When the first World AIDS Day took place, in 1988, having HIV meant getting AIDS and dying of it, quite rapidly. It was essential to raise awareness, both to try to prevent the spread of the disease and to push the medical community into coming up with effective treatments. Today, with the rapid improvement of medication to control the HIV that leads to AIDS, and with the number of AIDS deaths on the decline in many parts of the world it may seem to some people that it is no longer very necessary to shine such a light on the issue. People who have access to Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) can live normal lives, aside from taking medication and medical check ups, of normal length. But that is not all there is to it.
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