The UN HIV/AIDS summit June 8th to June 10th culminated in a watered-down political statement identifying key gaps in global HIV/AIDS policy. But it didn’t come up with any solutions or guidance how to remedy the matter. Cluelessness is a worldwide epidemic too, apparently.
Member states noted that:
“many national HIV prevention strategies inadequately focus on populations that epidemiological evidence shows are at higher risk, specifically men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs (IDUs) and sex workers, and further note, however, that each country should define the specific populations that are key to its epidemic and response, based on the epidemiological and national context.”
Thanks, UN! You rather succinctly said something that we all know—tweakers and prostitutes get HIV. We get it!
Essentially, the body said, “You member states have problems. Fix them. How? Uh… you figure it out.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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If the UN had drawn attention to the budget cuts undermining prevention programs worldwide, we could have broadened the discussion far more effectively.
Also, the UN could have included guidance for coalition-building across national lines on this deadly issue. How are UN experts and American scientists assisting, for instance, in sub-Saharan Africa? What solutions can first-world nations give developing countries? HIV/AIDS will only be properly addressed when global solutions are found for this global problem.
avictor
I didn’t read it that way. Statistically IV drug users, sex workers and gay men contract AIDS at a higher rate.
I read that as we need to work harder to educate those who fall into those groups.
We have already said dirty needles, anal sex and multi-partners increase risk.
Why are those who fall into those high risk groups still higher risk?
Anal sex increases the chance of blood exposure to semen.
Dirty needles again increases expose to infected blood.
Farking lots of people increases the chance you have had sex with someoen with the disease.
This is fact not a political statement.
TMikel
From the early days of the AIDS epidemic, emphasis has fallen on men who have sex with men and indeesd this was one reason why this country was so late in actually tackling the problem. Currently 69% of new cases fall among black and Hispanic men and 60-81% fall among black and Hispanic women. One can find statistics to prove most anything one wants – as I just did thanks to Google – but the fact remains that avoiding HIV infection is the responsibility of each individual. For centuries syphilis and gonorrhea were known to cause death or very nasty health problems yet people continued to spread it. Until we deal with sexuality openly and teach young people how to avoid spreading all STDs, we are not going to get very far. The UN HIV/AIDS Summit has accomplished nothing that will help in the matter. 30 years into the epidemic we still have not figured out how to deal effectively with the problem.
rohit
question is how soon we are going to cure hiv completly.when are we going to get soluations for stopping deaths from hiv.
ToyotaBedZRock
Because only a small number of people have all the money, so unless they donate it no one gets help.
dsinla
Dr. Nancy Padian 10-year study on HIV transmission bit.ly/lbJha6 (video) bit.ly/kA0FjO (Paper)
View the Award winning documentary “House of Numbers” to see why questions about this must be raised, and why deeper issues about HIV and AIDS need to be discussed. Lives are at risk. This is the first documentar y,with the worlds
foremost authoritie s, that highlights the fundamenta l problems with HIV
testing, science, and statistics . It sheds new light on a misunderst ood
phenomenon for which there is still no cure. GO to bit.ly/kgWo0B