December 1st is World AIDS Day. Activists hope to reduce the stigma and shatter perceptions held by societies and governments. So the day is being celebrating around the world.

In China, activists are skeptical of a pledge to now fight discrimination against people with the disease. China has long denied AIDS was ever a problem and dozens of AIDS activists were put under house arrest or surveillance just before the Olympics.

In South Africa, where more live with AIDS than anywhere else, people stopped for a moment of silence led by a government also once known for denying the severity of the problem.

Yesterday in Haiti organizers held what's called the Caribbean nation's first openly gay march. The virus has long plagued Haiti, though the rate of AIDS has fallen by more than half since 1996.