UC San Diego observed World Aids Day Tuesday with public events and a display of portions of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Shaun Travers, director of UC San Diego’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center, said the quilt educates the public about the virus.
“This helps contextualize how devastating this pandemic has been,” Travers said.
Every year for more than a decade, the AIDS memorial quilt has come to the La Jolla campus.
“There needs to be less and less stigma related to being HIV positive, and more and more support for those that are diagnosed and providing access to those medications, which extend their life,” Travers said.
One new medication that reportedly treats the infection and, if taken daily, can reduce the risk of contracting HIV is Truvada. Travers said the LGBT community is focusing on getting Truvada into the hands of people who need it.
“We are really committed to giving access to that medication for folks that know they may be at risk for getting HIV,” Travers said. “They can take that once a day pill and it can really make a difference.”
An optimistic Travers said an HIV- and AIDS-free world is on the horizon.
“I believe that this generation at UC San Diego, this generation of students, will be the generation that stops AIDS.”
For Travers, the quilt is a reminder of those who lost their lives to AIDS, and it provides inspiration to find a cure.
