What is World AIDS Day?

Held every year on 1 December, World AIDS Day is more than a ribbon.

• It’s remembering everyone lost to HIV.
• It’s a promise to support people living with HIV.
• It’s a pledge to end new cases of HIV by 2030.
• It’s a stand against HIV stigma.

Over 105,000 people are living with HIV in the UK. Globally, there are an estimated 38 million people who have the virus. Despite the virus only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS-related illnesses, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

Today, scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. Despite this, each year in the UK over 4,000 people are diagnosed with HIV. Many people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with the condition.

World AIDS Day is important because it reminds the public and government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.
 

We strive for a future where there are no new cases of HIV and where people living with HIV get the support they need.
 

• People living with HIV get the support they need.
• End new cases of HIV in the UK by 2030.

At Terrence Higgins Trust, we are proud of the work we have done over the last 42 years, and now our eyes are firmly set on the future. We know what urgently needs to happen to end new HIV cases by 2030. It means expanding the transformative impact of opt-out HIV testing in A&E departments to more areas that need it. It means unblocking access to the game-changing HIV prevention drug PrEP. It means ending the stigma and discrimination still surrounding HIV.

This is an exciting and historic time – we will do everything in our power to end new cases of HIV by 2030. This goal is possible, but only with your help can we make it a reality. Together, with your support, we can make history and become the first country in the world to end HIV transmissions.

We are fortunate to have wonderful supporter whose commitment to our cause helps us to achieve these milestones and make such an enormous impact on the lives of people living with HIV. However, we can only continue our mission with your support. We are closer than ever to our goal of ending new cases of HIV in the UK by 2030, but we can only get there with the support of people like you.
 

Find out how you can get involved and support our work at Terrence Higgins Trust this World AIDS Day. Visit our World AIDS Day page or email [email protected].