In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared December 1 as World AIDS Day.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the disease that causes AIDS, has claimed the lives of 36.3 million individuals as of July 17, 2021. By the end of 2020, there were approximately 37.7 million people living with the disease. If these statistics available with the World Health Organization are any indication, HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious public health challenges globally.
In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared December 1 as World AIDS Day. The day provides a chance for people across the world to come together in the battle against the disease, show support to those living with it.

Since stigma — dreading the disease, fear of those who have it, rejection, ostracism, and discrimination — is still a major issue in the fight against AIDS, awareness is critical. The first step towards awareness is to understand the symptoms, modes of transmission, and treatment available.

•Symptoms•

The symptoms of HIV differ from person to person and also depend on the stage of infection. Though people living with HIV are most infectious in the first few months following infection, many do not realise they are infected until later. People may have no symptoms or an influenza-like sickness, such as fever, headache, rash, or sore throat, in the first few weeks following infection.

Individuals may develop other signs and symptoms — swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, fever, diarrhoea, and cough — when the virus impairs the immune system. They could acquire serious illnesses like tuberculosis (TB), cryptococcal meningitis, bacterial infections, and malignancies such as lymphomas and Kaposi's in the absence of treatment.

To be continued...