CFriday 21 November was held in Johannesburg (South Africa), on the sidelines of the G20, an important event for global health: 8e conference replenishing the Global Fund, a partnership that funds and supports programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in more than 120 countries. In twenty years, these programs have saved nearly 70 million lives, almost the population of France.
The results achieved by the Global Fund are extraordinary in fighting HIV/AIDS. In countries supported by the fund, virus-related deaths fell by 80%. Thanks to the implementation of antiretroviral treatment and innovative prevention tools, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), we have taken steps we would not have dared to imagine even twenty years ago. If its main backers, including France, fully refinance the Global Fund over the next three years, we could see an end to the epidemic that occurred almost half a century ago.
Of course HIV/AIDS still exists. In 2024, 1.3 million people will be newly infected with HIV worldwide, 9.2 million people living with HIV will have no access to antiretroviral treatment, and 630,000 people will die from virus-related illnesses.
Generation without HIV
But today, new scientific advances bring unprecedented hope: lenacapavir, a preventative treatment that requires just two doses per year and protects against 99.9% of infections. An extraordinary prospect then opened up: a generation without AIDS. But this promise will only become a reality if we guarantee rapid and fair access to these treatments, anywhere in the world.
In this final stage and more than ever, this struggle requires sufficient funding. This investment is a moral imperative for our leaders and for all of us. The fate of millions of lives forces us to do this. Facing this historic turning point, France must live up to its heritage, responsibility and faith. As a world power committed to solidarity and multilateralism, our country occupies a unique place in the history of the fight against HIV.
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