A "dangerous complacency" hangs over the global meeting on AIDS



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A report from UNAIDS said Wednesday that 36.9 million people were living with the virus that, thanks to antiretroviral therapy (ARV), is no longer a death sentence.

The report also reports that new HIV infections are increasing in some 50 countries and more than doubling in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

. Gail Bekker told AFP that there may be "a strategic mistake on the part of AIDS gurus" to prioritize treatment at the expense of preventing HIV infection. HIV – the only real way to stop the epidemic. "Obviously, a vaccine is the Holy Grail, but we are not there yet."

Meanwhile, the world needs a vaccine against the Ebola virus and tuberculosis. A renewed emphasis on prevention, said Bekker – emphasizing condom use, expanding the use of antiretroviral therapy as a protection against infections and the provision of safe and secure needles without drug addiction.

But to do this, while treating the 15.2 million infected people who do not have access,

And this at a time when the US administration under Donald Trump has promised to reduce AIDS spending.

A report this week by UNAIDS and the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy NGO, found that years of declining global funding, donor payments to low- and middle-income countries have increased by 16% to reach $ 8.1 billion (seven billion euros) last year.

Do not go away

But he warned that this was not a reason to celebrate because the trend was not going to last.

The additional money came mainly from a turnover towards 2017 US government funds – by far the largest donor. AIDS programs – they were appropriate but had not been spent in previous years.

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