World AIDS Day is an annual global health day aimed at supporting people diagnosed with AIDS and sharing resources on preventing it. Millions of people worldwide live with this syndrome, and it is vital to develop strategies to allow them to have fulfilled lives despite their health condition. This essay will discuss the importance of celebrating World AIDS Day and how it contributes to the HIV response.
For most people, celebrating this global health day is a way of showing solidarity. For instance, the red ribbon has become the symbol of the event, and individuals can wear it to express their support. For others, World AIDS Day is an opportunity to get information about this health condition and ways of preventing and managing it. It is essential to diagnose HIV as early as possible to be able to contain it (About World AIDS Day, 2020). Therefore, many health providers are present during the celebration to allow people to test themselves for HIV. The World Health Organization (WHO) focuses on emphasizing the role of communities in preventing HIV (Yola et al., 2019). World AIDS Day is celebrated every December 1 since 1988, and in fact, it is the first-ever health day of global significance (About World AIDS Day, 2020). The event is the most suitable place for learning about how to contribute to the cause.
The increasing number of HIV cases makes stressing the significance of testing for HIV and attaining relevant information important. Also, it is vital to show support for those diagnosed with AIDS since the health condition can be accompanied by psychological distress. World AIDS Day is celebrated annually to achieve these objectives. One of the simplest ways of showing support is wearing a red ribbon.
References
About World AIDS Day. (2020). World AIDS Day.
Yola, N., Mpongo, C. N., Latief, I., & Bekker, L. G. (2019). World AIDS Day reminds us to refocus on communities. The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 150(6), 518-520.