WARRINGTON Town Hall will be lit up red today to mark World AIDS Day.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, with World AIDS Day subsequently founded in 1988 to remember those who have died due to the disease.

And the red ribbon has since been become a symbol of the annual event.

But more than 4,000 people in the UK are still diagnosed with HIV – which attacks the body’s immune system and can cause AIDS to develop – every year.

Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, Warrington Borough Council’s executive board member for public health and wellbeing, said: “More than 105,000 people are living with HIV in the UK, and despite the virus only being identified in 1984 more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS-related illnesses – making it one of the most destructive epidemics in history.

“World AIDS Day is important because it reminds us that HIV has not gone away.

“There is still a vital need to raise money and awareness, both of which will help to champion the rights of people living with HIV, fight prejudice and ultimately help us realise the national ambition of ending new HIV cases by 2030.”

Sandra Mason, HIV Specialist Nurse at Warrington’s sexual health service Axess, added: “World AIDS Day gives us a chance to celebrate and support all of the people across the country and the world living with this condition.

“We can also take some time to think about the people who have lost their fight against HIV, to highlight stigma and to promote education in regards to this treatable, controllable condition.”