National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day for Women and Girls is observed annually on March 10. It is a day set aside to empower people globally with knowledge and information about HIV/AIDS, with a particular focus on the impact it has on women and girls, which is often overlooked. Partners and supporters hold events, participate in online campaigns, and use their voices to educate other women and girls about HIV/AIDS prevention and care on this day.
The background of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are human-infecting retroviruses. They weaken the immune systems of sick people, making them more susceptible to diseases and cancers that people with robust immune systems can combat.
HIV was identified in humans for the first time in the 20th century, but it is believed to have originated in non-human primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas. Several theories of its origin acknowledge the HIV/SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) phylogenetic relationships and the fact that bushmeat was the most probable source of the virus’s early human transmission.
HIV can be transmitted through the exchange of various bodily secretions between infected individuals, as well as during pregnancy and childbirth. Practicing safe intercourse and not sharing sharp objects that could cut the skin are examples of behaviours and conditions that increase the likelihood of contracting HIV, as well as measures that can be taken to prevent them.
People living with HIV/AIDS are routinely stigmatised and discriminated against on a global scale. However, numerous programmes have been developed to increase public awareness in an effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate this trend.
Since 2005, the Office on Women’s Health (O.W.H.) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has coordinated and hosted an annual HIV/AIDS awareness day to bring together federal and community organisations to raise awareness, offer support, and disseminate information about the significance of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment.
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HIV has claimed over 35 million lives since its discovery and remains a significant global public health concern.
Currently, there is no cure for HIV, but antiretroviral treatment can control the virus’s effects, allowing HIV-positive individuals to live long, healthy lives.
Freddie Mercury, the lead vocalist of Queen and a British musician, was one of the numerous celebrities whose lives were cut short by HIV.
Initially, HIV was referred to as Gay-related immune deficiency (GRID) due to the mistaken belief that it only affected homosexual individuals.
According to Soviet propaganda, the United States government created HIV as a bioweapon.
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NATIONAL WOMEN AND GIRLS HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2023 | March 10 | Friday |
2024 | March 10 | Sunday |
2025 | March 10 | Monday |
2026 | March 10 | Tuesday |
2027 | March 10 | Wednesday |