Since 1988, World AIDS Day (1 December) has been an essential platform for raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, addressing its challenges and advocating for the rights and health of people living with HIV. Putting people first means considering solutions from the perspective of those most impacted (International AIDS Society, 2024). Over the decades, World AIDS Day themes have reflected the changing landscape of the epidemic, helping to galvanise global action, foster solidarity and ensure that the voices of those most affected by HIV/AIDS remain at the centre of the conversation. Themes call attention to the ongoing barriers faced by people living with HIV.
The World Health Organization (WHO) (2024) commemorates World AIDS Day 2024 under the theme ‘Take the rights path: my health, my right!’, calling on global leaders and citizens to support the right to health by addressing the inequalities that prevent progress in ending AIDS. Although medical advances have transformed HIV from a fatal disease to a manageable chronic condition, the stigma, discrimination and disparities in access to care persist. Nurses, as patient-facing healthcare providers, must continue to lead with empathy, advocacy and action.
Nurses have always been at the heart of the HIV response – from the early days of the epidemic, providing care to patients when fear and misunderstanding were rampant, to today, where they support individuals in managing their condition for the long term, offering not only clinical care but also emotional and psychosocial support.
Advances in antiretroviral therapy mean that those living with HIV can now live long, healthy lives, but this has also introduced new complexities. Many individuals are ageing with HIV, navigating the intersection of multiple chronic conditions. This means that nurses must be equipped not only with up-to-date knowledge about HIV treatment but also with the skills to manage comorbidities and deliver holistic, person-centred care in the context of HIV.
Despite significant progress, stigma remains a formidable barrier to HIV prevention, treatment and support. Nurses are key in challenging stigmatising attitudes, both in the healthcare setting and the wider community. They also serve as advocates for vulnerable populations who are disproportionately affected by HIV, including men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, sex workers and people of colour. These groups continue to face significant healthcare inequalities that hinder their ability to access testing, treatment and prevention services.
As well as offering care and support to those living with HIV, nurses play an essential role in prevention efforts. This includes the provision of information about HIV transmission, promoting the use of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and encouraging regular testing. For those already living with HIV, nurses must emphasise the importance of antiretroviral therapy adherence to maintain viral suppression, which not only improves individual health outcomes but also prevents onward transmission.
It is important for nurses to reflect on how far we have come and where we go next. The ultimate goal is the eradication of HIV and although science is moving us closer to a cure, nurses continue to provide care and comfort to those who need it most. The nursing profession must also continue to push for policies that ensure all individuals have access to the HIV prevention and care services they need.
World AIDS Day is a call to action, as we reaffirm our commitment to addressing HIV with compassion, knowledge and dedication to health equity. The International Council of Nurses (2020) emphasised that defeating any virus is impossible without the crucial contributions of nurses, recognising and celebrating their pivotal role in addressing both the HIV epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, this is just as true: without nurses, overcoming any virus, whether HIV, SARS-CoV-2, MPXV, or Ebola, is simply unachievable.