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Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the
British Columbia Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, called Monday for Canadian
federal and provincial governments to sign the official declaration of the
upcoming International AIDS Conference (IAC). Organizers of the conference,
which takes place next week in Washington, want to stop the epidemic through a
nine-point plan, including access to antiretroviral treatment and ending AIDS
discrimination and stigma.
In an open letter to Canada’s
political leaders, Montaner wrote: “To curb HIV and reach the promise of an
AIDS-free generation, we must ramp up and fully roll out treatment as
prevention in Canada and around the world.”
In an interview, Montaner pointed to
successes on Canada’s west coast, where HIV prevention has focused on
harm-reduction and education. Statistics show that new AIDS diagnoses are down
by more than 85 percent in British Columbia from the peak year of 1996. But
Montaner also noted other parts of Canada, particularly Saskatchewan, have seen
an increase in HIV/AIDS rates.
A written response to Montaner’s
request from Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq’s office said the declaration would
be reviewed “in due course.” The e-mail noted that the government is providing
“record amounts of funding” to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, and it says the government
helped make AIDS in aboriginal populations an IAC topic “for the first time
ever.”
“You can prevent death, you can
prevent morbidity, and you can stop transmission,” Montaner said. “You can
deliver on an AIDS-free generation. All you need to do is implement what we
already know and we get it done within your political term.”
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!
