Rep. Danny K. Davis’ on World AIDS Day
Washington, D.C. – December 1st of every year is the day the world recognize HIV/AIDs and what to do about it. Forty years ago, the nation recognized HIV/AIDS, which has taken its toll on the world, country, and in the State of Illinois. On December 1, 2009, Davis and a group of activists announced the “Red Ribbon Bonus Bucks,” a new quality of life scratch-off lottery ticket. At the time, Illinois had the nation’s seventh-highest number of reported AIDS cases since 1981.
HIV.gov reported that in 2020, an estimated 1.5 million individuals worldwide acquired HIV, marking a 31% decline in new HIV infections since 2010. As of 2017, there were 1375 new HIV diagnoses in Illinois, an almost 35% decrease from 2006-2017. In addition, Chicago had 752 new HIV diagnoses, the fewest since 1990. Davis said, “We have made significant progress, but the fact that almost 40,000 people are currently living with HIV in Illinois and HIV.gov reported that there are approximately 37.7 million people across the globe with HIV in 2020, we still have much work to do.”
Nationally, the U.S. established the PEPFAR and the Global Fund to continue to support scientific research for the vaccine and treatment. Davis said, “These efforts are inspiring because we can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When the United States act, the world benefits.”
Davis concluded, “Today, on World AIDS Day, I am confident that the 700,000 people worldwide that have lost their lives did not die in vain. World AIDS day is a day to remember them and to strive even harder to end the suffering of the most vulnerable and marginalized people around the world.”