targets for the AIDS response, looking beyond pithy slogans to explore what’s in place and what’s not in terms of targets, resources and action to begin to end the AIDS epidemic. We also provide
concise updates and calls to action on key prevention interventions including AIDS vaccines, voluntary medical male circumcision, microbicides, PrEP, and hormonal contraception use and HIV risk.
We are launching our Report just ahead of next week’s
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), and we know that the only sure thing in this field is that it’s not possible to predict what will happen next! Next week will bring data from a range of ARV-based prevention trials including
FACTS 001,
IPERGAY and
PROUD—all in the midst of the
launch of new prevention research and interim reviews of ongoing studies.
The recommendations and analysis in this Report are urgent, irrespective of the specific data announced at CROI—and the need for prevention advocacy is as great as it has ever been. Prevention is “on the line” in the sense of being in jeopardy of being both poorly resourced and defined. It is also fundamental to the downward-sloping line of epidemiological curves showing declining rates of HIV acquisition and death.
On the prevention front, UNAIDS seeks to reduce new infections worldwide from 2.1 million in 2013 to 500,000 in 2020, and to eliminate stigma and discrimination. These are ambitious goals and worth aspiring to. But something important is missing from the picture—how to get there.
We hope advocates will use
Prevention on the Line as a roadmap and a discussion-starter about how to advance comprehensive combination prevention, including delivery of existing tools, demonstration of the potential of emerging strategies and discovery of novel interventions like an effective preventive AIDS vaccine.
Specifically, we argue that:
- Ambitious prevention goals matter—they can galvanize new action, in part by expanding our sense of what’s possible.
- But these goals will only work if they’re feasible, well-defined, measurable and backed by adequate resources and political support. The prevention goals issued so far are inspiring, but they don’t yet meet those requirements.
- As 2020 goals are pursued, clear short-term targets are also needed. We can’t wait for five years to see if the world is on track.
- The global AIDS response is running at a major financial deficit. New targets will not be met—and may even be irrelevant—if we fail to close a growing global funding gap.
We hope you’ll read more—and get involved.
Best,
AVAC
