World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, the first one was held in 1988.
(According to the UK Medical Research Council a 20-year-old with HIV, who has been diagnosed and is receiving treatment, can expect to live to an average age of 66 and in years to come many HIV patients can expect a normal lifespan in years to come. Dr Steve Taylor, an HIV specialist at Birmingham Heartland Hospital said, “If they can get that medication then their life expectancy after they’ve been on the drug for five years is that of the general population.” However, the key is early diagnosis; it is estimated that one in four HIV-positive people in the UK have not been diagnosed and half of those being diagnosed are diagnosed “late”. Those classified as “late” have a severely reduced immune system and as the immune system gets weaker still, the body becomes vulnerable to opportunistic infections. So, if you think there may be a chance that you are infected, go for a blood test. Best case scenario is it will put your mind at ease, and worst case scenario is you won’t be diagnosed when it’s too late.)