BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ)—AIDS was first recognized 31 years ago. Medical advancements and education has helped in the fight against the disease, but cities like Baltimore are an example that there’s still a long way to go.

Kai Jackson reports.

They marched through the streets in the Philippines. They rallied in Mumbai, India, a country where infection rates have decreased. And in China, the country’s new premier promised more funding for research.

World AIDS Day is observed across the globe.

Music fills the air outside Baltimore City Hall in a ceremony for World AIDS Day.

It’s not a celebration but recognition that the fight to eradicate the disease continues.

“Everyone, everyone should know their status. It’s easy. Just get tested,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

A recent John Hopkins study found that the number of new HIV cases for black women in Baltimore and other cities is five times higher than previous estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“AIDS is a war that can be defeated by first battling the ignorance surrounding it. And knowing that AIDS affects all—gay, straight, transgender, black, whites, Hispanics, rich and poor,” said an advocate at City Hall.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS is a disease of the immune system that stops the body’s ability to fight infections.