Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day, a time to raise awareness about the AIDS pandemic and to mourn those who have died of the disease. The Yale School of Public Health and CIRA (the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale) join health experts from around the world to reflect on the disease and rededicate themselves to improving prevention and management strategies.
While much progress has been made in the fight against AIDS since it first surfaced in the early 1980s, the disease still takes a terrible toll. As of 2013, AIDS had killed more than 36 million people worldwide, and an estimated 35.3 million are living with the disease. The epidemic claims an estimated 2 million lives a year, including 270,000 children.
“World AIDS Day is about … remobilizing toward the goal of ending AIDS by 2030 through continued research and action,” said Elaine O’Keefe, executive director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale. “There is no time for repose.”