Nonprofits, community organizations and local governments across Los Angeles County will comemmorate World AIDS Day on Friday, Dec. 1, memorializing those who have died from the disease in a series of events.
This is the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day, which originally launched in 1988.
The purpose of the event, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is to remember the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to HIV/AIDS; rally support for HIV research, treatment and prevention; and help end stigma related to the disease.
The American AIDS epidemic broke out in the early 1980s, and was largely ignored by the U.S. government because the illness predominately impacted LGBTQ folks.
The disease has killed more than 330,000 gay and bisexual men since the 1980s, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and sparked an ongoing movement advocating for better HIV/AIDs research, prevention, treatment and de-stigmatization of folks diagnosed with it.
“Over the past 35 years,” HHS’ website says, “there has been significant progress in addressing HIV and AIDS thanks to advancements in medical research, increased access to treatment and prevention, and a broader understanding of the virus.”
But HIV/AIDs still impacts millions of people — predominately gay and bisexual men — in the United States every year.
As of October, there were approximately 1.2 million Americans living with HIV, according to HHS data. About 13% of those folks don’t know they have the illness and are in need of testing.
Black and Latino communities, HHS added, continue to be disproportionately impacted by the disease — which could be because of myriad factors, including income, education, geographic region and other socioeconomic issues.
Several local events on Friday will aim to remind the broader community that HIV/AIDs is still a threat; help folks access necessary testing, prevention, and treatment resources; and memorialize…
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