1 December is World Aids Day. Now in its 35th year, the first World Aids Day was declared in 1988 to raise awareness about HIV/Aids and break the stigma attached to the disease.
This year’s theme is ‘Let Communities Lead’. Speaking at the launch of the latest report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS), which is also titled Let Communities Lead, the organisation’s deputy chief, Angeli Achrekar, during the week described communities as the “trailblazers” in this fight.
“We want to use this World Aids Day as a moment to both honour communities but also to ask governments, to ask organisations, to fully respect and resource communities because they are the path to end Aids,” she said.
Medication to treat and possibly avoid contracting the virus:
PrEP: Pre-exposure prophylaxis reduces your chances of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.
PEP: Post-exposure prophylaxis means taking medicine to prevent HIV after a possible exposure. It must be taken within 72 hours of possible exposure
ARVs (Antiretroviral): This reduces the viral load in the body after testing positive and stops the virus from replicating.
