December 1st Is World Aids Day

1 December 2006 is World AIDS Day, the international day of action aimed at raising awareness and halting the spread of HIV. This year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of HIV and yet numbers of people infected are still rising by 5 million every year. The UK is no exception with 7000 diagnoses every year, yet awareness of how HIV is transmitted has fallen in the last 5 years.

In response, the National AIDS Trust has launched the You, Me, Us campaign supported by celebrities including Graham Norton, Emma Thompson, Beverley Knight and Steve Jones. It will provide a unifying theme for the hundreds of events and activities taking place around the UK to raise awareness on World AIDS Day. Details of events across the country can be found by visiting worldaidsday.org.uk/events.asp.

In the lead-up to 1 December, the following activities are taking place:

Global HIV statistics will be launched on 21 November by UNAIDS and UK HIV statistics will be launched on 22 November by the Health Protection Agency, which will highlight the extent of the epidemic.
On World AIDS Day, 1 December, the National AIDS Trust will launch a report into poverty among people living with HIV in the UK at the House of Commons.
The National AIDS Trust will also launch a campaign in November to combat discrimination of HIV-positive people in the workplace and help employers benefit from the skills and experience of people living with HIV.

HIV facts:

40 million people worldwide and 60,000 in the UK are living with HIV.
1 in 3 people living with HIV in the UK are undiagnosed.
Both gay men and African-born people in the UK are disproportionately affected by HIV.
Three-quarters of new diagnoses in the UK are among heterosexuals
Infections among intravenous drug users in the UK are also beginning to increase.

The National AIDS Trust (NAT) is the UK's leading independent policy and campaigning voice on HIV and AIDS. It aims to prevent the spread of HIV, ensure people living with HIV have access to treatment and care, and eradicate HIV-related stigma and discrimination.