UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday the world was headed for a “generation free of AIDS”, after USAIDS reported a 35%-drop in new HIV infections from 15 years ago. The positive news was also coupled with calls for more funding, with the objective of eliminating the virus by 2030. The United Nations also warned that continuing stigmatisation of sex workers, drug users and homosexuals were barriers to progress.The world has delivered. We have achieved and exceeded the goals regarding AIDS. We have 15 million people on HIV treatment,” Ban said in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where he is attending a global development summit.We are on the way to a generation free of AIDS,” Ban said. “The world has delivered on halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic. Now we must commit to ending the AIDS epidemic.” According to the UNAIDS report released on Tuesday in Geneva, there have been remarkable strides since the advent in 1996 of anti-retroviral drugs, which suppress the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Though not a cure, the therapy creates a virtuous circle. The less the virus is in circulation, the less likely it is that people become infected.However, as was pointed out in the report, there are still many dangers. One lies in Asia, with AIDS cases continuing to grow in China, Indonesia and India. Give the stigmatisation of the disease, we do not know how many cases truly exist in our own country, though past surveys have shown a high number particularly among Injecting Drug Users. There are also problems with the fact that there remains a reluctance to talk about the disease which is still associated with sex workers, drug users and gay people in societies around the world. It is necessary to remove this image if the battle against the disease is to gain even stronger footing. The journey to eliminate AIDS has seen some remarkable occasions with Cuba becoming the first country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmissions of the disease. This suggests how a global campaign combined with scientific effort can help overcome sicknesses of various kinds. Prevention however remains the key, and this is something we must focus on.
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