Today, December 1st, is the annual observance of World AIDS Day.
Alicia Keys is streaming a live YouTube concert.
Twitter has turned red.
Starbucks is donating a nickel for every drink sold.
What are you doing?
The AIDs epidemic continues to take an enormous toll.
Scientists have developed a range of medicines, for those to whom the treatments are available too, that have turned an AIDS diagnosis from a likely death sentence to a manageable condition.
We can be pleased we have made progress, over the past eight years, as reported by UNAIDS, overall new HIV infections are down by 17 percent. Yet that is a worldwide, overall statistic, and we have to consider those without access to medical assistance. There is still so much more we need to do, and a little bit of research can show a myriad of ways you can help.
So be sure to commemorate this day, and take a moment to reflect on the millions of victims this disease has claimed.
– Alexa P Gray