December 1, World AIDS Day, was observed around the globe. More then ever emphasis was put on fighting stigma and prejudice.

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Statistics published ahead of the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August say that around 33 million people had HIV in 2007.

Around 2.7 million people became infected, or on average around 7,500 people per day, while deaths were estimated at around two million.

In Europe, the highest HIV rates were reported from Estonia, Ukraine, Portugal and the Republic of Moldova. In the 44 countries that consistently provided data since 2000, the number of newly diagnosed cases increased from 21 787 to 41 949.

The lowest rates were reported by Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania.

On the occasion of the World AIDS Day the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced that two million people living with HIV had now been reached with the lifeline treatment through program it supports, an increase of 43 percent over a year ago.

France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy announcing that she had accepted a new mission as ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Through field trips, advocacy and by mobilizing other celebrities to add their voice to the struggle against AIDS, Bruni-Sarkozy hopes to bring renewed focus to a cause that appears to be suffering from donor fatigue.

In Beijing, Hu's visit to a hospital was designed to strip away some of the stigma attached to the virus and the Chinese leader praised volunteers as an "indispensable force" in the battle against the disease.

"Stigma and discrimination are major obstacles in an effective response to AIDS," said Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu at the launch of the campaign against AIDS on December 1 at the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium. "We need to engage all sectors of society in China to combat these issues and work to stop the disease."

The International AIDS Society (IAS), called on the Group of Eight (G8) to stand by their pledge, set down at their Gleneagles summit in 2005, for universal access to antiretroviral drugs by 2010.

"Based on the G8's own reporting at its July 2008 meeting in Hokkaido, Japan the IAS has calculated that G8 countries have, to date, pledged approximately 22.2 billion specifically for global HIV programs between 2008 and 2010," the IAS said.

In the United States, President elect Barack Obama is committed to reauthorizing the President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief while eliminating the ideologically-motivated provisos about how recipients can spend the money.

Currently, the recipient nations must pledge to spend at least fifty percent of funds allocated to fight the sexual transmission of HIV on promoting abstinence until marriage and marital fidelity, unless they justify why they are promoting condom use.

In Russia, media note that many HIV-infected people are turning to the Church for help. A group from the Orthodox Church developed a program to fight HIV/AIDS spreading that offers support in prevention measures and spiritual healing.

"The religious community used to think of HIV/AIDS infected persons as sinners who are rightly punished for their sin," Rev. Mikhail Dudko said at a news conference. "This perception is becoming a thing of the past. People understand that there could be different reasons for the disease, and that the sick persons need help, sympathy and sometimes to repent."

An expert at the UNAIDS agency in Moscow stated that "Russia complains of declining population without taking cognizance of the major factors contributing towards it."

Urgent action is necessary, he said. "If Russia does not quickly tackle drug addiction, the growing AIDS epidemic, rising suicide, chronic alcoholism and other health problems, the population will move towards extinction. It's about time to stop paying lip service, and to pull the bull by the horns."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu in an article in Chicago Tribune: "As we prepare to commemorate World AIDS Day on Monday, we must remember that the world is facing not only an AIDS emergency -- which is killing 5,500 a day -- but also the global spread of tuberculosis, including drug-resistant strains," Tutu writes. He adds, "True, the world faces an economic downturn, and there is no doubt the U.S. has urgent human needs at home, including its own quite serious HIV/AIDS epidemic, but the fact remains that even a doubled contribution" to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria "would be a tiny amount, less than 1% of the U.S. budget, a small price to pay for a peaceful, stable world"

The Irish rock star Bono has promised to help fight AIDS With his music. The program is called (RED)WIRE and is an off-shoot of Bono’s (PRODUCT)RED campaign to benefit the HIV crisis in Africa.

Fans and supporters can donate $5 and in return receive a monthly newsletter also containing a free music download from one of the many groups backing the (RED)WIRE program. Along with U2, subscribers can expect to hear new unreleased material from groups such as The Killers, Elton John and Neil Tennant of The Pet Shop Boys, Coldplay, The Dixie Chicks, John Legend, Bob Dylan and REM.

2008 World AIDS Day in Images and Words:

>> Nations observe World AIDS Day

Fantastic series of photos from the Seattle Times, featuring World AIDS Day displays and events from around the world.

>> Bush, Obama Deliver Remarks On World AIDS Day

Summary from AllHeadlineNews.

>> World AIDS Day 2008: Much accomplished, much to do

A reflective editorial for CNN by Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.

>> A Killer and a Cure This World AIDS Day

A post on Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times blog, written by Josh Ruxin, “a Columbia University expert on public health who has spent the last few years living in Rwanda.”

>> A Breathtaking Aspiration for AIDS

A New York Times editorial discusses new WHO research suggesting that regular, mass HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa could have an astonishing impact on HIV/AIDS rates on the continent.

>> The Dag Hammarskjold Library marks World AIDS Day

Portal to United Nations sites and other resources addressing HIV/AIDS.

>> AIDS Awareness Days

World AIDS Day information and links from the US Department of Health and Human Services.