World AIDS Vaccine Day 2020: Date, History, Significance and Quotes to Mark the Day

World AIDS Vaccine Day is observed on May 18. The day is observed in order to raise awareness about Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV, which causes AIDS) and the need to have a vaccine against HIV. It has been four decades since the outbreak of HIV/AIDS epidemic and there's still no vaccine. According to the World Health Organization, AIDS has claimed approximately 32 million lives till now and has affected 75 million people across the globe. It is because of these reasons that HIV vaccine awareness day or World AIDS Vaccine Day is observed.

Vaccines are the most cost-effective and powerful tool to prevent deadly viral infections. It is important to have AIDS vaccine as around 37.9 million people were living with HIV globally in 2019, according to research journal Avert.

HIV targets the immune system and weakens people's defence systems against infections and some types of cancer. The virus destroys and impairs function of immune cells. People infected with HIV gradually become immunodeficient. This puts you at risk of a wide range of infections, cancer and disease which people with an efficient immune function can fight off.