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Getting to zero

December 1 is World AIDS Day. The Day is designed to bring together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, and to demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic.

Between 2011 and 2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of “Getting to zero. Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.”

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high-prevalence countries and around the world.

The focus on “Zero AIDS-related deaths” signifies both a push towards greater access to treatment for all and a call for governments to act now. It is a call for African governments to honour promises such as the Abuja declaration [1] and, at the very least, to hit targets for domestic spending on health and HIV.

Find out more about World AIDS Day through these links: http://www.afro.who.int/en/media-centre/events/details/297-world-aids-day.html [2] (World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa), and http://www.who.int/campaigns/aids-day/2013/en/index.html [3] (WHO World AIDS Day page).