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The International AIDS Conference began its plenary work in Amsterdam with the participation of celebrities such as Prince Harry, Charlize Theron and Elton John, in a context of concern over a virus that affects 37 million people in the world. world.
Thousands of delegates – researchers, activists and bearers of this deadly virus – have been meeting since Monday (23) for this five-day conference, whose main concerns are: the effects of detente in terms of prevention and reduction of international funding.
Participants also highlight strict anti-drug laws and the fact that syringes are shared as causes of the re-emergence of the HIV virus.
On Tuesday, Prince Harry, American actress South African Charlize Theron and British singer Elton John contributed to the 22nd International AIDS Conference to promote fundraising in the fight against the virus.
The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, Conchita Wurst, who announced in April that she was HIV-positive and on antiretroviral therapy, took advantage of the opening ceremony on Monday to emphasize the fact that millions of people do not have access to essential medicines.
With a record 36.9 million people living with HIV today, experts warned that we should not let our guard down despite advances.
"In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, new infections have increased by 30% since 2010," said Linda-Gail Bekker, president of the International AIDS Society.
This is the only region in the world where HIV is increasing rapidly, mainly because of injecting drug use.
The UN will not reach its goals
"Despite remarkable progress, progress towards the end of AIDS is slow," said Tedros Ghebreyesus, chief executive officer of the World Organization of health.
And he warned that the UN's 2020 AIDS goals will not be achieved "because there are too many places in the world where people do not want to". do not get the prevention and treatment services they need. "
The HIV virus, transmitted primarily through sexual or blood-borne contact and causing AIDS, has infected nearly 80 million people since the early 1980s. More than 35 million people have died.
"When I was born 20 years ago with the HIV virus, the landscape of the epidemic was very different today," says Mercy Ngulube, a young activist who attended at the conference.
"It's really wonderful to be able to live a life where I do not have to get up and wonder if we have the tools to fight HIV," he said. "But it's also sad to live a life where I know we have such tools and that some people do not have access to them."
According to UNAIDS, $ 7 billion a year is needed to prevent this disease from threatening global public health until 2030.
"No to the war on drugs"
] One of the main causes of this disease repressive drug law applied in many countries, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Russia.
That is why a group of associations present at the conference launched a campaign called "Just Say No to the War on Drugs," by amending a famous US anti-drug motto. Regan era, in 1980, "Say no" to drugs.
The conference also paid tribute to six members of the International AIDS Society, who were killed while on their way to the 2014 Melbourne conference on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which been shot.
