Today marks World AIDS Day 2021, and we at Yoxly stand proudly with those remembering the 33 million we have lost since the start of the epidemic, and the 38 million more who live with HIV around the globe. 

We stand proudly with the HIV Commission, and their landmark report detailing the very real possibility of ending new HIV cases in England by 2030. 

As the Commission so clearly says, and in which Yoxly wholeheartedly believes:

The message from the HIV Commission is 'test, test, test'. To find the estimated 5,900 undiagnosed people living with HIV in England, HIV testing must be normalised throughout the health service. Everyone should know their HIV status, and there needs to be equitable and easy access to this knowledge.

That's right: we could end new cases of HIV within the decade.

Similarly, Yoxly stands in solidarity with Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), the UK's leading HIV and sexual health charity. The work of THT is crucial as they endeavour to raise awareness, end stigma, provide HIV testing, and fight for equality and inclusivity in health and healthcare.

We stand in solidarity and gratefulness with those who have devoted their lives and careers to preventing and beating HIV, developing drugs and treatments which can severely limit the transmission of HIV, and which--now more than ever--mean that those with HIV, with the right care, can live more normal lives than ever before. 

We stand in solidarity with those who are living with HIV and yet who are bolding telling their stories in the effort to educate and destigmatise, and who are living witness to the truth that Undetectable = Untransmittable.

So we give thanks to those who live among us and who came before us. Their stories shape our own, and though there is work to be done, we are grateful. 

This World AIDS Day there is the message of hope: we can end new cases of HIV in England by 2030. It is also a message of vigilance, but let's not forget the hope. And in this year, we could all use a little hope.