Jason Warriner: Don't lose the momentum against HIV

To mark World AIDS Day, HIV nursing expert Jason Warriner celebrates the remarkable progress that's been achieved in the UK since the 1980s. The end of the HIV epidemic is in sight - but only if we keep investing in prevention, testing and treatment

The first global health day took place on 1 December 1988 with the launch of World AIDS Day. At a time when people were dying from AIDS-related illnesses and no effective treatment against HIV was available, the future looked bleak.

HIV was a death sentence for hundreds of people diagnosed with the virus, and fear and anxiety were high around the globe. Raising awareness of the epidemic was one way of combatting the virus and allaying public fear.

Changed beyond recognition

Almost 30 years later, the world