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World AIDS Day focusses on women, girls and HIV/AIDS
December 1, 2004
World AIDS Day is an annual campaign to raise awareness of HIV AIDS worldwide
and stimulate appropriate remedial action. It was first observed on December
01, 1988 following a recommendation by a summit of world health ministers.
In 1981, a new life threatening health problem - the Acquired Immuno Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) was first recognised. By 1983, the virus that causes AIDS - the
Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) - had been identified.
By the mid-1980s, it had become clear that the virus had spread, largely
unnoticed throughout the world and that its effects had reached truly global-
or pandemic proportions. Still rapidly growing, the epidemic is reversing
development gains, robbing millions of their lives, widening the gap between
rich and poor and undermining social and economic security.
According to UNAIDS - the joint UN programme on AIDS - the total number of
people living with HIV rose in 2004 to an estimated 39.4 million people.
The global AIDS epidemic killed 3.1 million people in the past year. Around
half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and
are killed by AIDS before they are 35. Ninety five percent of the total number
of people with HIV live in the developing world. But HIV still remains a threat
to people of all ages and nationalities.
The AIDS epidemic is affecting women and girls in increasing numbers. Globally,
just under half of all people living with HIV are females. In most regions, an
increasing proportion of people living with HIV are women and girls, and that
proportion is continuing to grow, particularly in Eastern Europe, Asia and
Latin America.
In many parts of the world, most HIV infections occur through injecting drugs
with contaminated equipment, unprotected sex between men and unsafe commercial
sex. The notion that those epidemics are confined to specific populations is
fanciful, however.
Most injecting drug users are young and many are sexually active, risking
double exposure to the virus. In some countries, particularly in Asia and
Eastern Europe, a significant share of sex workers have other sexual partners,
including wives and steady girlfriends.
With only just over 500 official cases reported so far Sri Lanka has a low
prevalence rate in comparison with many other Asian countries.
The first incidence of AIDS was reported in a foreign visitor in 1986 and the
following year, the first Sri Lankan with AIDS was diagnosed.
However, studies warn that there is no reason to be complacent.
There are several factors, such as the proximity to India which in the next 10
years, is expected to become the AIDS capital of the world, the presence of
local migrant workers, refugees and tourists and unsafe medical practices, that
make Sri Lanka highly vulnerable to the disease.
Today is World AIDS Day.
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