NATIONAL DAY

When the AIDS epidemic broke, because I happened to be a science nerd and knew a lot about viruses and a lot about that virus at the time, I felt a moral obligation to go out and try to stem the fear and get out and explain to people what the disease was and how it worked.Morgan FairchildAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, when discovered in the 1980s, seemed to reach out into the world and change the way humans previously thought about almost everything, from how they got their vaccinations or blood transfusions to the way they chose their sexual practices. The revelation of this disease and the virus behind it (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) was met with a campaign of fear and superstition that had the power to harm both those who had it, and even further out into the families and friends of those who surrounded them.While HIV and AIDS are certainly still out in the world today, the horror stories that were told of how it works and how it was transmitted have largely been mitigated. World AIDS Day works to ensure that those who suffer from AIDS can live in a safer, more understanding world and help further research to eliminate this life-altering virus that can turn into a deadly disease.