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July 22, 2019
More than 5,000 people from 140 counties gathered in Mexico for the opening of 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019), where global experts have called for urgent action to address the health needs of millions of people affected by humanitarian crises.
Experts were confronted with the question "Is the global response to HIV in crisis?" They focused on the challenges that threaten the deployment of universal health care, including HIV services, for all. They range from migration to conflict to the challenges of reaching specific populations, including women and girls and injecting drug users.
More than 135 million people worldwide need humanitarian badistance mainly because of conflict and natural disasters, hence the need for emergency badistance.
From Syria to Venezuela, the challenge of providing HIV services during humanitarian crises threatens global progress in the fight against the epidemic. People in emergency situations are particularly vulnerable to new infections. We must work to make HIV prevention and treatment an integral part of relief efforts around the world. "
Anton Pozniak, President of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and International Scientific Chair of IAS 2019
In Central America and Venezuela, political instability has led to mbad migration and strained local health systems. Of the 120,000 people living with HIV in Venezuela, only half had access to antiretroviral therapy and less than 7% had succeeded in eliminating the virus in 2017. In Chile, nearly half of new diagnoses were diagnosed in 2018 in Chile.
Latin America is one of the most unequal regions in the world. Efforts to control the HIV epidemic will only be successful when huge differences in income distribution and well-being are taken into account. And of course, all eyes are on the crisis in Venezuela, where people with HIV die because of a shortage of antiretroviral therapy. These unnecessary deaths will only end with a comprehensive regional strategy. "
Brenda Crabtree Ramirez, Local Science Chair, IAS 2019
Globally, women and girls face structural and societal barriers to accessing health care, including stigma and discrimination, and lack of specific knowledge of health care providers about health care provided to women. In addition, 29 countries require the consent of their husbands or partners to ensure that women have access to badual and reproductive health services. These inequalities are exacerbated during humanitarian crises and natural disasters.
UNAIDS estimates that in sub-Saharan Africa, three out of five new HIV infections among 15-19 year olds are girls.
Crises and emergencies expose women and girls to increased risk of violence and increased risk of HIV and unwanted pregnancy. Any successful HIV program should cover comprehensive care, including family planning and pregnancy prevention. "
Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Professor at Columbia University and Director of the South African AIDS Research Program (CAPRISA), Associate Scientific Director
Pakistan has recently witnessed an HIV epidemic among children, with nearly 500 diagnoses of children in one and the same city.
Strengthening failing health systems must be at the heart of a global humanitarian response. In Pakistan, we are witnessing a devastating HIV epidemic among very young children infected with reused syringes and a compromised blood supply. The solutions are clear and simple. we need to invest in basic training and resources for rural health centers providing primary and secondary care for women and children. "
Fatima Mir, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Aga Khan University, Karachi
Despite the success of some needle exchange programs in Eastern Europe, access to harm reduction in the region remains low and the epidemic remains concentrated among drug users injectables.
We have the science and technology we need to fight the epidemic and it is time to eliminate stigma and discrimination to reach everyone. Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the only region where the rate of new HIV infections is rising, with Russia alone contributing to 100,000 new infections each year. To reverse this trend, we need interventions that respond to the needs of those most vulnerable to HIV. And with the withdrawal of the Global Fund from some Eastern European countries, it is essential to ensure that community organizations take charge of and lead the fight against HIV. "
Momchil Baev, Sexual Health Program Manager at SingleStep
According to Ambbadador Deborah L. Birx, US AIDS Coordinator and US Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy:
Over the last 16 years, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has saved more than 17 million lives and helped transform the global response to HIV. We are proud of the remarkable progress made by many countries that we support and remain committed to accelerating efforts to control epidemics wherever we work – country by country, community by community. "
IAS 2019 will present the latest scientific advances in treatment, treatment and prevention innovations, as well as the latest on-the-ground strategies to address inequities in the HIV response. More than 1,000 abstracts presentations were selected from more than 3,000 submissions from researchers worldwide. Women represent half of the abstract presenters and one third of them are under 35 years old.
Source:
International AIDS Society
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