World Aids Day 2010 Observed

1 December: World Aids Day

World Aids Day is observed on 1 December. The theme for World Aids Day 2010 was Universal Access & Human Rights. Several cities and communities across the world dimmed the lights on 1 December to mark World AIDS Day as part of the Light for Rights campaign which focuses on human rights, HIV and AIDS.

The observation of World AIDS Day started in December 1988. The day is observed to serve number of purposes like- raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education on the subject. World AIDS Day is observes to remind people that there are many things to be done to do away with the menace.

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are currently 33.3 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. In 2009 approximately 2.6 million people became newly infected with the virus and an estimated 1.8 million people died from AIDS. The 2010 Global Update on the AIDS Epidemic released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) showed that in 2009 the pace of new infections had declined by almost 20% compared to 1999.

World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter who were public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization (WHO). The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) became operational in 1996 and has been planning and promoting World AIDS Day ever since. UNAIDS created the World AIDS Campaign in 1997 to focus on year-round communications, prevention and education. The World AIDS Campaign became an independent organization in 2004. Since 2008, the annual World AIDS Day theme is chosen by the World AIDS Campaign's Global Steering Committee.