Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - Thursday November 30, 2000

St Paul's Cathedral in London, the South African parliament and the Sydney Opera House are bathed in red light and millions of people wear red ribbons each year on December 1, making it one of the most well-known international days.

But 20 years into the HIV epidemic, poverty and ignorance in developing countries and a growing complacency in rich nations are fuelling the crisis. More than 21 million people have died from HIV/AIDS, three million of them in 2000 alone.

"World AIDS Day is definitely more important now than ever before," said Paula Harrowing, the co-founder of Body & Soul, a British support agency for families affected by the disease.

"It is a very good day and we need to keep it on our agenda but societies across the world need to change because there are very few HIV-positive people who are open about their status."

Global Initiative

World AIDS Day was initiated 13 years ago at a meeting of health ministers as a way to inform people about the devastating illness. Since then it has mushroomed into a truly global event.

Newsletters, video tapes, documentaries, special songs and posters will be released around the world for this anniversary.

An AIDS awareness train will be traveling between Kunming in China's Yunnan Province and Pingxiang in Guangxi Province.

Latin heartthrob Ricky Martin will preach safe sex in a TV documentary, available free to broadcasters around the world.

But with 5.3 million new infections this year and 36.1 million living with HIV/AIDS, according to the latest U.N. figures, has World AIDS Day made a difference?

"Having this day and the events around the world won't reduce infection rates but we still need this day to remind people that HIV/AIDS is still a problem," said Tony Farmer, of the New York-based National Association of People with AIDS.

He said the challenge was to ensure that minds remained focused on the crisis for more than one day a year.

"It doesn't translate or trickle down into prevention activities or stress the importance of not infecting other people or taking precautions," Farmer told Reuters.

Impact Of World Aids Day Varies

The impact of World AIDS Day varies from country to country but activists believe it has made a difference.

"It helps people think more clearly about HIV and AIDS.... With 36 million people living with HIV around the world we have an awful uphill struggle in terms of our response to HIV," said Derek Bodell of the National AIDS Trust in Britain.

"It's not totally gloom and doom. In places like Thailand and Uganda where there has been a strong political leadership we are seeing an impact that is reducing the number of people with HIV," he added.

"So it is possible, if there is that sustained response to HIV, to actually begin to make a difference".

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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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