World AIDS Conference Silence for MH17 Victims

World Aids Conference: Minute of silence for MH17 victims

07/21/2014

On Sunday, the 20th World AIDS Conference began in Melbourne, Australia. 12,000 experts from around 200 countries will exchange information on drugs and vaccine research. At the beginning of the conference, the victim of the crashed flight MH17 in Ukraine was thought with a minute's silence. On board were also six delegates en route to Australia.

Six delegates died on the way to the conference
The 20th World AIDS Conference in Melbourne started yesterday with a minute's silence for the victims of the crashed MH17 flight in Ukraine. On board six delegates of the conference had also been on their way to Australia. Around 12,000 researchers, experts and activists from some 200 countries will report on new drugs and vaccine research in Melbourne by Friday and share their experiences in dealing with the HIV virus and the immune deficiency disease AIDS. The experts set themselves ambitious goals.

End epidemic by 2030
„By 2020, 90 percent of all HIV-infected people should know their status, 90 percent should have access to medicines and 90 percent of the virus should no longer be detectable“, said the UNOIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, according to a dpa message, as he presented the new vision. He concluded: „So the epidemic can be ended by 2030.“ However, this is a mammoth task because 54 percent of the world's 35 million people are still unaware of their infection.

Discriminatory laws make reaching the goals difficult
On the way to this goal, discriminatory laws, such as those found in Russia, India or African countries, are an obstacle. There, homosexuals and HIV-positive people would be driven underground by the current regulations. „We can not just watch governments adopt monstrous laws that marginalize the most vulnerable strata of society“, explained the President of the International AIDS Society, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi.

Treat people with HIV with respect
„Let's go to schools and clinics and educate people“, called the young Indonesian Ayu Oktariani, who came on stage with more than a dozen HIV-infected youth in traditional costumes. „Nobody should live in shame and denial anymore. Let's work on a world where all people with HIV everywhere are treated with respect.“ According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the criminalization of certain behaviors, such as drug use, sex work or male sex with men, means that those groups at greatest risk of contracting HIV are not medically adequately cared for.

In Germany too, infected people experience discrimination
In Germany, too, HIV-positive people are still experiencing discrimination, often with ignorance forming the breeding ground of prejudice. As „Mirror online“ Recently, it was often unclear to others that transmission of the virus in everyday life is highly unlikely, or that modern therapies allow many infected individuals to lead a largely normal life, such as starting a family. In contrast to the magazine, the press spokesman of the German AIDS Aid (DAH) Holger Wicht emphasized that this knowledge is still not reliably anchored in society. The DAH will be their concept of „Did you actually know?“-Campaign at the World AIDS Conference in Melbourne. In addition to the prevention and appropriate care of those affected, one of the key goals of the German AIDS Aid is to overcome prejudices and fears when dealing with HIV-infected people. (Ad)