World AIDS Day was founded in 1988 by the World Health Organization. This year, once again, the focus is on stigma and discrimination, two of the major obstacles to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

Each day 14,000 people -- half of them aged 15 to 24 -- are newly infected. In most countries there are no legal protections for HIV-positive people or their loved ones and they are regularly discriminated against and marginalized. This year's World AIDS Day campaign is focused on breaking the silence on this issue and confronting the discrimination around us. Help us fight fear, shame, ignorance and injustice worldwide! There are now 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, with more than 29 million people in sub-Saharan Africa infected.