World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day.
Approximately 37.9 million people across the globe were living with HIV/AIDS in 2018. In 2016, nearly half of people in the United States (US) and dependent areas living with diagnosed HIV were aged 50 and older. Though new HIV diagnoses are declining among people aged 50 and older, around 1 in 6 HIV diagnoses in 2017 were in this group, according to the CDC.