World AIDS Day takes place on 1 December each year. It’s an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day. HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 32 million lives so far. However, with increasing access to effective HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, including for opportunistic infections, HIV infection has become a manageable chronic health condition, enabling people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives. There were approximately 37.9 million people living with HIV at the end of 2018.As a result of concerted international efforts to respond to HIV, coverage of services has been steadily increasing. In 2018, 62% of adults and 54% of children living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries were receiving lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART). The theme for 2019 was, “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community” , the theme reminds us that all epidemics are local—and that working together with communities to respond to local needs is the best way to stop the epidemic in its tracks. On the occasion of World AIDS day, the Department of Public Health Dentistry celebrated the day by visiting a home run by SIP Memorial Trust specifically for HIV positive children located in Kolathur, Chennai. As quoted by Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world”, a book drive donation was organized by the department where the students of the college donated used/new books and it was collected and delivered to the children of SIP Memorial Trust. The trust as well as the children were very pleased with the gesture and we hope it will cultivate the habit of reading among the underserved children.
