by: Keith Alcorn ,20 July 2014

The 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) opened in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday evening overshadowed by the deaths of 298 passengers aboard Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.

Six delegates on their way to the conference were amongst those killed, including Professor Joep Lange, a former President of the International AIDS Society.

A one-minute global moment of remembrance was held in honour of the delegates who lost their lives at the beginning of the opening ceremony with eleven former, present and future Presidents of the International AIDS Society onstage together with representatives from those organisations who lost colleagues, the World Health Organization, AIDS Fonds, Stop AIDS Now, The Female Health Company, the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development and members of the Dutch HIV research community.

“The extent of the loss of our colleagues and friends is still hard for me to comprehend or express”. Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi

Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, the current President of the International AIDS Society, told delegates, “The extent of the loss of our colleagues and friends is still hard for me to comprehend or express”.

Numerous tributes to Professor Joep Lange’s three-decade career in HIV medicine and advocacy have emphasised his central role in pioneering access to affordable combination antiretroviral therapy in lower-income countries. Professor Lange was also an early advocate for the necessity of using triple regimens of antiretroviral drugs from different classes in order to control HIV replication effectively.

Joep Lange “has always told us to keep our eye on the ball and to pursue the end of the AIDS pandemic,” said Anthony Fauci, Director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in a video statement.

In his plenary address, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé told delegates that the UN was committed to ending AIDS by 2030 and at a UNAIDS satellite meeting he made it clear what this meant: 90% of people with HIV diagnosed, 90% of diagnosed people on treatment and 90% of those on treatment with undetectable viral load by 2020. If this goal could be achieved, says UNAIDS, 73% of people living with HIV will have fully suppressed viral load by 2020, greatly reducing HIV transmission and substantially reducing deaths from AIDS. This target would require greatly increased treatment coverage: worldwide approximately 37% of people living with HIV are receiving treatment but coverage varies widely between countries.

Reflecting the conference theme of ‘Stepping up the pace’, activists at the conference pressed for undetectable viral load for all by 2020 and called for action to ensure that viral load testing and antiretroviral treatment are fully funded.

“Now, more than ever, we must concentrate our limited resources on where most infections occur and on where most people die,” said Sidibé. “The world needs a new “catch-up” plan for the 15 countries that account for 75% of new HIV infections.”

The conference will also feature a new emphasis on key populations – men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender women – who have a heightened vulnerability to HIV infection but also suffer from discrimination and criminalisation. The World Health Organization recently issued new guidance on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations.

bron:  www.aidsmap.com

 

Verlies van onze geliefde collega’s

Donderdag 17 juli is vlucht MH17 van Malaysia Airlines neergestort in Oost-Oekraïne. In overleg met de familie laten wij weten dat onder de inzittenden twee van onze geliefde collega’s waren, Pim de Kuijer (lobbyist) en Martine de Schutter (programmaleider Bridging the Gaps). Zij waren onderweg naar de Internationale Aids Conferentie in Melbourne. Met groot verdriet en diepe verslagenheid hebben wij kennis genomen van dit nieuws, dat nog maar nauwelijks te bevatten is. Onze gedachten en medeleven gaan uit naar hun familie en vrienden. Wij wensen hen veel sterkte toe in deze moeilijke periode. Onze collega’s waren prachtige en inspirerende personen, die we voor altijd in ons hart hebben gesloten.

Met de vliegtuigramp hebben we ook drie dierbare collega’s en naasten uit het werkveld verloren. Joep Lange, één van de meest prominente internationale leiders in de aidsbestrijding, zeer gewaardeerd collega en goede vriend van de organisatie, was samen met zijn partner en collega Jacqueline van Tongeren op weg naar de Internationale Aids Conferentie. Ook van oud-collega Lucie van Mens, die haar carrière wijdde aan de bescherming van sekswerkers, de internationale aidsbestrijding en de promotie van het vrouwencondoom, moeten wij afscheid nemen.

Tijdens de pre-conferentie van The Global Forum on MSM & HIV in Melbourne, werden mooie woorden gesproken over Pim, Martine en Joep. Zo sprak Michel Sidibé, directeur van UNAIDS: “Toen ik Ton Coenen zag, moest ik meteen aan Martine de Schutter, Pim de Kuijer en Joep Lange denken. Zij waren het gezicht van onze beweging. Aan deze gebeurtenis zullen we altijd met pijn in ons hart denken. We nemen hun gedachtegoed mee en zetten hun werk voort.”

De opening van de 20ste Internationale Aids Conferentie in Melbourne start zondag 20 juli met een eerbetoon aan alle 298 slachtoffers.

bron: www.aidsfonds.nl