World AIDS Day will be recognized on Thursday, December 1. This observance marks the day when people from different countries,
cities, and towns unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people
living with HIV, and observe the countless lives lost to AIDS. The day gives
people the opportunity to commemorate the accomplishments and achievements that
have been reached so far in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It also is a reminder to
researchers, advocates, and affected and infected individuals the work that
remains to be done.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that as of 2009 the
number of people living with HIV reached 33.3 million globally. The numbers of
people newly infected with HIV was 2.6 million. AIDS-related deaths reached 1.8
million people.
Maine is not
immune to the epidemic; as the end of 2010, there were 1,563 people living with
diagnosed HIV in Maine,
with 59 cases diagnosed in 2010 alone.
