World AIDS Day 2018

Every December 1st, we celebrate World AIDS Day. This day is an opportunity to raise awareness, educate and improve understanding of HIV as a global public health problem. This year, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization propose the slogan: "Know your Status, End AIDS".

We have made progress in the response to HIV in the Americas, however efforts must continue to reduce new infections and improve access to treatment. In Latin America, there was a reduction of only 1% in the number of people newly infected every year since 2010 (120,000 people per year, approximately); and almost 1 in every 4 persons with HIV do not know their status. Additionally, about a third of new infections occur in young people age 15 to 24 years and more than half of all infections in key populations. Key populations carry a very disproportionate burden of HIV proportional to their estimated population size. Men who have sex with men alone accounted for 41% of new infections in Latin America and 23% in the Caribbean in 2017.

Addressing gaps in HIV testing, especially among key populations - in the context of combination HIV prevention-, can help the Region to accelerate progress and end AIDS by 2030.