PEOPLE will pay their respects to the victims of the AIDS epidemic in a vigil later this week.

Names of people from the city who have lost their lives to the disease will be read out in the service in New Steine Gardens, followed by a cabaret fundraiser at Charles Street Tap in Marine Parade.

Leading HIV and sexual health charity Terrance Higgins Trust have partnered with the World AIDS Day Community Partnership for the event, which starts at 6pm on December 1 and is open to everyone.

Centre manager at Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton Marc Tweed said: "World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people around the world to remember the millions of lives lost to HIV.

"It's also a time to reflect on how far we've come since the 1980s - people living with HIV and on effective treatment can't pass on the virus and can expect to live just as long as anyone else.

"The situation has changed so much, the virus is no longer a death sentence and we're now working towards ending new cases of HIV. This would have been unthinkable forty years ago.

"World AIDS Day can be a difficult time for those who have been personally affected by HIV.

"We're encouraging the people of Brighton and Hove to come along to the vigil to reflect on those we've lost and join in solidarity with people living with and affected by HIV."

Brighton became the first city in the UK to join the fast-track cities initiative in 2017 and pledged to work towards zero new HIV infections.

The city has been leading the way in HIV services, while the UK has worked towards becoming the first country in the world to end new cases of the virus by 2030.

First marked in 1988, World AIDS Day is commemorated every December 1 and is one of eleven global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organisation.

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