Today is WorldAIDSDay, an international day dedicated to raising awareness about the hashtagAIDS pandemic caused by the HIV infection.
According to the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, the global theme for WorldAIDSDay 2025 is “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response”
In the 1980s, early AIDS activists were advocating for the right of people living with HIV to participate in decision-making regarding the management of the HIV virus and AIDS. This movement led to the Greater Involvement of People with HIV (GIPA) principle, which promotes the 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗦.
The early movement of AIDS activism laid the ground for the shift towards a more 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 and the recognition that key populations have a fundamental right to be involved in the policies that affect their lives.
In 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV globally, while 630,000 people died from HIV‑related causes in 2024.
It is our global community’s responsibility to ensure that all patients are empowered to make the correct and informed decisions about their health, to have access to hashtagantiretroviraltherapy, and to have a say in shaping the AIDS and HIV response on a global, national and local level.
Further reading:
📌World AIDS Day – WHO: https://lnkd.in/gf67GjEz
📌UNAIDS: https://lnkd.in/dj_Rkfjz
