Mexico participates in the high-level meeting on HIV / AIDS

• April 26, 2024

In order to improve and make more effective the response to the HIV / AIDS epidemic, it is essential that all countries have sustainable mechanisms to offer antiretroviral treatment to anyone with a medical indication that is timely, sustainable and free of charge. for the patient, said the Secretary of Health, José Ángel Córdova Villalobos .

The head of Health in Mexico participated in the plenary "What can be done to reach zero infections", which was carried out in the framework of the start of the work of the High Level Meeting for the review of the progress of the Declaration of Commitments on HIV that takes place from June 8 to 10 at the headquarters of the United Nations Organization.

There, he considered it essential that the programs of each country be based on human rights and with a focus on gender equity to consolidate the response free of stigma, discrimination, homophobia or transphobia, since to that extent there will be a response successful to the epidemic.

He announced that in the region of America the news infections decreased 20% in the last decade and is the highest percentage of coverage with 51%.

However, he said, it is necessary to work on reducing costs and the purchase price of antiretroviral treatment in low and middle income countries, in addition to joining forces and establishing regional alliances between governments and organized civil society, people who live with HIV, academia, scientific community and the United Nations, in order to respond in an articulate manner to the epidemic and meet the established goals in the Millennium Development Goals.

It is time to reaffirm our obligation to have a multisectoral, energetic, effective and sustainable response for the following decades, insisted the secretary.

In the General Assembly Hall, he called on the representatives of the countries to redouble their efforts to significantly increase the strategies of prevention and health promotion in a localized and focused manner, in the groups of greatest risk and vulnerability to HIV without neglecting the activities towards the general population.

Also, it is highly important to give the greatest attention to the needs of men who have sex with men, sex workers, injecting drug users, transsexuals and transgender, especially the youngest of these groups, as they are the most vulnerable, he said.

In the same way, attention should be focused on young boys , women in a situation of vulnerability, people deprived of their freedom and mobile populations, who are in contexts at higher risk of HIV infection.

Cordova Villalobos mentioned that it is essential that all governments be convinced of the importance of promoting friendly health services, as well as sex education integral, as pillars of prevention.

Finally, he stressed that this is not the time for complacency or censorship , but to confront AIDS forcefully, each one from its field of competence.

The Minister of Institutional Relations of Brazil also participated in the plenary session, Alexandre Padilha ; the administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Helen Clark , and the representative of Jamaica, Jaevion Nelson .  

Video Medicine: The World is Moving! UN High Level Meeting on AIDS 8-10 June. (April 2024).