From Vienna: Closing Day and Looking Ahead to AIDS 2012 in DC
Today was the closing day of the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna. The next conference will be in Washington, DC in 2012, which was made possible thanks to Obama's retraction of the ban on people with HIV from traveling to the US.
A lot of great presentations, demonstrations, discussions and ideas were part of the conference this past week, so there's a lot to digest. The AIDS 2010 web site has great information posted, including webcasts, transcripts and slides, photos, a sign-on to the Vienna Declaration (on the need for science-based policy related to illicit drug use), and more.
Both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered closing remarks via video message. On the down side, US funding for HIV and global health as a whole is less than what advocates have been asking for, and less than what was reauthorized through PEPFAR in 2008. On a more positive note, Secretary Clinton included an important message in her closing remarks:
"And we believe HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care should be a universal, shared responsibility, because health is a human right. As we push to expand access to these resources, the United States will continue to work with our partner countries and with civil society to help empower citizens to lead the charge in their own countries."
What will we be talking about in two years at the next AIDS conference? Fewer new infections, more new drugs for prevention and treatment, and progress in expanding health workforces that can support a goal of universal access? Or will we have moved backwards in the fight against AIDS? Let's hope -- and act to ensure -- the former.
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