Held each year since 1988, today, December 1 marks the celebration of World AIDS Day. With the theme “Getting to zero” this year, signifying zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero aids-related deaths, the day gives an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their solidarity for people living with HIV and is dedicated to mourn patients who have passed on from HIV/AIDS.
Over the years, scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment and prevention, with new information about HIV. However, according to ‘How AIDS changed everything’ by Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), at the end of 2014, an estimated 36.9 million people around the world were living with HIV and 1.2 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses.
In Malaysia, over 6,000 people are infected with HIV, 100,000 are living with HIV and 9,000 people have died from AIDS-related illnesses according to the AIDS Data Hub in a 2014 epidemic overview. The number of HIV/AIDS cases through sexual transmission have increased, however, cases through injecting drug use have declined.
Here, we have the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) established in 1992 under the Ministry of Health who work alongside NGOs and partner organisations for HIV/AIDS related issues – to increase awareness, prevent the spread, eliminate discrimination, stigma and prejudice, promote and protect the rights of those vulnerable, ensure the highest possible quality of life, and provide care and support to individuals.
Despite annual campaigns, including the Red Ribbon, Needle and Syringe Programme (NSEP), the Red Carnival, and hashtag #PutItOn, among others, to educate Malaysians, raise awareness and funds in support of HIV, the general public still has taboos, myths, misconceptions and stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.
As for the sufferer of HIV/AIDS, care providers are now engaging individuals at an earlier stage of their disease through a treatment known as antiretroviral treatment (ART) before it reaches a life threatening stage and help block HIV transmission to others, utilising medications that have minimal long term adverse effects, also ensuring patients remain under active follow-up and treatment to maintain optimal health.
According to Director General of Health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the implementation of various screening programmes, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, the Ministry of Health’s Harm Reduction Programme, provision of free ART treatment and the prevention methods of sexual transmissions were among the turning points that lead to the significant reductions of new infections among adults and children.