1 December 2016

Nov 30, 2016

World AIDS Day 2016

Dear aidsfocus readers,

Today we are celebrating World AIDS Day 2016 and raising our hands in support of the right to preventative measures! Along with their partner organisations, Medicus Mundi Switzerland/aidsfocus.ch are raising their hands to draw attention to the importance of prevention and destigmatisation in the fight against the virus. In September UNAIDS launched the Hands up for #HIVprevention campaign in respect of World AIDS Day.

The numbers speak for themselves: over two million people are newly infected with HIV every year. Among them are around 350,000 young women and girls between the ages of 10 and 24, the majority of whom live in southern Africa where girls and young women are disproportionately infected with HIV in comparison to young men of the same age group.

The cost of containing HIV is increasing with the growing number of HIV-infected people because, in accordance with WHO requirements, everyone aware of their status should receive immediate access to medical treatment (“Test and Treat”). At the same time, we are facing an HIV/AIDS financing fatigue. UNAIDS has to cut jobs at its headquarters whilst the Global Fund has only 10.3 billion dollars available for the next three years to combat HIV, malaria and TB. According to the figures, this lies well below the required 26 billion per year until 2020 required for the fight against HIV/AIDS alone.

Hence it is all the more important that we pay more attention to the prevention of HIV! Campaigns with a global reach are an important instrument in spreading awareness and applying pressure. Because money alone will not keep HIV at bay. It requires the joint commitment of the infected, politicians, religious leaders and national as well as international actors. We need the political intent and the right mindset to protect those sections of the population disproportionately affected by HIV with legislation and policies and to safeguard everyone’s right of access to information, counselling and treatment.

New infections must be contained especially amongst adolescents and young adults. Michelle Lanwer has interviewed our guest Maximina Jokonya from Africaid in Zimbabwe about this issue. Read and listen to the moving and fascinating interview with Maximina here.

Carine Weiss

Coordinator, aidsfocus.ch

Project Leader, Medicus Mundi Switzerland

cweiss@medicusmundi.ch