Show support for World Aids Day
TOMORROW is World Aids Day and Jamaicans are encouraged to wear red to show their support for those battling the disease.
The UNAIDS Strategy for 2011-2015 focused on getting to zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. It also set a few targets to be achieved by the end of 2015. These include:
1. Reducing by half sexual transmission of HIV, including among young people, men who have sex with men, and transmission via sex work.
2. Eliminating vertical transmission of HIV and reducing by half AIDS-related maternal mortality.
3. Preventing all new HIV infections among people who use drugs.
4. Universal access to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV who are eligible for treatment.
5. Reducing by half TB (tuberculosis) deaths among people living with HIV.
6. Addressing in national social prevention strategies people living with HIV and households affected by HIV so they can have access to essential care and support.
7. Reduce by half countries with punitive laws and practices around HIV transmission, sex work, drug use or homosexuality that block effective responses.
8. Eliminating HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay and residence in half of the countries that have such restrictions.
9. Addressing HIV-specific needs of women and girls in at least half of all national HIV responses.
10. Zero tolerance for gender-based violence.
A new set of targets have been set for 2016-2021, which include achieving 90-90-90 status, which means 90 per cent of people living with HIV know their status; 90 per cent of HIV-positive people are on treatment; and 90 per cent of people are on treatment with suppressed viral loads.
