It’s December 1st - World Aids Day

Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever worldwide public health awareness day. It takes place every year on the 1st December and is a chance for people across the world to come together in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It shows support for individuals living with the condition, as well as commemorating those who have passed away from an illness related to it.

Why is it so important to mark World Aids Day?

In the UK today, more than 100,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS. There is also an estimated 36.7 million people who are known to have the virus worldwide. Despite it only being identified in 1984 it has claimed the lives of over 35 million people, making it one of the most destructive pandemics ever known to humans.

Thankfully, we know more about the condition today than ever before and huge scientific advances have been made in diagnosis and treatment. There are laws to protect people in the UK with the condition, and people can expect to live far longer in relatively good health. Despite this, over 4,300 people are diagnosed with HIV in the UK each year, and there’s still a lot of misunderstanding and stigma.

World AIDS Day plays an important role in making the point that HIV and AIDS have not gone away. There is still plenty to do in raising money and awareness, improving education and fighting prejudice.

What exactly is AIDS and what are the symptoms?

AIDS is the result of HIV infection, usually through having sex with another infected person or contact with their blood or other bodily fluids. People can often look and feel perfectly well for a long time after they’ve become infected, sometimes as long as 10 years.

HIV destroys cells in a person’s immune system, known as CD4 cells or T cells. Without these cells, the body’s job of fighting disease becomes incredibly difficult. It makes the immune system very weak, so suffers are susceptible to getting very sick from something which is usually harmless like colds or flu. Over time, this damage leads to AIDS.

People with AIDS have a vastly reduced number of CD4 cells, and will contract rare infections (referred to as opportunistic infections) or types of cancer. However, effective modern treatment can delay or even prevent a person with HIV from ever developing AIDS.

Symptoms of AIDS can vary dramatically between different people, but common ones include severe yeast infections and recurrent thrush, sore throats, headaches and fast weight loss without trying. Many people also have skin rashes, lesions and bruising, as well as a dry cough and swollen glands.

? Doctors! Nurses! Allied Health Professionals! Do you work with patients who are worried about HIV/AIDS? Perhaps you’re based in a school or other educational space where you work to raise awareness of the virus and how it can be prevented? Or maybe you would like to know more about blood results and condition management? If this sounds like you, speak to your clinical manager about getting on our scheduled CPD course Advanced interpretation of blood results in clinical practice to brush up your knowledge. It’s worth 14 hours of CPD over two days and is held in May 2020 at Hamilton House in London. Additionally there’s our in-house course Blood results: long term conditions & chronic disease management. Worth 7 hours of CPD, it’s an informative, interactive and highly engaging course that’s ideal for group training at your workplace. Delivered by a highly experienced trainer, it addresses blood results specific to HIV/AIDS as well as other chronic and long term conditions. Both are likely to be popular so get in touch early to secure your place!