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World AIDS Day 2009 is about “Universal Access and Human Rights”

LatinaLista — Can it be possible that as the world prepares to observe World AIDS Day tomorrow, people are still contracting HIV/AIDS?

Unfortunately, yes.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 455,000 people in the United States were living with AIDS in 2007. It’s a statistic that shows no signs of diminishing. However, the number of people who actually die from AIDS has decreased to its lowest levels since 2003.

All that means is people are more diligent about getting treatment rather than practicing safe sex. The CDC wants to change that and created the Act Against AIDS campaign.

The Act Against AIDS campaign reminds visitors that every 9½ minutes someone in the U.S. in infected with HIV. The site provides the usual fact sheets on the disease but it also makes a point to highlight the personal stories, in the people’s own voices, about their experiences living with HIV.

Above all, the site’s aim is to make people pro-active about HIV/AIDS by being aware of what it is, how to prevent infection, what to do once infected and how to spread the word to keep more people from being infected.

From 2005-2010, each World AIDS Day will have the general theme of Stop AIDS; keep the promise. However, each year has a different subtheme. This year’s subtheme is: Universal Access and Human Rights.

At a time when discrimination seems to be on the rise and intolerance at its peak, it’s important to realize that people afflicted with HIV/AIDS are not just one country’s problem but one shared by the world — so that more people do not become infected.

After all, as we should know by now, disease doesn’t recognize borders.

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