Whenever we celebrate World AIDS Day I often wonder how many of us who are not directly impacted pause and note the key messages we hope to convey – such as:
- Global equity in HIV prevention and treatment
- The need for effective HIV vaccines
- Continued research to discover new and safe anti-HIV drugs – to be ahead of a mutating virus
- The importance to understand the long-term health consequences of HIV drugs
- To appreciate the impact of HIV in the elderly and other vulnerable groups – long-term impact of people living with HIV
- The importance of education, and the acknowledgment that we need a combined approach to successfully fight HIV. We cannot only focus on behavioral changes, nor can we solely rely on biomedical interventions.
- To purposefully engage scientists, doctors, pharmaceutical industries, government and community organizations/NGOs, and social influencers.
Why is it necessary that we continue to work so hard to defeat HIV?
Well ….
THESE ARE SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES WE FACE TO SUCCESSFULLY FIGHT COVID-19.
Now that we have a better understanding of the work and commitment required to fight a virus, please come on board so that one day we can eliminate HIV.