World Remembrance Day of AIDS Victims

Every year on the third Sunday in May, people around the world commemorate people who have died from AIDS. The main goal of the event is to attract the interest of the world community to the problems of the spread of this disease. For the first time, the International Day of Remembrance for those killed by AIDS was held in the United States in the city of San Francisco. This happened in 1983. After some time, a symbol of the movement against this disease was invented - a bright red ribbon that was attached to clothing, and multi-colored quilts made from fabric scraps in honor of the large number of people who left our Earth prematurely. These attributes were developed in 1991 by Californian artist Frank Moore. And today, every year, participants in the movement and simply caring inhabitants of the planet pin bright ribbons to their clothes. According to statistics from the International Health Organization, there are over 42 million people living with HIV worldwide, and this figure is increasing by at least 14-15 thousand people every day. The majority of infected people are people under 30 years of age. Over the past quarter century, AIDS has killed an estimated 25 million people. Approximately 2/3 of all cases are Africans. According to many scientists, in Africa, every third adult is infected with HIV. There are also states with 90% of the total population infected. According to medical workers, it was on the dark continent that AIDS first appeared. There is an assumption that green monkeys became carriers of the disease. The first mention of the disease appeared in the early 80s; it was later called the “plague of the 20th century.” In the Russian Federation, the first cases of AIDS were identified in 1987; by December 2016, 1,114,815 HIV-infected people were registered. However, many people have no idea that they are infected, since the dormant stage of the disease can last for several years. HIV is a long-lasting virus. From the moment of infection to the day of death without quality treatment, a period of 2 to 15 years can pass. Of course, these are averages. There are three main methods of transmission of infection: - sexual; - parenteral (through syringes, needles, blood, cutting objects, etc., stained with blood containing the virus); - vertical (from a pregnant woman to a child). Risk factors include drug addiction, an antisocial lifestyle, blood transfusions, the birth of a child from a sick mother, and sexually transmitted diseases. The structure of infected people is dominated by people in the age group of 20-29 years, and the number of representatives of the strong side of humanity is about 70%. Every year, on AIDS Remembrance Day, people all over the world remember relatives, friends and acquaintances who died from this disease. Members of the anti-HIV movement organize lectures and other educational events, the main task of which is to warn people around the world about the threat of infection. In addition, charity and memorial events are organized. The funds collected are donated to AIDS funds.