December 1 commemorates World AIDS Day, an internationally-recognized celebration of life and remembrance of the many who have fallen victim to the terrifying and deadly disease.
Worldwide, countries are commemorating the day in vastly different ways.
In Cambodia, the worst effected nation in Asia according to a study by the Asian Development Bank, the focus is on bringing a halt to the crisis. Clinics are offering free testing in a region of the world where six countries (including Burma, New Guinea, Thailand and parts of India) have a classified AIDS epidemic.
In Sydney, Australia, people for all parts of the world are sharing stories of how the epidemic has affected their lives. A South African woman stood at a podium to share the story of a 24-year-old female relative who is dying from AIDS, still to afraid to acknowledge the disease out loud.
“She knows she is dying, but she won't say the word AIDS and doesn't disclose what she's dying from," HIV/AIDS worker Mpogeng Mahlangu said, according to The Age. “She blames witchcraft because she has been promoted at work and thinks people are jealous of her.”
And in the United States, candlelight vigils, concerts, moments of silence and religious ceremonies are planned in nearly all corners of the country.
In Southwest Florida, those who’ve died of AIDS will be remembered during a 5:30pm walk across the Punta Gorda Peace Bridge. The Michigan Department of Health will display several AIDS Quilt Panels during a two hour performance block from 11am – 1pm.
The City of Chicago commemorates World AIDS Day with a metropolitan wide event from 3pm - 7pm at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. At 8:30pm, Caritas Chicago and Act-Up Chicago sponsors a Candle Light Vigil beginning at the Lake View Lutheran Church, 835 W. Addison Avenue. For a complete list of World AIDS Day events in Chicago, check the event calendar.
Online, www.worldaidsday.org hosts a database of World AIDS Day events worldwide and accepts submissions for events commemorating the day.
Also nationwide, lawmakers are submitting statements to the president and to their constituency in memory of the now 18-year-old event. Among them, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, a long time supporter of gay and lesbian right and of the movement toward increased attention to the Aids Epidemic. “Mr. President, I rise today, on World AIDS Day, to remember the 20 million people who have died as a result of the largest pandemic in human history, and with the hope that the 40 million people worldwide who are currently living in the shadow of this devastating illness will not be added to the list of lives lost,” Feinstein writes.
In 2005, five million new cases of HIV/AIDS were reported worldwide. While many minority groups reported a decrease in infection, the African-American and gay communities saw the largest number of new infections in nearly a decade.
Worldwide, countries are commemorating the day in vastly different ways.
In Cambodia, the worst effected nation in Asia according to a study by the Asian Development Bank, the focus is on bringing a halt to the crisis. Clinics are offering free testing in a region of the world where six countries (including Burma, New Guinea, Thailand and parts of India) have a classified AIDS epidemic.
In Sydney, Australia, people for all parts of the world are sharing stories of how the epidemic has affected their lives. A South African woman stood at a podium to share the story of a 24-year-old female relative who is dying from AIDS, still to afraid to acknowledge the disease out loud.
“She knows she is dying, but she won't say the word AIDS and doesn't disclose what she's dying from," HIV/AIDS worker Mpogeng Mahlangu said, according to The Age. “She blames witchcraft because she has been promoted at work and thinks people are jealous of her.”
And in the United States, candlelight vigils, concerts, moments of silence and religious ceremonies are planned in nearly all corners of the country.
In Southwest Florida, those who’ve died of AIDS will be remembered during a 5:30pm walk across the Punta Gorda Peace Bridge. The Michigan Department of Health will display several AIDS Quilt Panels during a two hour performance block from 11am – 1pm.
The City of Chicago commemorates World AIDS Day with a metropolitan wide event from 3pm - 7pm at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. At 8:30pm, Caritas Chicago and Act-Up Chicago sponsors a Candle Light Vigil beginning at the Lake View Lutheran Church, 835 W. Addison Avenue. For a complete list of World AIDS Day events in Chicago, check the event calendar.
Online, www.worldaidsday.org hosts a database of World AIDS Day events worldwide and accepts submissions for events commemorating the day.
Also nationwide, lawmakers are submitting statements to the president and to their constituency in memory of the now 18-year-old event. Among them, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, a long time supporter of gay and lesbian right and of the movement toward increased attention to the Aids Epidemic. “Mr. President, I rise today, on World AIDS Day, to remember the 20 million people who have died as a result of the largest pandemic in human history, and with the hope that the 40 million people worldwide who are currently living in the shadow of this devastating illness will not be added to the list of lives lost,” Feinstein writes.
In 2005, five million new cases of HIV/AIDS were reported worldwide. While many minority groups reported a decrease in infection, the African-American and gay communities saw the largest number of new infections in nearly a decade.
Article provided in partnership with GayWebMonkey.com.
