World AIDS day 2024:Take the rights path

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HIV stigma, perpetuates inequality

Stigma befriends some diseases.In ancient times it was Leprosy, followed by Syphillis, and in the modern times HIV. In ancient times, individuals with a flat-nose, a tell-tale sign of leprosy, were disqualified from becoming priest. By 1450s, we feared and hid sexually transmitted syphillis. Advent of antibiotics and changing sexual perceptions could contain it in 500 years. Similarly, HIV AIDS took the mantle of a stigmatising illness in 1980s. Incurability, sexual transmission, and initial association with hispanics and homosexuality contributed to the stigma. There is a plethora of philately material on HIV AIDS and virtually none on syphillis. HIV AIDS philately is definitely one of the factors that helped reduce stigma in four decades of the disease.

We can reduce stigma by education, increasing interactions with individuals who have the condition, improving peer-support, and advocacy. Philately contributed in small part to improve awareness about HIV/AIDS. Countries introduced disease and its prevention in schools and colleges. Communication campaigns focussed on care and support behaviour. Effective treatments, and coming out in the open were other contributors. After 2008, postage stamps helped to improve interactions with the sufferers of the disease. Some postage stamps were now showing real human faces.

Reducing stigma

Recent postage stamps exhibit some stigma reduction measures. An important measure is solidarity amongst the individuals with the disease, and also within the society. Images of mass HIV/AIDS events, runs, marathons, concerts, help improve solidarity. Such images have also recently appeared on postage stamps.

Current acronym for a “person living with HIV” is PLWH. Public announcement by PLWH helps in reducing stigma. There is a Wiki-list of famous PLWH. Sharing of experiences by celebrities helps dispel myths about the illness and its transmission. Postage stamp from Guinea Bissau in 2012 presents this public disclosure concept.

Till date, we have documented about four instances of cure from HIV/AIDS. While these instances are rare, they indicate that HIV is not invincible. With about 38 million cases worldwide, UNAIDS is spearheading plan to “end the AIDS epidemic” by 2030. We are on an ambitious aim of reducing new cases by 90%. We can achieve this endgame by expanding drug-coverage, and effective pre-exposure prophylaxis.

World AIDS day theme 2024

Every year, we observe 1st December as World AIDS Day. Theme for 2024 is Take the rights path. This connects HIV / AIDS care as a human rights issue, and on the path towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Theme for this year is about importance of healthcare access and the empowerment of individuals in managing their health. Today India has adult HIV prevalence of 0.2% and annual new HIV infections estimated at 66,400. This is 44% less since 2010.

Today India provides lifelong treatment for over 16 lakh people living with HIV. India has about 725 ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) centers, that test for HIV and provide life long free of cost treatment. We hope that India also achieves the goal of 80% reduction in HIV mortality by 2030, and complete elimination of HIV that is transmitted from mother to child. This later goal is achieved by only 14 countries so far – including Thailand, Sri Lanka and Maldives from Asia, and all the rest in the Americas.