Since the initial presentations on and consequent controversies surrounding the subject, I have been an avid supporter of the principles behind the ground-breaking concept of ‘Treatment as Prevention.’

The premise of ‘Treatment as Prevention’ is as follows: people living with HIV who adhere to an antiretroviral therapy regimen almost always achieve undetectable viral loads – the amount of virus in a body fluid such as blood, semen or vaginal secretions – at certain stages of their treatment. When the viral load is undetectable, the risk of HIV transmission is significantly reduced. 

With this in mind, achieving universal access to anti-retroviral drugs becomes doubly important, as treating all those in need, and earlier, not only saves individual lives but actually lowers the collective viral load of communities, significantly reducing rates of HIV transmission. More...

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve witnessed two key events that will shape global health and the HIV response over the next five years. I’ve closely followed the recent developments and outcomes at the MDG Summit and the 3rd Voluntary Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. For those of us working in the field of HIV the importance of the Global Fund Replenishment could not be overstated. I waited for the outcome of the replenishment meeting with cautious optimism.  After almost a decade of increased financial support for the Global HIV/AIDS response, this past year has been marked by funding flat lining. Donor countries have blamed the economic crisis for reductions in development aid, however there are growing concerns that the tide has turned away from AIDS funding and that political will in taking the HIV/AIDS response to the next level has waned.  The disappointing outcome of the Global Fund Replenishment Meeting reinforces my concerns. More...

It’s not much fun representing an NGO at the World Health Assembly (WHA). Professional associations like IAS are allowed “Observer status” at UN meetings. This is definitely a government gig – a little bit shocking for those of us lulled by the rather inclusive style of new AIDS approaches like the Global Fund. But the UN is all about the world’s governments. That’s not always a bad thing. Big government gatherings can have important outcomes – making resolutions and guidelines that change how governments do things for their people. And of course WHO has a vital role in setting health standards and advising Health Ministries on effective responses. But there is often a risk that those who reach the elevated state of government simply don’t know what will make a difference for the people they serve – and they are subject to the lurches of political interest and change. For AIDS and development this is often dangerous. Development takes time; AIDS can’t be solved with “quick fixes”.

This is a defining year for AIDS, 2010 is the deadline established by the international community to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for all those in need. Sadly the WHA planners hardly seemed to notice that this is a special year for AIDS, but then this is nothing new. AIDS rarely makes it on to the agenda of the WHA, so the only way anyone could speak about AIDS was to intervene (if allowed) in the debate on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). And for a civil society “Observer” that meant jumping through a large number of tedious bureaucratic hoops. More...

On Thursday night I appeared on Canada’s popular news show The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos. In addition to talking about Vancouver’s safe injecting site and our efforts to keep it open, I used the opportunity to once again urge our Prime Minister to make AIDS a priority at the upcoming G8 summit.

Speaking with George about the need for the G8 to commit more resources to treatment scale up, I noted, “The cost effectiveness of this treatment is incredible. They are in fact not just cost effective, they are cost averting. They are saving us money. We’re not doing it because we don’t care. We don’t care to follow up on our promises.”

Click here to view the interview.