World AIDS Day is being marked on December 1 at a time when an entirely different pandemic has gripped the world. The executive director of the Joint UN Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) said people should remember the experience with human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) as they look to promising COVID-19 vaccines and “ensure they are not the privilege of the rich." Winnie Byanyima said in a statement that the world must learn from the mistakes of the HIV response “when millions in developing countries died waiting for treatment.” She added that COVID-19 is widening inequalities that already exist and threatening the progress that the world has made in health and development over the past 20 years, including the gains made against HIV. UNAIDS also warned that the disruption of health services amid the coronavirus pandemic could lead to an additional 293,000 HIV infections and up to 148,000 additional AIDS-related deaths until 2022.
PHOTO PACKAGE: World AIDS Day Marked Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
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INDIA -- WORLD AIDS DAY -- A voulnteer wears a red AIDS ribbon badge during an awareness rally on World AIDS Day, organized by the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee in the Sonagachi red light district, in Kolkata, India 01 December 2020
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PAKISTAN -- WORLD AIDS DAY -- A barber gives a haircut to a customer at a roadside shop during World AIDS Day in Peshawar, December 1, 2020. According to doctors, cuts from razor blades that haven’t undergone proper sterilization are among some of the main causes of AIDS spread. World AIDS Day, observed annually on 01 December, is dedicated to raising awareness against the spread of AIDS and HIV infections.
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NEPAL World AIDS Day -- Women and children of 'Maiti Nepal', a rehabilitation and orphanage home for HIV-affected children, women, and victims of trafficking, light candles forming the 'Red Ribbon' symbol as they pray for those who have lost their lives due to HIV/Aids, on the eve of World AIDS Day in Kathmandu, Nepal, 30 November 2020. World AIDS Day is marked worldwide annually on 01 December to raise awareness for those living with the 'Human Immunodeficiency Virus', or HIV, that causes the 'Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, known by its abbreviation AIDS.
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FRANCE -- WORLD AIDS DAY -- Condoms displayed at the Paris' CheckPoint prevention and screening centre in Paris, France, 01 December 2020. The centre offers services for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative people. World AIDS Day is celebrated annually on 01 December.