The world has a great hope to meet its major target of arresting
the spread of the AIDS pandemic by 2015 if full emphasis is put on
prevention and treatment in coming years, a senior US official said
on Thursday.
In an interview with a small group of reporters, US acting
global AIDS coordinator Mark Dybul said one of the differences
between 2001 and 2005 is that people now believe it is possible to
achieve that goal set by world leaders at the 2000 UN summit.
"We've seen that's a possibility. We have seen finally in Sub-
Saharan Africa substantial reductions in infections, 25 to 50
percent reductions in countries with generalized epidemics," Dybul
said, adding that similar trends were recorded in the Caribbean and
parts of India.
"We are seeing reductions across the globe. Now the trick is to
get the reductions from 20 percent going down to 12-15 percent, to
keep coming down. That's difficult," he said. "But in terms of the
goal which is to stop and begin to reverse, we're starting to see
that, so there is tremendous hope that we can get there."
To ensure the goal be reached, Dybul said the world must do its
utmost to provide treatment for the 40 million people living with
the HIV virus that causes AIDS and to prevent new infections.
"We must do everything we can to ensure the 40 million people
currently infected with HIV have access to therapies that can
extend their lives," he stressed, adding that in the meantime full
emphasis should be put on preventing new infections.
Dybul urged other developed countries to follow the suit of the
United States to contribute more to multilateral and bilateral
efforts in fighting the AIDS epidemic.
He said currently the United States provides 30 percent of the
resources of the UN-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria and is the body's largest contributor.
"We need a larger commitment. We can't get to where we are now,
to where we need to be in the future as long as the United States
is giving as much as the world combines," he noted.
Dybul denied media reports that the United States was objecting
the inclusion into a UN declaration of the language that gays are
entitled to AIDS prevention, care and treatment. He said that it is
"absolutely untrue that we would oppose the inclusion of such
language."
Citing China's enormous technical expertise in AIDS prevention,
care and treatment as well as its strong research industry, Dybul
also expressed the hope to expand the cooperation between China and
the United States in the fight against AIDS.
He said annually the United States commits some US$30 million in
its bilateral anti-AIDS program with China. "We work together very
closely in technological sharing and partnership so we can learn
from each other and expand activities," he said.
Dybul's comments came as the United Nations General Assembly is
holding a high-level meeting to review the progress in the combat
against AIDS and renew political commitments to confront the
disease.
According to a report issued by UNAIDS this week, an estimated
33.4 million to 46 million people were living with AIDS at the end
of 2005. An estimated 3.2 million to 6.2 million became newly
infected and between 2.2 million and 3.3 million died of AIDS.
The report also showed that there have been a total of 60
million people infected with HIV since the virus was recognized in
1981, and some 25 million of them died.
(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2006)
