Newsletter Vol 1. No 20

The CDC reminds us that World AIDS Day is an opportunity for every community and individual to honor the more than 44.1 million people who have died worldwide from AIDS-related illness. December 1 is a day for voices to unite by sharing experiences, remembering those lost, and standing together in the fight against HIV.

Two World Health Organization (WHO) public information officers started World AIDS Day in 1988 as an international day for global health. Since then, it has been observed each year on December 1.

World AIDS Day is a day of solidarity for people around the world who are affected by HIV and for voices to unite by sharing experiences, remembering those lost, and standing together in the fight against HIV. The observance is also reserved as a day to bridge new and effective programs and policies across different sectors around HIV/AIDS.

While great strides have been made since the first known cases of AIDS were reported in 1981, the disease remains a public health challenge. World AIDS Day is an opportunity for individuals and communities to honor those who have died and help support the prevention, advocacy and treatment efforts of all people.  

Every year, United Nations agencies, federal agencies, and societies from across the globe join together to campaign around specific themes related to HIV. To learn more about the History of World AIDS Day and see all the previous themes, visit the UNAIDS World AIDS Day page.

The World Health Organization, WHO, insists that the world can end AIDS – if everyone’s rights are protected. The Who says that with human rights at the center and with communities in the lead, the world can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

On December 1, the World Health Organization joined partners and communities to commemorate World AIDS Day 2025, this year’s WHO theme is, “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response“, calling for sustained political leadership, international cooperation, and human-rights-centered approaches to end AIDS by 2030.

After decades of progress, the HIV response stands at a crossroads. Life-saving services are being disrupted, and many communities face heightened risks and vulnerabilities. Yet amid these challenges, hope endures in the determination, resilience, and innovation of communities who strive to end AIDS.

This annual event serves as an important reminder that we must remain steadfast in our commitment to prevent new HIV infections and provide essential services to all people living with HIV globally. We must continue to innovate and adapt initiatives based on new scientific advancements, implementation research, and lessons learned from programs in the field.

Examples of this include the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s (PEPFAR), the Action Plan to Address HIV-Service Equity Gaps for Key Populations; the rollout of long-acting, injectable PrEP in the United States and around the world; and a growing focus on addressing structural barriers that impede individuals’ ability to access HIV testing, prevention tools, and treatment in the United States, such as lack of housing and mental health and substance use disorders services.

The community of researchers, people with lived experience, frontline health workers, and other partners experienced a collective sense of hope and determination that together, we can end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat. However, there has been a lessening of the sense of urgency of the HIV/AIDS issue and without an acceleration of our collective efforts and resources, we will jeopardize our gains in the HIV response.

We must continue to remind everyone that HIV remains an urgent health security issue that starts with listening to and centering those with HIV and expanding our partners in the response.

We must all remember the millions of people we have lost to HIV/AIDS, and in their memory, we must take collective action to continually improve, resource, and further the reach of programs to the communities most and disproportionately impacted by HIV.

We are stronger together, and we must sustain and accelerate our efforts to address HIV and its co-occurring conditions, such as syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections, mpox, mental health and substance use disorders, and hepatitis. The progress we have achieved thus far is a testament to the power of community action. Governments, communities, civil society, advocates, faith-based communities, and public and private organizations have all played crucial roles in our shared goal to save lives, challenge stigma and discrimination, and change the course of the HIV pandemic.

PEPFAR has saved more than 25 million lives and enabled more than 5.5 million babies to be born HIV-free across 55 countries around the world since its inception in 2003.

In 2023*, over 39,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. and 6 territories and freely associated states. Over 80% were men, with 66% attributed to male-to-male sexual contact. Hispanic and Black individuals each accounted for more than a third. Ages 25–44 accounted for 60% of diagnoses and the South region represented 51%. (Data is collected with a delay of twelve months.)

On this World AIDS Day, let us renew our commitment to united action. Let us honor the lives lost, celebrate the progress made, and work tirelessly to ensure a future free from HIV. Together, we are stronger and, together, we will succeed. We know that only by working collaboratively with the communities most affected, researchers, healthcare providers, and other partners will our government be successful in ending the pandemic and ensuring a sustained response to HIV.

We at Inspire urge you to remember and protect yourself from exposure and infection. And, if you would like to talk about HIV/AIDS, please call us and schedule an appointment to speak with one of our therapists, many of whom have worked extensively with people living with HIV/AIDS and the worried-well.