Letters
Uniting for Action on HIV/AIDS
Every year on Dec 1, we commemorate World AIDS Day. It is a day to reflect on lives lost, and lives forever changed, as a result of Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Dec 1 is also an opportunity to pay tribute to more than 34 million people living with HIV worldwide. Today in China, we celebrate those lives saved and improved and we recommit to the fight against AIDS.
On this World AIDS Day, we emphasize science as the way forward. Recent scientific breakthroughs have altered our outlook on the future of AIDS. Anti-retroviral treatments have now been shown to reduce the likelihood of transmission of the AIDS-causing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by a remarkable 96 percent. For the first time, we have a potential path to eliminate this disease from the globe. By using this new knowledge, we can ensure more effective programs are implemented to provide HIV prevention, treatment, and care to millions of people worldwide, including the people of China.