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The Public Health Division of the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), in partnership with the Pacific
Islands HIV and STI Response Fund, has negotiated access to antiretroviral
drugs (ARVs) for Pacific Islanders beginning July 2013.The Response Fund will
finance the ARVs with the support of the Australian and New Zealand Aid
Programmes and an SPC contribution of US $100,000. According to Dr. Dennie
Iniakwala, HIV and STI team leader at SPC, the agreement gives people living
with HIV peace of mind as the organization continues working on programs on HIV
and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). He noted that the agreement
allows the organization time to find a longer term and sustained supply of
these drugs.
It is necessary for people with HIV
infection who are on treatment to adhere to the treatment program, as ARVs
block the multiplication of HIV and halt progression of the disease. For this
reason, it is very important that people living with HIV have access to ARVs
and that all who are eligible for treatment receive it. Since 2004, the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria has spent more than US $330,000 on ARVs for
Pacific people with HIV infection, using a grant managed by SPC that will end
in June 2013.
Last month, regional consultations
were held with Pacific HIV/STI and reproductive health managers in Fiji and
Guam as part of the effort to develop the next five-year regional plans for HIV
and other STIs in the Pacific. UNAIDS estimated that in 2012, the Pacific
region had approximately 60,000 people living with HIV, including in Australia,
New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.
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!
