Yesterday was a day to be educated and have hope, as people around the world joined to spread the knowledge and development of AIDS in the past 30 years. Right in our area, thousands of Bostonians walked with a purpose at the AIDS Walk Boston, showing their support of the 30 year anniversary since the disease was first recognized and working towards the goal of raising $1 million dollars for the cause. The AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts works in supporting the walk and its mission as an organization to give people the opportunity to learn and get involved in spreading their goals of educating people about the disease and working towards the constant search for a cure.
According to the UN, 7,000 people are still being infected by AIDS each day. However, progress is being made, according to UN’s report “AIDS at 30: Nations at the crossroads” which shows a 25 percent decrease in the amount of new cases of AIDS in the past 10 years. UNAIDS, responsible for the report, is a United Nations organization that focuses on the efforts made in educating and protecting in the world of AIDS.
It has become an important goal to educate people about HIV/AIDS in order to help the future and continue making progress. The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal #6 is to Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and represents the United Nations’ efforts to educate people at a young age and spread awareness about being proactive about the disease. Students have begun to get involved in the search for a cure as well – for example, a youth organization called Face Aids focuses on getting “young leaders” involved to support their goals as an organization.
As this weekend’s walk shows, it is our continued job to stay actively involved in this cause. There is still progress to be made, as treatment that exists is sometimes not available to AIDS patients around the world. In the US alone, action and education is still deeply needed, as 50,000 people in the US are infected by the disease each year.
What do you think about the progress of AIDS over the past 30 years? Are there things we can be doing in our communities and globally to make a difference? Leave comments here about ways we can work towards AIDS/HIV eradication over the next 30 years!
-Cara