World AIDS Day on December 1st draws people together from all over the world in solidarity to pay tribute to the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS and raise awareness of the global impact of HIV/AIDS.
This day is reckoned an opportunity for partners from the public and private sectors to stimulate awareness on the pandemic and encourage progress in the prevention, treatment and care of patients in those countries with the highest rates of incidence, as well as in all over the world.
According to the estimates of Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2008, there are 33.4 million people living with HIV. During 2008, some 2.7 million people were affected by the virus. Despite the significant decline in the estimated number of AIDS-related deaths over the last five years, there were still approximately 2 million AIDS-related deaths in 2008.
It is worth mentioning that eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa now account for almost one-third of all new HIV infections and AIDS deaths at the global scale.
AIDS in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
The latest statistics conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the number of AIDS patients in Saudi Arabia revealed that the cumulative number of all AIDS cases detected since 1984 and until the end of 2009 amounted to 15.213 cases, out of which 4.019 cases are Saudis and 11.194 cases are non-Saudis (the proportion of non-Saudis is approximately three times higher than that of Saudis).
The statistics issued by the MOH Agency for Preventive Medicine made clear that 1.287 new AIDS cases were detected in 2009, including 481 Saudis and 806 non-Saudis, and noted that the ratio of men to women in Saudi AIDS cases detected was estimated to be approximately 4 to 1 in 2009.
International Approved Date: 1/12/2011
Regionally Approved Date: 6/1/1433H
Theme of the World AIDS Day 2011:
Getting to Zero!
Zero New HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths
Targeted Categories:
- People living with AIDS and those merely suspected of HIV or AIDS.
- Workers in the health sector.
- Health organizations and associations.
- Decision-makers in the health sector.
Objectives and Mission of the World AIDS Day:
- Strengthen national, regional and global structures and networks for improved monitoring and surveillance of HIV/AIDS.
- Provide universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
- Set Policies and provide standard and technical guidelines to assist countries to strengthen interventions in the health sector to combat HIV/AIDS.
- Provide the necessary support to countries, including building capacity of health workers and training them.
- Delivery of drugs, diagnostic tools, and other means necessary to combat HIV/AIDS and to ensure an adequate supply of them.
- Invite all stakeholders at the global level to pay more attention on the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS and to demonstrate greater commitment to fight it.
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