NATIONS MARK WORLD AIDS DAY

Nations around the globe are marking the 22nd World AIDS Day with more than 80 international landmarks being lit by red light to raise awareness about the epidemic.

From the Sydney Opera House, to Paris’ City Hall and Fountains, from the London Eye, to Cape Town’s Table Mountain, from Niagara Falls, to the Seattle Space Needle – the world will turn red today.

The (Red) campaign is being championed by U2 frontman Bono who, along with Prime Minister Julia Gillard, launched the initiative in Sydney with the lighting of the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge last night.

The campaign’s goal is to see that children born in 2015 become the first generation to be AIDS-free.

“Some people think that the pandemic is on its way out and it’s job done. It is really not so,” said the star.

The ‘(Red)’ campaign has also called on Facebook and Twitter users to change their profile picture to red for the day.

According to UNAIDS estimates, 33.3 million people are living with HIV around the world, including 2.5 million children.

Around 2.6 million people became infected with the virus in 2009 while an estimated 1.8 million people died from AIDS.

The theme for the 2010 World AIDS Day is Universal Access and Human Rights.