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The time to act is now, says US ambassador
US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O
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US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O.Blake. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O.Blake said in his remarks on World AIDS Day 2015 that all relevant parties must take concrete action to implement programs to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.
He said this year's World AIDS Day was a chance to honor those who had lost their lives to AIDS, those who were living with HIV/AIDS and the caregivers, families, friends, and communities who supported them.
The commemoration also marked a milestone, namely the world community's commitment to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030, as articulated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he went on.
The US ambassador said science had provided the world community with a rich toolkit to stop HIV. They included more effective and clinically proven medicine, diagnostic tools, such as test kits that are easier to use and provide results in minutes rather than hours or days and more effective prevention tools and approaches.
'[...] we know that antiretroviral [ARV] treatment more than doubles a person's prospects of staying healthy and surviving. ARV treatment also can prevent transmission from people living with HIV to their HIV-negative partners, and with regular use, ARVs can protect people from being infected,' he said.
In his remarks, Blake praised the Indonesian government's commitment to put the new tools to work in its new Strategy and Action Plan for HIV 2015-2019. The plan included reaching and providing immediate access to treatment for populations that were at higher than average risk of becoming infected with HIV.
'The implementation of the strategy will ensure new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS are reduced by 50 percent; at least half of the people living with HIV will be on life-saving ARV medication, and the number of HIV infections in infants born to HIV-positive mothers will be significantly reduced,' said Blake.
To accomplish these goals, the ambassador said, the Indonesian government had set ambitious new targets, using a combination of prevention, testing and treatment that incorporated the latest science, the latest evidence and more effective medicine and diagnostic tools, combined with the hard work of health workers, clinicians, communities and civil society organizations. The strategy also brings services closer to communities that need it.
'USAID and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are pleased to partner with the Indonesian government to meet the challenge and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030,' said Blake.
He said that through its work with local civil society organizations, USAID was able to reach 100,589 members of priority and key populations with information on HIV/AIDS, and 81 percent of these were tested at public and private health facilities.
'So now we have the science, the medicine, and we can see real results when we all work together ' the National AIDS Commission, the Health Ministry, the private sector, civil society organizations, the faith-based community, the UN, and donor agencies,' said the ambassador. (ebf)(+)
