empowers them to make informed decisions about their health. For those who test negative but are at higher risk of exposure, PrEP offers a proactive way to prevent infection before it occurs. It is a daily medication for HIV-negative individuals at high risk of exposure, such as through sexual contact or injection drug use. It works by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the body, reducing the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99% and injection drug use by at least 74%.
Meanwhile, for individuals who experience a potential exposure, timely testing ensures they can access PEP within the critical 72-hour window, maximizing its effectiveness. PEP is an emergency measure for those who may have been exposed to HIV. It involves taking antiretroviral drugs within 72 hours of possible exposure and continuing treatment for the entire prescribed period. PEP works by halting the replication of the virus before it can establish itself in the body.
By integrating routine testing with education about prevention methods such as PrEP and PEP, we create a safety net that reduces new infections and promotes overall health awareness. Testing helps connect more youth to tools and treatments that help them build healthy lives.
The Role of Public Health Systems in HIV Prevention
Public Health Systems are Integral
Public healthcare infrastructure plays a critical role in ending HIV as a public health crisis. From funding testing programs to integrating HIV care into routine healthcare, a supportive and accessible healthcare system is vital for a comprehensive and effective response.
Ensuring Access to Life-Saving Treatment and Prevention for All
Antiretroviral therapy has transformed the lives of people living with HIV. ART reduces the viral load to undetectable levels, preventing further transmission. Building equitable access to prevention methods such as condoms and medication (PrEP and PEP) helps reduce onward transmission. Despite these advancements in treatment, millions still face barriers to accessing HIV healthcare. Strengthening public healthcare is critical to closing this gap and ensuring no one is left behind.
Combating Social Determinants of Health to Close the Gap
Social determinants such as poverty, education, and systemic discrimination disproportionately affect access to HIV care. To end HIV as a public health threat and to help vulnerable populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), low-income populations, and sex workers, it is necessary to prioritize addressing these factors.
Dispelling Myths About HIV
Stigma remains a significant barrier to combatting HIV. Misconceptions about transmission, such as the false belief that HIV can be spread through casual contact, continue to persist worldwide. This misinformation not only hinders testing efforts but also isolates individuals living with HIV, deterring them from seeking the treatment and support they need.
Normalizing HIV Care and Creating Safe Spaces
Building HIV services into routine healthcare normalizes testing and treatment, reduces stigma, and helps individuals receive care tailored to their needs. By making HIV-related services as routine as vaccinations or blood pressure checks, we can build an environment where HIV care is the norm rather than an exception.
The Role of Funding and Policy
Government funding and collaboration with global communities are essential to continue the fight against HIV. Policies prioritizing healthcare access, such as subsidizing ART or offering free rapid testing, can have an instrumental effect in reducing infection rates.
What Can You Do on World AIDS Day?
For Healthcare Professionals: Promoting Testing and Education
- Promote Testing: Encourage patients to know their HIV status and provide rapid and accessible testing options
- Create Inclusive Spaces: Ensure healthcare settings are welcoming and free of judgment, particularly for marginalized groups
- Educate and Advocate: Share accurate information about HIV transmission and treatment with your community and colleagues
For Individuals: Know Your Status, Advocate for Change
- Get Tested: Use World AIDS Day as an opportunity to get tested and to know your HIV status (learn more here.)
- Support Advocacy Efforts: Join local events or campaigns to help raise awareness and reduce stigma
- Share Knowledge: Spread accurate information about HIV prevention and treatment to counteract misinformation
- Learn More About HIV and Prevention: Seek out credible sources from healthcare professionals about HIV, its symptoms, testing, and prevention and treatments
Looking Ahead: A Future Free of HIV/AIDS
World AIDS Day 2024 is a call to action. The theme “Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right” highlights the urgent need for healthcare access as a human right. As we work towards a world free of HIV, collaboration across policymakers, healthcare professionals, and communities is essential.
This World AIDS Day, let’s work together to end the HIV epidemic by building a future where health is a universal right.
Sources:
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/global-hiv-tb/php/our-approach/undetectable-untransmittable.html
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/data-research/facts-stats/age.html
Health Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/campaigns/hiv-aids.html
National Institute of Health: https://hivinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv/fact-sheets/pre-exposure-prophylaxis-prep#:~:text=The%20Centers%20for%20Disease%20Control,use%20by%20at%20least%2074%25.
National Institute of Health: https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/hiv-prevention/using-hiv-medication-to-reduce-risk/post-exposure-prophylaxis
PinkNew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXn_jvHdbsg
WHO: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-aids-day/2024
UNAIDS LAC TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXPLECzQUqg
UNAIDS: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/young-people-and-hiv_en.pdf