UNAIDS Accelerates Action On HIV Treatment, Prevention

[TGD]

• Targets 15 Million

AS an important strategy towards achieving zero AIDS-related death in Africa, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Saturday, launched Treatment 2015 – a new HIV treatment guideline.

    The framework, launched at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja, is to accelerate action in reaching 15 million people with antiretroviral (ARV) treatment by 2015 – the target year set by the United Nations Members State two years back.

   The launch was part of the official programme of the Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which starts tomorrow.

  Executive Director UNAIDS, Michael Sidibe, said the framework offers countries and partners both practical and innovative ways to increase access to antiretroviral medicines.

   These medicines, he noted, would not only enable people living with HIV to live longer and healthier lives but will also help prevent new infections.

   Sidibe told international delegates at the launch that about 10 years ago it was thought that effective treatment at $15,000 per person a year and 18 toxic pills per day were impossible.

    "But today, with innovations that have created one-pill treatment a-day, we have reached more people... Countries and partners need to urgently and strategically invest resources and efforts to ensure that everyone has access to HIV prevention and treatment," he said.

    Treatment 2015 outlines three fundamental pillars essential to reaching the 2015 target. The pillars are demand  (increasing demand for HIV testing and treatment services), invest (mobilising resources and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of spending) and deliver (ensuring more people have access to antiretroviral therapy).

   Nigeria's Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, commended UNAIDS and its partners for the launch, which according to him, "will complement other programmes that are being implemented by Nigerian government."

   With improved innovation in several areas, especially the social sector, Chukwu said the 2015 goal is possible.

   United States Global AIDS Coordinator, Eric Goosby, acknowledged huge improvement in the HIV/AIDS fight in Africa from 2003.

    He said the achivements would not have been possible without the inputs of partners that are also important to the success of Treatment 2015 initiative.

   "For me, it is not whether we can do this; I know we can do it. Scaling up access to ARV treatment is critical to achieving an AIDS-free generation. PEPFAR is firmly committed to continue working with partner countries and other stakeholders to help make this vision a reality. But we must share in the responsibility to get there," Goosby said.

The Guardian

[Folami David]

HIV/AIDS is something that has to be tackled seriously before hings get out of hand. So many people are contacting it nowadays....