In 1988, two public information officers started World AIDS Day to bring awareness toward global health and the growing epidemic. Just a few years prior, when I was eight years old, my parents sat me down and explained our neighbor, Norm, was really sick with something called AIDS. As a nurse, my mother was able to explain to us that we could not get sick from giving our friend a hug, despite misinformation in the news.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have known Norm. Two memories that stick out most are letting my brother and I ride our bikes on his several acres of wooded land, and the huge teepee we would frequent. It was here he gathered the neighbors one night and shared the news of his illness. The kids of neighborhood weren’t allowed to attend, but I vividly remember my mother’s somberness after she returned that evening. Overtime, my siblings and I were spending less time with Norm because he was deteriorating quickly and my parents wanted us to remember him as strong and healthy. My mother was one of his main caregivers the last few months of his life.

As a kid of the 80s, literature about AIDS showed up in schools and health clinics, some accurate, much was not. Ryan White was in the news, Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor started their foundation and at award shows, the celebrities were wearing the Red Ribbon. Much research has been done on HIV and AIDS over the last 40+ years. And while it has not been eradicated, there are many people who are still alive thanks to scientific advances in medicine.

Key facts from the World Health Organization:

To reach the new proposed global 95–95–95 targets set by UNAIDS, we will need to redouble our efforts to avoid the worst-case scenario of 7.7 million HIV-related deaths over the next 10 years, increasing HIV infections due to HIV service disruptions during COVID-19, and the slowing public health response to HIV.
HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed 40.1 million [33.6–48.6 million] lives so far.
In 2021, 650 000 [510 000–860 000] people died from HIV-related causes and 1.5 million [1.1–2.0 million] people acquired HIV.
There is no cure for HIV infection. However, with increasing access to effective HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, including for opportunistic infections, HIV infection has become a manageable chronic health condition, enabling people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives.
There were an estimated 38.4 million [33.9–43.8 million] people living with HIV at the end of 2021, two thirds of whom (25.6 million) are in the WHO African Region.

While many people have placed AIDS in the backseat, there is still more awareness, prevention and research to be done. Many great organizations are dedicated to this effort. Below are just a few.