With a stark wake-up call, the Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe (DAH) and numerous initial signatories on the occasion of World AIDS Day, December 1, are drawing attention to the dramatic setbacks in global HIV and AIDS responses. National governments, including the German federal government, are urged to clearly acknowledge the “emergency” and to implement appropriate countermeasures.
Among the signatories are, among others, the HIV co-discoverer and Nobel laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, former President of the Bundestag and former Federal Minister of Health Rita Süssmuth (CDU), former Federal Constitutional Court judge Susanne Baer, and Berlin’s former governing mayor Klaus Wowereit (SPD). Openly HIV-positive celebrities include Conchita Wurst, Georg Uecker, and Barbie Breakout.
“World AIDS Day must be taken literally this year: it’s about the whole world once again and it’s about AIDS again,” explained DAH board member Sven Warminsky. “People living with HIV need our solidarity now more than ever. We have a choice: should we end AIDS or let the pandemic return? Right now, a global catastrophe with millions of deaths, new infections, and orphans is being pre-programmed.”
Drastic Cuts Worldwide — The Federal Government Also Cuts HIV/AIDS Funding
The responses so far have been “completely inadequate.” Therefore, the German government must act now and allocate more funding. The background is that the government announced it will cut Germany’s contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by almost a quarter starting next year — while HIV new infection numbers are rising in Germany (TheColu.mn reported). Drastic cuts in the USA would also threaten the gains of the last decades in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
“Whoever stops the measures that have driven success in countries hardest hit by HIV will pull back the misery we were nearly done with,” Warminsky continued. “People with HIV lose their therapy and are left to their fate. Prevention will be scaled back. The damage is already enormous, but it’s not too late to counteract.”
Several Campaigns Launched
Therefore, several campaigns have been launched — for instance the World AIDS Day campaign “Together. Right now.” It addresses the global situation and gives a voice to people whose lives and health are at risk: motifs like “Imagine a pandemic threatening the world,” “Imagine you die of a treatable disease,” and “Imagine your child is sick, and there is no medicine” are now visible across the country in public spaces.
Direct link
|
The prevention campaign “I know what I’m doing” released a video featuring drag queen Barbie Breakout that aims to debunk HIV myths. The central message is: let’s share knowledge, not prejudice.
View this post on Instagram
Instagram
|
Also the LGBTQ+ association LSVD+ warns in strong terms about the consequences of negligent policy: “International prevention work is on the brink of collapse,” stated LSVD+ national board member Andre Lehmann. “If this development continues, a new AIDS pandemic is threatened. UNAIDS, the United Nations program to combat HIV/AIDS, is facing its end after major donors like the USA have ended or scaled back their support. This development is not only irresponsible; it costs millions of lives.” This is where the German federal government must also act.
The World AIDS Day has been observed since 1988. It commemorates the people who died of AIDS and expresses solidarity with those living with HIV today. For the first time since its launch, the USA under President Donald Trump is ignoring World AIDS Day this year. The government in Washington has even prohibited government employees and aid organizations from using federal funds for World AIDS Day (TheColu.mn reported).
