World AIDS Day

December 1 was World AIDS Day, and this year's theme is "Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation." In the 2011 United Nations Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, countries set ambitious goals to reach by 2015: Reduce sexual transmission by 50%. Reduce HIV transmission among people who inject drugs by 50%. Eliminate new infections among children and substantially reduce the number of mothers dying from AIDS-related causes. Provide antiretroviral therapy to 15 million people. Reduce the number of people living with HIV who die from tuberculosis by 50%. Close the global AIDS resource gap…
Today, is World AIDS Day, and while the pandemic continues to devastate millions of lives, we can also honor some achievements. CDC reports that when PEPFAR (the US President's Plan for AIDS Relief) started in 2003, fewer than 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa were getting antiretroviral drugs; now, thanks to a global collaboration, more than 5 million people in low- and middle-income countries receive this treatment. We've also seen some encouraging results from research on vaginal microbicidal gel and daily antiretrovirals to prevent new infections. Care for the 33.4 million people living…