HIV still climbing

By AGNES FIFI UKI
THE response to HIV in Papua New Guinea remains extremely weak, with little access to treatment and care in many areas of the country, Pacific Friends of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria executive director Bill Bowtell says.
Bowtell said yesterday Australia’s support for the Papua New Guinea response to HIV was important because though the recent analysis by UNAIDS suggested that the HIV epidemic was beginning to decrease, it was still on the rise.
He said the 2011 United Nations political declaration on HIV/AIDS committed all countries to a series of policy and programme actions, supported by time-bound targets to measure progress, reduce, and remove the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“This landmark UN declaration comes at a time of improvement in the science of HIV prevention and treatment,” he said.
He said the advances needed leadership and action to realise the goals of reducing new HIV infections and HIV illness and related deaths. 
“The 2011 UN political declaration on HIV/AIDS provides the global framework for transforming the global response to the epidemic and capitalising on these important advances.
“As noted by Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations 
 Gary Quinlan in his statement of June 11, the lack of progress in implementing the goals and commitments as agreed in the political declaration was deeply disappointing.
“This lack of progress results directly in avoidable new HIV infections and more HIV related illness and deaths.