Hyderabad: Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV/AIDS is considered a global health challenge. Permanent treatment of this disease is not yet completely possible, but with its proper management, the serious effects of this disease can be controlled to a great extent. A vaccine is considered the ideal protection against any disease. Therefore, efforts are being made for the last several years to find protection in the form of a vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS.
However, not much success has been achieved in this direction so far. Every year on May 18, World AIDS Vaccine Day is observed to create opportunities to make efforts for more research in this direction and to spread awareness among the general public about the need for a safe and fully effective vaccine to prevent this virus and diseases like AIDS.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), towards the end of 2019, around 38 million people were living with HIV/AIDS. In the same year, about 690,000 people lost their lives due to AIDS and related diseases. By the end of the year 2020, the number of HIV victims was seen to be around 37.7 million, out of which 1.7 million were children under the age of 15 years. About 680,000 people died in the same year due to this disease and its related causes.
As a result of awareness about this disease and progress in the field of its treatment and management, there is a continuous decrease in the number of people losing their lives due to AIDS and other causes related to it. According to statistics, there has been a decline of about 64 per cent in the number of victims and mortality in the year 2020 compared to the numbers of 2004.
According to the World Health Organization, after the discovery of HIV for the first time in the year 1983, about 79.3 million people were confirmed to be infected with this virus. Since the serious effects of this infection and the high mortality rate were noticed, continuous efforts are being made by doctors, scientists and health professionals not just to spread awareness among people about this disease and its causes, but also for its treatment and management. Continuous efforts are also being made to find a vaccine to prevent AIDS, which has not yet been completely successful.
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World AIDS Vaccine Day was first observed in the year 1998 to commemorate the efforts of scientists, doctors and health professionals working towards the treatment and management of AIDS and to find a safe and effective vaccine. Significantly, earlier in the year 1997, the International AIDS Vaccine Test was done. To commemorate its anniversary, HIV Vaccine Awareness Day was observed on May 18, 1998. The day was first observed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the United States National Institutes of Health and organizations working towards the development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine.
Currently, many government, non-government, health and social organizations around the world organize activities including community programs, rallies, conferences and media campaigns on this occasion to raise awareness about AIDS and the need for a vaccine to prevent it.
World AIDS Vaccine Day is an occasion to raise awareness about the importance of continuing research and development towards HIV/AIDS vaccine and appreciate the efforts of those working continuously in this direction to fight this disease. To spread awareness among people about the treatment and management of it and provides a platform for discussion on all these topics.
HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus attacks the body's immune system. It is spread by re-use of a needle used by an infected person, transfusion of infected blood and unprotected sexual intercourse. A child can also get infected by it during pregnancy if the mother is HIV-positive.
Within a few weeks after coming under the influence of this infection, flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat and tiredness begin to appear in the victim. There is no permanent cure for this disease as of now but with its timely detection and proper management one can lead a healthy life to some extent with some restrictions.
Significantly, some vaccines for HIV are still limited to trials. The availability of preventive and curative vaccines for HIV is a great need currently, because even before coming under the influence of this infection, if there is protection against it in the body, then many people can be saved from coming under the influence of this disease. In such situations, it is very important to find a vaccine that prevents HIV. World AIDS Vaccine Day, emphasises the urgency of the HIV vaccine and also allows inspiring new research in this direction and provides opportunities to the concerned people.
