On this day, let us please celebrate the progress science is making in finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. It is a day for giving thanks to those scientists who have worked so hard and continue to work to find new advancements for treatments and medications. We must also take time to think of all of the individuals and organizations fighting to prevent transmission and provide resources for those with the virus. It is a day for giving thanks to those doctors, nurses, family members and friends who tirelessly care for those with living with HIV/AIDS. It is a day to praise the strength and perseverance of those living with the condition, and their stories which help so many feel less alone and compelled to continue to fight.
This is a day for remembering all those who have suffered and died from HIV/AIDS. It crept so silently and secretly into our world, threatening the lives of millions. A day to think of all the children who have been left as orphans.
And let us also spare some thoughts for all the chimpanzees and monkeys who have suffered imprisonment and (for them) torture in medical research labs as scientists used their bodies as living test tubes, searching for cures and vaccines to benefit us. They used them because of their biological similarities to humans, but were not prepared to admit their equally striking similarities in psychology, cognition and emotions.
Above all, today is a day to pray for the time when HIV/AIDS, like smallpox, will be relegated to the past, or as harmless as the common cold.
This is the kind of world we look forward to living in.
Jane Goodall
