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A UN General Assembly meeting on
Monday reviewed progress made against HIV/AIDS since last year, when assembly
members renewed their commitment to fight AIDS globally and set new targets for
2015. The objectives include universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care,
treatment, and support services.
“Countries in Africa are at
different stages of addressing the pandemic, with mixed results,” said
Josephine Ojiambo, Kenya’s deputy permanent representative to the UN. “While
several countries in the region have for the last 20 years registered some success
in the fight against the pandemic, the situation is still grave.”
“We cannot possibly begin speaking
of the ‘beginning of the end of AIDS’ when millions upon millions cannot get
essential HIV/AIDS-related interventions, new infections continue, and international
funding is on the decline,” said Ojiambo. “The consequence is that the world
shall miss the 2015 targets by a considerable margin, thereby rendering a
serious indictment on our collective commitment to fight this scourge.”
However, these challenges are
“surmountable,” Ojiambo said, characterizing the global AIDS fight as “at a
crossroad.” Kenya has cut its rate of new infections and boosted awareness
about HIV prevention and testing, she said. The country is still working to
lower the cost of treatment and reduce disease-related stigma.
Beyond treatment, “It requires
health care professionals, suitable facilities, current information, and
increased funding - all integrated within a fully functional health care
system,” said Ojiambo.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
