Political will is what counts

At the end of the World AIDS Conference, organizations and participants draw a mixed conclusion. The world's population will have to wait longer for a cure for Aids patients, the German Aids Federation said in Berlin on Friday. Nevertheless, new HIV infections could be prevented if all people had access to therapy and prevention. Whether this succeeds is above all a question of political will.

The German Aids Federation called on governments to spend more financial aid in the fight against HIV and Aids. Doctors Without Borders criticized that vital treatment should not be allowed to fail because the drugs are too expensive. Around 34 million people worldwide are living with the AIDS pathogen. 2.7 million people become newly infected every year. But only half of the people who need treatment receive the help, according to the German Institute for Medical Mission in Tubingen.

The aid organization "Brot fur die Welt" (Bread for the World) emphasized that patents also make access to new medicines more difficult. Particularly affected countries finance the treatment of HIV-positive people more than international donors, according to the Protestant aid organization in Stuttgart.
Germany, in particular, must provide more funding in the fight against the disease.

Many state representatives inactive
In the view of the Berlin Action Alliance against AIDS, homosexuals in particular are discriminated against as HIV-positive. Sex workers and drug users would also suffer from the stigma. Again and again, in addition to discrimination, there are also brutal violations of human rights, added the Mission Medical Institute in Wurzburg. Nevertheless, many state representatives remained inactive.

At the World Aids Conference from Sunday to Friday, around 25 people discussed.000 experts and victims in Washington on the fight against the disease. In a "Washington Declaration" they call on governments to facilitate access to prevention and treatment. In addition, he said, further steps must be taken against discrimination against people living with HIV and increased efforts must be made in research.

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