A few days ago was the anniversary of the death of Freddie Mercury, who died on November 24, 1991 from bronchopneumonia, complicated by the HIV virus, which undermined his health for years. When you think aboutAIDSAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which affects the immune system, limiting its effectiveness and making sufferers more vulnerable to infections, thoughts often cross the Queen frontman, one of the most notorious victims of this insidious disease, who, According to WHO, since the beginning of the epidemic, it has caused the death of 40.1 million people..
AIDS, which is celebrated around the world on December 1st.was first identified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1981, while the identification of the HIV virus that is the cause dates back to 1983 and is associated with two research teams led by Robert Gallo and Luc Montagnier. Since then, many steps have been taken forward, and thanks to modern treatments introduced into medical protocols, life expectancy has increased significantly, allowing those who suffer from this disease today to lead almost normal lives. Although there is no cure for HIV, no vaccine., increased access to effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care has enabled the infection to become a manageable chronic disease. Now, however, this race for progress seems to have stalled. According to UNAIDS, the United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS, over the past two years of Covid-19, resources allocated to research have been reduced, and for this reason, millions of lives are now at risk.
Hence the choice of the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day, namely “Equalization”, a real call to action to tackle the inequalities that the pandemic has exacerbated over the past two years. “We can end AIDS if we end the inequalities that perpetuate it,” explains UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “On World AIDS Day, everyone needs to share the message that everyone stands to gain if we tackle inequality. To keep everyone safe, to protect everyone’s health, we need a balance.”
AIDS, where are we in Italy?
From 1982, the year of the first AIDS diagnosis in Italy, to December 31, 2021, 72,034 cases have been reported.. Of these, 55,537 (77.1%) are men, 814 (1.1%) are children (under 13) or with a mother-to-child infection, and 8,229 (11.4%) are foreigners or persons of unknown nationality. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, “in 2021, 1,770 new diagnoses of HIV infection were registered, which corresponds to the incidence of 3 new diagnoses for every 100,000 inhabitants.” Fortunately, “since 2012, the number of new HIV diagnoses has declined.which has become more evident since 2018, with a further decrease in the last two years” with data below the estimated average in the countries of the European Union (4.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). the age group of 30-39 years, followed by the age group of 25-29 years, and the reason is that in most cases the etiology of the disease is associated with sexual transmission. Overall, men account for 79.5% of new cases. to go, and prevention should always remain the main road.
Source: Elle