As the holiday season vastly approaches, we are caught in the whirlwind of gift giving and the celebration of family and love. But today is an important day in of itself. Today is World Aids Day 2017. Every year on December 1st since 1988. Founded by the World Health Organization (WHO), this day of observance was founded to help bring awareness to a pandemic that has claimed the lives of an estimated 41.5 million people worldwide. There are an estimated 36.7 million people currently living with HIV, which is the virus that causes AIDS. This disease as it stands, is the of the most important global issues ever in recorded history. Each year, there is a theme, this year the the theme is, My Health, My Right. The idea of this theme and every theme before is to hold political leaders to their commitment to achieve universal access to prevention, treatment, medication, and support for those that are affected by this disease. This disease does NOT have to be the killer that it is today, in fact, it is not the killer that it once was. Advances in modern medicine has lengthened lives, and millions of people live fulfilling lives with positive HIV statuses. It is important that every sexually active individual know their status. If everyone, including you, does their part, we can achieve a world where treatment is avaialble, a stigma no longer exists, and treatment is available for everyone in need.