International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day – 2026. Looking back, hoping for the future
Every year on the third Sunday in May, the world remembers people who have died from AIDS. Significant progress has been made in combating HIV infection over the past decades. HIV infection in the modern world is no longer a death sentence, but has become a chronic manageable condition.
The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial was first held in 1983 in San Francisco, USA, on the initiative of the World Health Organization.
This day remains a symbol of international solidarity and an opportunity to reflect on the path taken, assess achievements, and outline prospects for effective HIV prevention.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of scientists, doctors, public organizations, and people living with HIV themselves, results have become evident, offering hope for achieving the ambitious goal set in 2016 at the UN General Assembly – to end AIDS by 2030.
The key benchmark on this path is the "95-95-95" strategy.
In Belarus, in implementation of this strategy, the following indicators have been achieved (as of January 2026):
96.3% (26,005 people) of the estimated number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) know their diagnosis;
94.3% (23,267 people) of those who know their diagnosis are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART);
92.3% (21,483 people) of PLHIV receiving ART have an undetectable viral load.
Achieving this goal is not just about numbers: behind them are people who will live full lives and be able to realise their full potential.
Today, over 26,000 people with a positive HIV status live in Belarus. ART is provided free of charge to all patients in our country, and over 23,000 people are receiving this treatment long-term and successfully.
The number of deaths among HIV-positive patients has halved over the past decade due to the accessibility of treatment and prevention.
In the Vitebsk region, as of April 1, 2026, over 1,500 people live with a positive HIV status, of whom over 1,200 are receiving therapy.
In the Lepel district, 96.6% of people living with HIV receive ART.
Timely detection of infection and initiation of treatment is the first and important step towards maintaining a full life for a person with a positive HIV status.
HIV testing is the only way to know if a person has
New, highly effective methods such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) contribute to significant progress in prevention, allowing people, especially those at high risk of infection, to reduce the risk of infection
to a minimum.
A number of events are planned in Lepel District: information days on HIV prevention, fostering a responsible attitude towards one's own health, reducing stigma towards people living with HIV; campaigns, information hours; seminars: meetings with work collectives for work collectives; video lectures; literature exhibitions; drawing and poster contests; sports events.
The campaign "Know Your HIV Status" is held twice a year in Lepel District, with HIV self-testing, timed to coincide with the commemorative dates of December 1st and the 3rd Sunday of May. This year, the work collective of the Lepel Electric Communication Node of the Glubokoye Zonal Electric Communication Node has been provided with the opportunity to learn more about HIV infection and get the result of their HIV test.
We invite all interested and concerned individuals to join the organisation and conduct of events dedicated to the International Day of Remembrance of people who died from AIDS.
State Institution "Lepel District Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology"