World AIDS Day No reason to be all-clear

World AIDS Day: No need to be all-clear

01/12/2014

Like every year, World AIDS Day takes place on December 1st. Experts see in Germany, despite decades of AIDS prevention, no reason for the all-clear. Around 80,000 people in this country live with HIV.

No reason to be all-clear
On December 1, World AIDS Day is celebrated worldwide. Organized by the United Nations AIDS Organization (UNAIDS), the day was first proclaimed in 1988. According to a message from the dpa news agency, Elisabeth Pott, director of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) said in the run-up to the action day that despite three decades of AIDS prevention despite clear successes in Germany, there was no reason to be the all-clear. Nationwide, 550 people died of AIDS in the past year because their illness was diagnosed late. Around 80,000 people in this country live with HIV.

Thousands of Germans are unknowingly infected with HIV
A message from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) of a few weeks ago illustrates how important the issue of education is still. The experts reported that according to estimates in Germany at the end of last year, around 14,000 people were unknowingly infected with HIV. Lack of knowledge about HIV and AIDS not only causes people to become infected, but also contributes to prejudice about HIV-positive people. A few weeks ago, on the occasion of World AIDS Day in Germany, a new campaign was launched to address the unfounded fears of HIV infection in everyday life and to promote respect and normality in dealing with HIV-positive people.

Poster campaign should promote respect
The campaign of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) is being implemented in cooperation with the German AIDS Aid (DAH) and the German AIDS Foundation (DAS). The campaign includes various poster motifs with a question-answer combination for HIV infection. One is about: „Could your child play with HIV-positive children? - Sure, but at seven there´s dinner.“ The poster campaign is supplemented by a new website and increased presence in the social media.

Substantial medical progress
Since the HI virus was discovered in the early 1980s, medicine has made significant progress. At that time, the diagnosis for millions of people was still a death sentence. Today infected people with appropriate care can live relatively well. In an interview with „tagesschau.de“ said Professor Norbert H. Brockmeyer, HIV expert at the Ruhr University Bochum and spokesman for the German Competence Network HIV / AIDS: „The medicines we have available today are very effective. Even after long treatment times rarely resistant HI viruses develop. And they have far fewer side effects than they did ten years ago. HIV-infected people usually enjoy a high quality of life, they are able to work and there is no reason not to practice a profession. That strengthens, by the way, also the social funds.“

Every year, 1.5 million people die from AIDS
However, millions of HIV-infected people do not have enough or no such medication available. Africa is the most affected by the immunodeficiency syndrome, but according to experts, the number of HIV and AIDS cases in Eastern Europe is particularly strong. Around 35 million people worldwide are currently infected with the virus. According to the United Nations, around 1.5 million people worldwide die each year as a result of AIDS. (Ad)