On this World AIDS Day, amid a new health crisis of COVID-19, we must not forget about “AIDS: The Other Pandemic.” AHF introduced this new theme especially for World AIDS Day 2020 to serve as a reminder of a pandemic that has been raging for more than three decades and continues to affect millions of people across the globe.
We invite you to visit the AHF World AIDS Day website to find an exciting virtual or socially-distanced live event near you and to read the timely messages below from AHF’s global leaders! If we work together, we can all ensure that the world never forgets about “AIDS: The Other Pandemic.”
“This year will be remembered as a time of crisis, but people often forget that HIV/AIDS has been devastating communities for more than 30 years. AIDS is still a crisis with possibly up to 15 million people living with HIV still without treatment. And even though we’ve made great progress against HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 has proven what many experts already knew—the world continues to be woefully ill-prepared to respond to pandemics. AHF will continue calling for a new Global Public Health Convention and fight for those 15 million people. Until governments and international health agencies get serious about global public health reform, history will continue to repeat itself when it comes to deadly disease outbreaks.”
“Even though we have made great strides battling HIV/AIDS globally, we still have a long way to go. It is simply unacceptable that people living with HIV in many parts of the world still struggle to get free or affordable testing and antiretroviral therapy. Even condom access is limited in many countries, though they are the most cost-effective way to stop HIV transmission. With no HIV vaccine on the horizon, guaranteeing prevention and treatment for all is the only way we’ll bring the virus under control.”
“Even though we have made great strides battling HIV/AIDS globally, we still have a long way to go. It is simply unacceptable that people living with HIV in many parts of the world still struggle to get free or affordable testing and antiretroviral therapy. Even condom access is limited in many countries, though they are the most cost-effective way to stop HIV transmission. With no HIV vaccine on the horizon, guaranteeing prevention and treatment for all is the only way we’ll bring the virus under control.”
“India has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world – 9.3 million – and the economic, social and health care impacts will be felt for generations. But with creative thinking, hard work and dedication from our staff, we’ve managed to maintain lifesaving treatment, prevention and diagnostic services for our clients. We must fight both pandemics – it may seem daunting, but so did the early days of AIDS. We have come a long way and cannot afford to go backwards.”
“Latin America and the Caribbean have been devastated by COVID-19, with several countries reporting more than 1 million cases and over 424,000 deaths across the region. But amid all this, we must carry on and protect gains that have been painstakingly achieved in the fight against ‘AIDS: The Other Pandemic’. Our attention cannot be solely on COVID-19 – we must find the will, determination and resources to fight both pandemics – it’s a matter of survival for the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
“COVID-19 cases have declined in Asia, but this was a wake-up call, as the pandemic put a serious strain on HIV/AIDS programs. We must be prepared to deal with such disruptions in the future – the health and lives of people living with HIV depend on it. This World AIDS Day we want to remind everyone that AIDS is still a crisis across our region, and we all must work together to beat it by investing effort and resources into testing, prevention and treatment.”
