December 1st is celebrated as World AIDS Day.

This year the theme is ‘Close the gap’.

Closing the gap means empowering and enabling all people, everywhere, to access the services they need.

• By closing the HIV testing gap, the 19 million people who are unaware of their HIV-positive status can begin to get support.
• By closing the treatment gap, all 35 million people living with HIV will have access to life-saving medicine(s).
• By closing the gap in access to medicines for children, all children living with HIV will be able to access treatment, not just the 24% who have access today.
• By closing the access gap, all people can be included as part of the solution.

Other messages for closing the gap are:

Close the HIV treatment gap

Close the HIV prevention gap

Close the gap—full respect for human rights

Close the gap—no more stigma

Close the gap—zero AIDS-related deaths

Close the gap—adolescent girls and young women are being left behind

Close the gap—people who inject drugs need access to HIV services

Closing the gap means that ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is possible.

Links

Link to WHO World AIDS Day 2014 page: http://www.who.int/campaigns/aids-day/2014/event/en/

Link to WHO factsheet on HIV/AIDS:  http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs360/en/

Link to World AIDS Day 2014 Factsheet:  http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/documents/WAD2014_FactSheet_en.pdf

Link to UNAIDS Gap Report:  http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/UNAIDS_Gap_report_en.pdf

Link to World AIDS Day 2014 brochure: http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/documents/WAD2014_closethegap_en.pdf

Link to World AIDS Day 2014 Infographics:  http://www.unaids.org/en/WAD2014infographics

Link to World AIDS Day 2014 UNAIDS web page:  http://www.unaids.org/en/WAD2014closethegap