(WTO) Strong Foundations Built to Increase Access to AIDS Treatment

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407110001.html

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In the six months since WHO and UNAIDS launched the "three by five" strategy, significant progress has been made towards the goal of increasing access to AIDS treatment for all those who need it. This is the result of the efforts of many partners including governments, donors, multilateral agencies, nongovernmental organizations, faith based organizations, the private sector, and persons living with HIV/AIDS. But much more remains to be done and urgently if the world is to meet its target of providing treatment to three million people living with AIDS in developing countries by the end of 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS said in two reports released today.

"Important work has been done in just a few months to build the framework to guide countries in their efforts to get AIDS treatment to the people who need it,” said Dr LEE Jong-wook, WHO Director-General. “The "3 by 5" target is a vital step toward universal access and is achievable. The lack of access to treatment continues to be a global health emergency. There is still much to do to deliver treatment and care, and to build on and accelerate strong programmes to prevent HIV transmission.”

Since the "3 by 5" strategy was unveiled six months ago on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2003, the first 3 by 5 Progress Report, released today, demonstrates how the building blocks needed to increase the availability of AIDS treatment to people are coming into place. Looking forward, a second report the HIV/AIDS Plan 2004-2005 clearly demonstrates what steps WHO will take and what remains to be done to ensure continued progress.

Data collected and analyzed by WHO shows that nearly twice as many people in developing countries are on AIDS treatment compared with two years ago at the time of the Barcelona International AIDS Conference. However, 440 000 people currently receiving treatment is less than the 500 000 milestone set when the “3 by 5” strategy was published in December.
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