Media Releases – Page 43

Free services for people living with HIV and AIDS

Image: Rev Garth Minott, Programme Director, Religious Groups Steering Committee of the Jamaica Council of Churches.

(Kingston, Jamaica) People living with HIV and AIDS are expected this year to have access to free services at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) office located on Hagley Park Road in Kingston.

A recent release said the services to be provided by AHF are expected to include clinic, pharmacy, counselling, and a food bank.

The promotion of these services, particularly in communities with a high concentration of people living with HIV and AIDS, is a collaborative effort between the Religious Groups Steering Committee of the Jamaica Council of Churches, which focuses on HIV and AIDS-related matters and the AHF — a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, USA, the release said.

“The AHF’s mission is to focus attention on the HIV and AIDS epidemic and the right to health, through the provision of cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay. The strengthening of the capacity of religious agencies to adequately and appropriately respond to HIV and AIDS issues, is critical, especially in areas with a high concentration of persons living with HIV, most of whom are also of limited economic means,” said Dr Kevin Harvey, AHF Caribbean regional director, is quoted as saying in the release.

In preparation to launch the AHF services, a number of religious leaders from Rockfort to Six Miles, have undergone a sensitisation session on the urgency to continue to focus attention on the context, spread and impact of the HIV-AIDS epidemic, the importance of a healthy lifestyle, awareness of the right to health, together with the importance of adherence to and availability of free anti-retroviral drugs and other medications and services.

“Religious leaders have great influence at the community level through their continuous social intervention programmes, so we hope that with AHF’s guidance and support we will be better equipped to enable persons to activate the right to health and, in the process, advance the mission of promoting positive values and affirming respect for all,” said Rev Garth Minott, programme director, Religious Groups Steering Committee of the Jamaica Council of Churches.

According to the release, HIV/AIDS remains a public health concern and priority for the Ministry of Health and the Government of Jamaica. It is estimated that about 32,000 Jamaicans are living with HIV and as many as 50 percent are unaware of their status. Although the epidemic affects more men than women, over time the number of female victims has been increasing annually, the release said.

UNAIDS welcomes Gunilla Carlsson as new Deputy Executive Director, Management and Governance

GENEVA, 12 December 2017—United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Gunilla Carlsson as the new UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and Governance, and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.

“Gunilla Carlsson is known for her dynamic leadership and deep knowledge of the issues,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “She is not a business-as-usual leader. I know her innovative approach and extensive network will be critical in taking UNAIDS to the next level.”

Ms Carlsson served as an elected member of the Swedish Parliament from 2002 to 2013 and as Minister for International Development Cooperation from 2006 to 2013. She also served as an elected member of the European Parliament from 1995 to 2002.

A strong leader in global health and development, Ms Carlsson was a member of the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: Defeating AIDS—Advancing Global Health and a member of the World Bank Gender Advisory Council and served on the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Currently, she is a senior adviser to the African Development Bank and serves on the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as Vice-Chair.

Ms Carlsson will assume her new role in early 2018. She succeeds Jan Beagle, who was appointed United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Management in June 2017.

“I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to Joel Rehnstrom for serving UNAIDS as Acting Deputy Executive Director,” added Mr Sidibé.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

PANCAP Builds Capacity of NAP Managers and Civil Society in Public Education on ‘Treat All’

Tuesday, December 5 2017 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, will host the PANCAP Knowledge for Health Treat All Strategy and Message Design Workshop from December 7-8 in Port-of-Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Treat All policy, announced in September 2015 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), stated that anyone infected with HIV should begin antiretroviral treatment as soon after diagnosis as possible. With its “treat-all” recommendation, WHO removed all limitations on eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV; all populations and age groups are now eligible for treatment.

The workshop, designed to build the capacity of National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers and representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in creating strategic ‘Treat All’ messages, will host over 30 participants. It is an initiative of the PANCAP Knowledge for Health Project and will be facilitated by Beth Mallalieu, a Health Communications Specialist from the Johns Hopkins Centre of Communication Programmes and the PANCAP Knowledge for Health team.

Participants will be engaged in identifying target audiences (with a focus on key populations), selecting appropriate channels of communication and creating ‘Treat All’ messages that can be easily understood by key populations.

“We have listened to the needs of our civil society partners and NAP Managers and there is an urgent need for public education messages that explain the Treat All policy and benefits,’ stated Director of PANCAP, Dereck Springer, ‘we have developed a series of fact sheets on Treat All and the 90-90-90 targets; this workshop provides us with the opportunity to work directly with the Partnership to formulate strategic messages for key populations including Men who have sex with men, Sex workers and Youth within these key populations. It is essential that all stakeholders are educated about Treat All as we move to fast track the 90-90-90 targets”.
The workshop culminates a year of significant success for the Partnership with the relaunch of the Champions for Change initiative and specific interventions for CSOs, NAP managers, parliamentarians, youth, faith leaders and six countries in the region being certified as having achieved elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis.

Editor’s notes:

What is the ‘Treat All’ Policy?

Fact: Treat All policies could help avert more than 21 million deaths and 28 million new infections by 2030 (Source: World Health Organization).

In September 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a new policy, which stated that anyone infected with HIV should begin antiretroviral treatment as soon after diagnosis as possible. With its “treat-all” recommendation, WHO removed all limitations on eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV; all populations and age groups are now eligible for treatment.

The expanded use of antiretroviral treatment is supported by recent findings from clinical trials confirming that early use of ART keeps people living with HIV alive, healthier and reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to partners.

WHO now also recommends that people at “substantial” risk of HIV should be offered preventive antiretroviral treatment. This new recommendation builds on 2014 WHO guidance to offer a combination of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV acquisition, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), for men who have sex with men. Following further evidence of the effectiveness and acceptability of PrEP, WHO has now broadened this recommendation to support the offer of PrEP to other population groups at significant HIV risk. PrEP should be seen as an additional prevention choice based on a comprehensive package of services, including HIV testing, counselling and support, and access to condoms and safe injection equipment.

New recommendations on early use of ART and expanded offer of PrEP are contained in WHO’s “Guideline on when to start antiretroviral therapy and on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.” The new guideline stresses that, in order to effectively implement the recommendations, countries will need to ensure that testing and treatment for HIV infection are readily available and that those undergoing treatment are supported to adhere to recommended regimens and are retained in care.

The recommendations were developed as part of a comprehensive update of the “WHO consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for preventing and treating HIV infection”.

Based on the new recommendations, the number of people eligible for antiretroviral treatment increases from 28 million to all 37 million people who currently live with HIV globally. Expanding access to treatment is at the heart of the set of targets for 2020 with the aim to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. These targets include 90% of people living with HIV being aware of their HIV infection, 90% of those receiving antiretroviral treatment, and 90% of people on ART having no detectable virus in their blood.

According to UNAIDS estimates, expanding ART to all people living with HIV and expanding prevention choices can help avert 21 million AIDS-related deaths and 28 million new infections by 2030.

CLICK HERE for the Guideline on when to start antiretroviral therapy and on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.

What is PANCAP?

PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organisations, regional institutions and organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners which was established on 14 February 2001. PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilises resources and build capacity of partners.

Contact:
Timothy Austin
Communications Specialist
PANCAP Coordinating Unit
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana
Email: taustin.consultant@caricom.org
Tel: (592) 222-0001-75, Ext. 3409 | Visit www.PANCAP.org

Success! Six Caribbean Countries join Cuba In Eliminating Mother-To-Child Transmission Of HIV And Syphilis (EMTCT)

Friday, December 1 2017 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, commends the Caribbean countries that received validation by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) for the dual Elimination of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV and Syphilis. The countries are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

In 2015, Cuba made history when it became the first country in the world to have achieved the dual elimination of the Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Syphilis (EMTCT). Since then a number of Caribbean countries and territories have prepared EMTCT reports and have applied to the PAHO Director for validation.

The announcement was made during a special ceremony hosted by Saint Kitts and Nevis, which included a feature address by the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Lead Head for Human Resources, Health and HIV, CARICOM and Chair of PANCAP, the Right Honourable Timothy Harris. The Director of PAHO, Carissa F. Etienne also made remarks during the ceremony as well as Massimo Ghidinelli, Chief, HIV/AIDS Unit, PAHO, Dr Aida Oliver, Deputy Regional Director, UNICEF Office, Dr Cesar Nunez, Regional Director, Latin America and Caribbean, UNAIDS, Yolanda Simon, Regional Advocate for Persons Living with HIV and Merceline Dahl-Regis, Chair, Regional Validation Committee (RVC).

In his message, Prime Minister Timothy Harris, stated that he was particularly proud of his country for achieving such a significant milestone since it meant that mothers and babies within the health care system are enjoying better health outcomes. He emphasized that Saint Kitts and Nevis is serious about remaining on the trajectory to end AIDS and that the announcement is an impetus for the Government and people of the country to work harder for the elimination of the disease.

The Director of PAHO urged the representatives of the newly validated countries to think of the achievement as a next step rather than the culmination of the process.
She explained that validated countries are due for revalidation every two years and countries must maintain a Mother-to-Child transmission rate of 1% or less in order to uphold their validation.

Director of PANCAP, Mr Dereck Springer, reacted to the announcement by underscoring the significance of the achievement to achieving PANCAP’s vision of an AIDS-free Caribbean. He emphasized that the validation for EMTCT of HIV and Syphilis sends a strong message that the Caribbean is making remarkable progress towards achieving the goal of an AIDS-free generation and that this milestone directly aligns with the vision and objectives of PANCAP.

The Director posited that the achievement signalled that the spread of the disease from mothers to children is being halted but implored that the process of maintaining EMTCT must be upheld by the countries who received validation. He also highlighted that the announcement will provide significant motivation for other Caribbean countries to accelerate their efforts to achieve elimination.

“Certification is only a first step. We must now maintain this achievement and work to eliminate these diseases in other key population groups in the coming years to reach the end of these epidemics by 2030″ stated Mr Springer.

The Director urged PANCAP member states to remain committed to the goal of EMTCT and embrace the Regional EMTCT Strategy and Plan of Action, which was renewed in 2016 in the ‘Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (2016-2021)”.

An independent Regional Validation Committee (RVC) utilizing the global validation standards recommended by WHO led the validation review process.

– ENDS –

Six Caribbean territories and states eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis

Saint Kitts and Nevis/ Geneva, December 1, 2017 – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis were today certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

“This elimination is the result of our strong political commitment to public health and of making the health of mothers, children and families a regional priority,” said Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis. Over the last six years the Caribbean has succeeded in reducing new HIV infections in children by more than half. “This is an amazing achievement given the high rates of HIV in the past, and we intend to improve on this success story even more in the future.”

Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Regional Director for the Americas of WHO, said “This elimination is a remarkable achievement that puts the Americas at the forefront of the global effort to ensure that no child is born with HIV or congenital syphilis”. “With political commitment, stronger health systems, and timely prevention, diagnosis and treatment, we can achieve great changes,” she added.

“UNAIDS congratulates the six states and territories on this important achievement,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “All countries should follow their example and ensure that every child has an HIV-free start to his or her life.”

In 2015, Cuba, another Caribbean island, became the first country in the world to receive validation from WHO for having achieved elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Subsequently, Thailand and Belarus were also validated as having achieved dual elimination, while Armenia received validation of its elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the Republic of Moldova was validated for the elimination of congenital syphilis.

Since the launch in 2010 of the Regional Initiative for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Congenital Syphilis in Latin America and the Caribbean—coordinated by PAHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with support from other regional partners—new HIV infections have been reduced in the Caribbean by more than 52% among children, from 1800 in 2010 to fewer than a thousand in 2016. Reported cases of congenital syphilis, meanwhile, remain below the goal of having no more than 50 cases per 100,000 live births, although they have not declined since 2010, and it is likely there is underreporting of cases.

“The elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis is not just a dream; it’s an achievable goal,” said Maria Cristina Perceval, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Today we can say we are closer to ensuring an AIDS-free generation”.

In the Caribbean as of 2016, 74% of pregnant women living with HIV, 64% more than in 2010, had access to antiretroviral therapy to protect their health and significantly reduce the possibility of transmitting the virus to their children during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding. The increased access to treatment contributed to a 52% reduction in the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV between 2010 and 2016, which is now at 9%, still higher than the target of 2%.

Other changes in the health sector that have contributed to this progress include intensive participation by both the public and private health sectors, led by the ministries of health, in the implementation of comprehensive maternal and child health services, with an emphasis on universal coverage and quality antenatal and prenatal care. They also include expanded testing to ensure early detection and immediate treatment for both HIV and syphilis, laboratory networks of guaranteed quality in accordance with international standards and the implementation of essential measures to guarantee the human rights of women living with HIV.

“The validation for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis sends a strong message that the Caribbean is making remarkable inroads to achieving the goal of an AIDS-free generation and the achievement directly aligns with achieving our vision and objectives,” said Dereck Springer, Director of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS. “The spread of the disease from mothers to children is being halted, but elimination status must be maintained and other Caribbean countries must strengthen their services with the goal of receiving validation from WHO,” he added.

The elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis is an important milestone for ending AIDS and sexually transmitted infections as public health threats by 2030, commitments endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly and by the World Health Assembly. Other PAHO Member States in the Caribbean are participating in the formal validation process, and it is expected that more will be recognized for their achievements in 2018.

Spotlight on HIV prevention

This week, PAHO and UNAIDS launched their first joint report on HIV prevention in the Americas, entitled HIV Prevention in the Spotlight: A Health Sector Analysis in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report shows that the number of new HIV infections among adults remained stable in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2010 and 2016, at about 120,000 new HIV infections annually. The report urges countries to step up the implementation of a comprehensive package of interventions to prevent new HIV infections for key populations, so as to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

Among the report’s specific recommendations is expanded access to HIV self-testing and diagnosis of other sexually transmitted infections, the provision of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis as recommended by WHO, treatment for all people living with HIV, and eliminating discrimination.

HIV and syphilis in the Caribbean in 2016*
• 310 000 [280 000–350 000] people living with HIV.
• 64% [51–74%] of people living with HIV know their status.
• 81% [64– >85%] of people diagnosed with HIV on antiretroviral therapy.
• 67% [53–77%] of people on antiretroviral therapy have a suppressed viral load.
• 18 000 [15 000–22 000] new HIV infections.
• 9400 [7300–12 000] AIDS-related deaths.
• 1.25 million live births in 2014 in 31 Caribbean countries.
• 10 000 [8700–12 000] children up to 14 years of age living with HIV, 29% less than in 2010.
• <1000 [<1000–1000] new HIV infections among children up to 14 years old in 2016, more than 52% less than in 2010.
• 11 000 [9000–13 000] new HIV infections prevented among children up to 14 years old from 2010 to 2016.
• 97% of women attend at least one antenatal check-up, and 94% of deliveries took place in hospitals in 2016.
• 78% of pregnant women were tested for HIV in 2016, 35% more than in 2010.
• 74% [65–84%] of pregnant women living with HIV are on antiretroviral therapy, a 64% increase since 2010.
• 9% rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, 52% less than in 2010.
• 96% coverage of testing for syphilis among pregnant women who had at least one prenatal visit, stable since 2010.
• 80% of pregnant women diagnosed with syphilis received adequate treatment, stable since 2010.
• 1 case of congenital syphilis every 10 000 live births in 2016 according to data from 21 countries, stable since 2010.
* Source: Global Monitoring of AIDS 2017, UNAIDS and data directly reported by countries to PAHO.
WHO validation process

The validation process begins with a request from a country to PAHO for the validation of the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Then, an independent Regional Validation Committee is formed to carry forward the process, using the global validation standards recommended by WHO.

In the case of these Caribbean states and territories, the members of the regional committee were experts from 10 countries of the Americas, who reviewed the reports of each state and carried out virtual and in situ evaluations in four key areas: health programmes and services, data and information systems, laboratory quality and human rights, gender equality and community participation.

On the recommendation of the regional committee, the Global Validation Advisory Committee conducted a second review and recommended to the Director-General of WHO the validation of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis for the achievement of the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis as a public health threat.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works with the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their peoples. Founded in 1902, it is the oldest international public health organization in the world. It acts as the regional office for the Americas of the WHO and is the specialized health agency of the inter-American system.

Note to editors:

The indicators required by PAHO / WHO for validation in the Americas include:
Impact indicators—must be reached for at least two consecutive years:
• 30 cases or fewer of new perinatal HIV infections per 100,000 live births; and
• 50 cases or fewer of congenital syphilis per 100,000 live births; and
• 2% or below rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Process indicators—must be achieved for at least two consecutive years:
• 95% or more of all pregnant women should receive at least one antenatal care visit.
• 95% or more of pregnant women living with HIV tested for the virus.
• 95% or more of pregnant women attending prenatal care screened for syphilis.
• 95% or more of pregnant women diagnosed with HIV or syphilis receive adequate treatment.

The term validation is used to attest that a country has successfully achieved the indicators (regional and global targets established for validation) to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis at a specific point in time and demonstrate a health system strong enough to maintain the gains.

LINKS

Global validation of the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis
www.who.int/hiv/topics/mtct/emtct-validation/en
Video – Elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis in the Caribbean:
https://youtu.be/LnH2VBb0NTc
HIV Prevention in the Spotlight: A Health Sector Analysis in Latin America and the Caribbean
www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13959%3Apaho-unaids-call-for-stepping-up-hiv-prevention-efforts-and-offering-all-available-options-to-prevent-new-infections&catid=740&Itemid=1926&lang=en
CONTACTS:
PAHO/WHO Washington, DC
Leticia Linn | Phone. + 1 202 974 3440 | Mobile: +1 202 701 4005 | E-mail: linnl@paho.org
Sebastián Oliel | Phone: +1 202 974 3459 | Mobile: +1 202 316 5679 | E-mail: oliels@paho.org
Daniel Epstein | Phone. +1 202 974 3579 | E-mail: epsteind@paho.org. PAHO/WHO: www.paho.org

World AIDS Day 2017 Message from Winfield Tannis-Abbott, Interim Chair of the Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (CRN+)

Today the Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV (CRN+) commemorates World AIDS Day under the theme “Right to Health”. This theme is meant to encourage every individual to address the barriers that impede them from achieving optimal physical and mental health. At the same time, we urge our states to accelerate progress toward fulfilling the commitment made through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, at all ages.

Caribbean progress toward ending AIDS but gaps remain

The Caribbean has joined the community of nations in committing to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Significant progress has been made in scaling up access to HIV treatment. According to UNAIDS more than half (52%) of all people living with HIV in the Caribbean were on treatment in 2016. There was a 28% decline in AIDS-related deaths in the region between 2010 and 2016. And this region leads the world in progress toward eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission.

But while this advancement is encouraging, there should be no room for complacency as there are still significant gaps. Roughly one-third of people living with HIV in the Caribbean (36%) do not know their status.

Additionally, just one of every three people (33%) on HIV treatment is virally suppressed. This should not be the case when testing and treatment services are available.
In order to close the gaps, policy-makers, social and health care providers should be more responsive to the specific needs of people living with HIV. Stock-outs of antiretroviral medication must become a thing of the past. Diagnostic and monitoring laboratory services should be properly managed and resourced. The mental health and social needs of people living with HIV must be priorities.

Critically, stakeholders should ensure confidentiality and work to eliminate stigma and discrimination within healthcare settings. Everyone should feel safe and comfortable in accessing health services. No person should be discriminated against or denied access because of their HIV status, age, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, language, geographical location, marital status or any other characteristic.

People living with HIV must assert their right to health

It is also incumbent upon people living with HIV to exercise their rights by seeking support, counselling, treatment and routine monitoring of their CD4 counts and viral loads. We must scale up the Greater Involvement of People living with HIV or GIPA principles, ensuring that we support full involvement and ownership by networks and communities of people living with HIV. By the same token, vulnerable and key populations including young people, sex workers, men who have sex with men and transgender people, need to be involved to ensure the strategies we develop are actually responsive to the needs of those we hope to reach

Remembering PLHIV in hurricane-ravaged islands

As we observe this day, we must pause to remember how the recent natural disasters in our region have exposed the need for policies and planning to ensure the availability of medicines and HIV services in emergency contexts. Assessments must be done now on the impact of these disasters on countries’ HIV responses. When our paths to sustainability can so easily be diverted by a hurricane or earthquake, disaster preparedness, recovery and building resilience must be priorities. As the islands of Dominica, Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands in particular work to recover, we urge government and development partners to address the health and social needs of the community of people living with HIV.

A call to the people of the Caribbean: Get tested! Held end stigma and discrimination!

As CRN+ joins the rest of the world in marking World AIDS Day 2017, we call upon all Caribbean people who have not yet taken an HIV test to do so today. Knowing your HIV status is very important as the experience can help either strengthen your efforts to stay HIV-free or guide you to the treatment and care services that will allow you to live a long, healthy and productive life with HIV.

Beginning today, we must shout out and pledge that stigma and discrimination end with me. Let us commit to reinvigorating our efforts to realize a world free of AIDS and to ending the scourge of discrimination. I urge our fellow Caribbean countries to protect the basic human rights of people living with HIV, including their rights to physical and mental health and well-being, social and economic opportunities, and full participation in shaping prosperous and sustainable societies.

Message from the PANCAP Champions for Change on the occasion of World AIDS Day 2017

We, the sixteen PANCAP Champions for Change (C4C), join the many voices on this World AIDS Day (WAD) in a clarion call for the right to health to be a fundamental human right for our people. This includes the right to be treated with dignity, irrespective of sexual orientation, social status, age, gender identity or disability.

Our diverse group of youth, religious, medical and media professionals, parliamentarians, academics and advocates come from The Bahamas in the north to Suriname and Guyana in the south.

Collectively, we pledge our support for Universal Health with access and coverage for all. We believe that our Caribbean babies deserve to be born HIV free, and there is no reason why the world’s largest vulnerable group, the disabled, should not enjoy the same rights and respect as others do.

On this WAD and every day of the year, we encourage all the people of our Region to participate in a relentless campaign against HIV/AIDS. We want to empower our citizens to take responsibility for their health; include all citizens by providing access to health care services without stigma and discrimination; encourage and facilitate their full participation through effective partnerships for sustainability.

We call for prevention efforts to be scaled up to include testing and behaviour change and development communication as we accelerate our efforts to end AIDS by 2030. We recommend, among other initiatives, the critical involvement of the media in shaping messages for social change.

The media are very important given their power to inform and educate, break the silence, challenge stigma and discrimination, follow-through by connecting audiences to HIV services, and help build political will.

In this regard, we believe that increased engagement of the religious community is a critical factor in this quest; that Social Media and Mass Media should be used strategically for the widest and most instantaneous reach and impact; that the strategic partnership with religious Organisations will reduce the challenges created by ‘miscommunication’ and enhance stakeholders participation in the HIV response.

Indeed, networking with all stakeholders must be the way forward for sustainability. This means redoubling our efforts to get the public and private sectors as well as civil society and religious organizations to join the promotion of Treat All, which includes the concept of Test and Start. In all of this, our Youth must also be at the forefront of the decision-making.

Practical challenges to the status quo and responses to the challenges are needed. HIV/AIDS/Gender Sexual Violence (GSV) programmes and interventions must outline the importance of religious organizations in the response to GSV as part of the overall response/commitment to the AIDS response; their powerful influence in family life—where much of GSV occurs—and therefore their ability to develop attitudes that lead to non-violent family relationships must be exploited. These are issues that make populations vulnerable to HIV. It is therefore imperative that the Region begins to confront them openly so that the shame and stigma that attend them are to be removed.

As our Region moves towards ending AIDS by 2030, we, the PANCAP Champions for Change, recommend strengthening social norms and policies by involving people living with HIV in planning and implementing relevant and sustainable programmes and services. As everyone has a right to health, health practitioners and facilities must offer innovative modalities for prevention (e.g., Pre- Exposure Prophylaxis [PrEP]). We must explore and provide the best and preferred HIV treatment options, especially low cost generics, for the preferred medicines that have been recently brokered. For years, there has been advocacy at all levels for better medications for the Caribbean. Now that this is possible, they must be available for every patient in every Caribbean country.

We think it is important to highlight the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s definition of health: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Within this context, as Champions, we have committed to focus on the promotion of healthy living. We reiterate that future interventions and advocacy against stigma directed at key populations, we believe that as a Region, we can end AIDS by 2030.

Finally, we implore the Region (Governments and Civil Society) to invest in behaviour change for development in Caribbean societies as the benefits are a secure and enabling environment that facilitates access to health irrespective of identity and status.

It is also vital to keep stakeholders updated on the results of interventions. In this context, as well we urge our parliamentarians to remove the legal strictures that have hampered prevention, treatment and care programmes.

Statement by UNAIDS Latin America and Caribbean Regional Support Team Director, Dr César Núñez

This World AIDS Day highlights the importance of the right to health as an essential condition to achieve the end of AIDS by 2030, as set forth in the Sustainable Development Goals.
The right to health is a fundamental human right. It is the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

For the right to health to be fulfilled, it is imperative:

-that everyone, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or social status, has access to the prevention and treatment of any disease,
-that health is affordable or free,
-and that quality health services are free from discrimination.

The right to health goes beyond access to health services and medicines. It is also linked to a variety of important rights, such as access to a comprehensive and quality education, good nutrition and healthy working conditions.

Fulfilling the right to health enables everyone to fulfil their promise and their dreams.
Latin America and the Caribbean have made important progress towards the Fast-Track goals. Latin America is among the regions of the world with the highest proportions of people living with HIV who know their status and in the Caribbean, the proportion of people living with HIV who know their status and are on treatment is over 80%.

But we cannot be complacent:

– Not when there are still millions of people such as people living with HIV; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people; sex workers; indigenous populations and migrants, who do not have access to health services because of stigma and discrimination.
– Not when there are still young people and adolescents who are denied the possibility of making informed decisions about their health and well-being, because they do not receive the education they need.
-Not when there are women who, due to inequalities and gender violence, encounter barriers that prevent them from accessing comprehensive health services.

Inequities in access to health are not acceptable and have to be eradicated. States have a duty to respect, protect and guarantee the right to health of their citizens.

AIDS is not over, but it could be if we make sure that everyone, without exception, anywhere in the world, can fully exercise their right to health.

Message from Executive Director of UNAIDS Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Michel Sidibé

This World AIDS Day, we are highlighting the importance of the right to health and the challenges that people living with and affected by HIV face in fulfilling that right.

The right to health is a fundamental human right—everybody has the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The world will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals—which include the target of ending AIDS by 2030—without people attaining their right to health. The right to health is interrelated with a range of other rights, including the rights to sanitation, food, decent housing, healthy working conditions and a clean environment.

The right to health means many different things: that no one person has a greater right to health care than anyone else; that there is adequate health-care infrastructure; that health-care services are respectful and non-discriminatory; and that health care must be medically appropriate and of good quality. But the right to health is more than that—by attaining the right to health, people’s dreams and promises can be fulfilled.

On every World AIDS Day, we look back to remember our family members and friends who have died from AIDS-related illnesses and recommit our solidarity with all who are living with or affected by HIV.

From the beginning, the AIDS response was built on the fundamental right to health and well-being. The AIDS community advocated for rights-based systems for health and to accelerate efforts for the world to understand HIV: how to prevent it and how to treat it.

Too many people—especially those who are the most marginalized and most affected by HIV—still face challenges in accessing the health and social services they urgently need. We all must continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people being left behind and demand that no one is denied their human rights.

This year has seen significant steps on the way to meeting the 90–90–90 treatment targets towards ending AIDS by 2030. Nearly 21 million people living with HIV are now on treatment and new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are declining in many parts of the world. But we shouldn’t be complacent. In eastern Europe and central Asia, new HIV infections have risen by 60% since 2010 and AIDS-related deaths by 27%. Western and central Africa is still being left behind. Two out of three people are not accessing treatment. We cannot have a two-speed approach to ending AIDS.

For all the successes, AIDS is not yet over. But by ensuring that everyone, everywhere accesses their right to health, it can be.

Message from the Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on the occasion of World AIDS Day 2017

The Caribbean Community joins the rest of the world in observing World AIDS Day 2017.

Through its specialised agency, the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Community has been directly engaged with issues relating to this disease since 2001. The importance of a healthy population was underscored by our Heads of Government when in the Nassau Declaration of that same year, they asserted that the “Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region”. In preserving that wealth, we must be prepared to engage with any threat that diminishes it.

In that regard, the Region has made significant strides in its efforts to reduce the incidence of HIV and AIDS. For example today six new countries will be certified as having achieved the target for elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis. That is just the latest evidence that the goals are attainable particularly with the requisite support from our international partners.

Unfortunately, the Caribbean remains one of the most affected regions with serious concern about the increasing prevalence among our youth. It is crucial, therefore for us to maintain and increase our efforts if we are to reverse that trend and preserve the gains that we have made.

The on-going collaboration between PANCAP and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is a key element as we seek to fulfil the goal of expanding access to quality treatment, care and support of people living with HIV and Aids.

To make this year’s observance of World Aids Day meaningful, let us commit ourselves today to the vision of an AIDS-Free Caribbean.