First observed in 1988, World AIDS Day this year has a worldwide theme of "Universal Access and Human Rights: I Am", reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done for everyone. According to the latest report on AIDS by UNAIDS and World Health Organization, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV, including 2.1 million children.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health of the United States, says the US government has injected huge investment in HIV research, which has yielded progress over the years.
Dr. Fauci says while treatment is crucial, prevention should be prioritized in the first place to reduce infection.
"Finally, in prevention, there are a number of proven prevention strategies that we know work. Everything from counseling and media campaigns to distribution of condoms, needle exchange programs, circumcision, prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Again, that's the good news. The sobering news is that globally, less than 20 percent of people who would benefit from prevention modalities actually have access to them. "
Michele Moloney-Kitts, Assistant United States Global AIDS Coordinator in the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, says in the global context, the US is the largest donor by far to the global fight against AIDS.