World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day was first held in 1988, just four years after the discovery of the virus and its official classification. Since the discovery of the virus and its subsequent disease, more than 35 million people have died from AIDS, putting it far ahead of many of the other most devastating diseases in the history of humans.

HIV works in the body by weakening its natural immune system through the destruction of cells that would normally protect the body by fighting off infections.

From the onset of HIV/AIDS, the work of men and women all over the world has led to a greater understanding of the disease (a person can't contract it by sharing a can of coke or a toilet seat, for instance), but that has only served to slow the tide but has not stopped it.

The spread of the disease is still prevalent today, with more than 1.5 million people each year diagnosed with HIV throughout the globe. And even with the campaign to help with awareness, many people are still out there who don't know or understand the truth or facts about it.