World AIDS Day Outreach ResourcesWorld AIDS Day 2011: The Beginning of the End of AIDSAnnually on December 1, the global community commemorates World AIDS Day by bringing attention to the global epidemic that still infects 2.7 million new people and claims 2 million lives every year. These are sobering numbers, but this year World AIDS Day comes after a string of stunning scientific advances that has fundamentally altered the possibilities in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The end of the AIDS epidemic is within our grasp.
AIDS Treatment is PreventionIn May 2011, researchers announced the results of a breakthrough study that proved conclusively what AIDS researchers had long suspected: treating HIV-positive people with anti-retroviral therapy (ART) can reduce the risk that they transmit the virus to their uninfected partners. In fact, researchers found that when treatment was initiated early in the progression of the disease (as opposed to waiting for the patients to become sick), there was a 96 percent reduction in the risk of transmission. Early AIDS treatment not only reduces transmission of HIV, it can also protect HIV-positive people from opportunistic infections like TB. The study found that early AIDS treatment reduced the occurrence of TB infection by 84 percent. The implications of the study for the future of HIV/AIDS are momentous. We now know that treatment is prevention. This evidence, combined with recent economic modeling that shows that investing more in AIDS now will not only reduce deaths but also reduce the cost of the epidemic in the long run, shows that we can turn the tides against HIV/AIDS if we have the political will. Translating Evidence into ActionDespite this emerging opportunity, global AIDS spending fell in 2010 for the first time in a decade. It is in this context of bold new evidence and wavering political commitment that we approach World AIDS Day 2011. World AIDS Day will be a critical moment to begin to make the case to members of Congress and the White House that U.S. global AIDS policy must continue to follow the evidence. What makes this World AIDS Day so significant is it will begin the unofficial run-up to the International AIDS Conference, which will be held in Washington, DC in July 2012. The IAC will attract tens of thousands of AIDS researchers, clinicians, activists and people living with the disease. Historically, this biannual conference has served as a key forum to generate global political momentum in the fight against HIV/AIDS. RESULTS activists will be instrumental voices in building this movement. The U.S. has led the way in scaling up treatment so that today 6.6 million people are on therapy. U.S.-funded research has proven that aggressively scaling up treatment can prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and save lives from TB. The United States’ top infectious disease expert, Dr. Tony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, recently wrote that “for the first time in the history of HIV/AIDS, controlling and ending the pandemic are feasible.” And next summer, the U.S. will host an historic international AIDS conference to bring together evidence and activism to end the epidemic. World AIDS Day Outreach OpportunitiesRESULTS activists across the country can use World AIDS Day as a platform for creating media and building political will to end these deadly diseases through actions and events. Kick off your International AIDS Conference recruitment by hosting an event and building community support. The resources below will help you as you reach out to your community, the media, and your members of Congress. Want to do more? Come to the RESULTS/RESULTS International Conference in July 2012! RESULTS World AIDS Day Resources 20112011 World AIDS Day Editorial Packet Can You Imagine the End of AIDS? (pdf) The Beginning of the End of AIDS RESULTS Fact Sheet (pdf) Action Alert: Write a World AIDS Day letter to the editor (and companion Action Sheet) Bios for Joyce Kamwana and Michael Gwaba of the Here I Am Campaign who will be visiting RESULTS groups in the U.S. amFAR's Issue Brief: Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: A Moment of Decision Editorial by Tony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health: AIDS: Let Science Inform Policy |
