The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), a global leader that has been making effort to end AIDS, on the World AIDS Day 2015 started the day by saying that it is standing united with every person across the world currently living with HIV or AIDS.

The foundation on the day also said that there is a high need to spread more and more education and awareness about the disease. It also called for a need to increase the access to healthcare across the world.

The foundation even called for deeper compassion for people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.

Elton John, founder of EJAF, said, “Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988, we have made significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Today, we now know how to prevent the spread of HIV and, thanks to scientific advancements, how to treat it”.

John said that so much work is still pending which is to be done. Several millions of people across the world are presently living with the virus and these people either are unaware, or lack access to the healthcare they require to get treated.

Furthermore, he said that discrimination and stigma that exist in our healthcare system and society prevent people who are aware of their HIV-status from seeking treatment. He said such practices are very necessary to be stopped if we want to end AIDS.

The foundation said that in this year alone, it will be investing around $8 million in several organizations across the Americas, half of which is earmarked for initiatives in the US South and the Caribbean.