The United Nations envisions a world without AIDS – and it’s aiming to make that a reality by ending the epidemic by 2030.
The presidents of Ghana and Switzerland, in conjunction with UNAIDS, unveiled
a new program on Thursday night in conjunction with the meeting of the
UN General Assembly. The new campaign is titled “Fast Track,” and it aspires to stamp out AIDS definitively during the next 16 years.
“Achieving an AIDS-free generation will pose an incredible
test, but I am certain we can pass that test and see this fight across
finish line,” Secretary of State John Kerry said at the conference.
UNAIDS is focused on expanding access to HIV treatment and prevention programs in order to reduce new HIV infections from 2.1 million in 2010 to 200,000 in 2030. A critical element of the human rights program is to provide those
who are most vulnerable to infection -including sex workers, men who
have sex with men, transgender people and intravenous drug users – with
access to services that are free of discrimination.
While HIV can affect anyone in any place across the globe,
there were 30 countries that accounted for more than 80% of all new
infections in 2013. Last year, South Africa had the largest number
of new HIV infections – 16% of the world’s total. Next in line were
Nigeria with 10 %, Uganda with 7%, and India with 6%. The U.S. accounted for 2% of all new infections, among the highest of all developed countries and comparable to infection rates in Cameroon, Malawi, and Brazil.
Joseph Neese
MSNBC
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