Blog

World AIDS Day this year falls at the close of an unprecedented year for the planet. The spread of COVID-19 has affected communities across the world – disrupting and threatening lives and livelihoods.

The HIV community is unique and inspires me every day. I saw the resilience of the HIV community early on in my career when I was working at the United Nations University in Tokyo. I was responsible for capacity-building programmes, which brought together people from all over the world for various trainings.

It is with a profoundly heavy heart that IAS – the International AIDS Society – today mourns the passing of Timothy Ray Brown, the first person to be cured of HIV.

After several wonderful and productive years with the IAS, I have decided to relocate and join my partner in Greece to begin the next chapter in our lives together. This, of course, also means that my time as Executive Director of this amazing organization is coming to an end.

Though little talked about, hepatitis C is one of the world’s most common infectious diseases. More than 70 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis C, and every year, close to 400,000 people die from it.

As we near the deadline for the 2020 End TB milestones, it’s time to take stock of our efforts as set out in the World Health Organization (WHO) roadmap towards ending TB in children and adolescents, using a client-centred lens.

When the first people living with HIV were recognized in 1982, the world’s health systems were not prepared to address a new and rapidly expanding epidemic. Almost 40 years after the appearance of AIDS, much has changed. AIDS-related deaths continue to decline as antiretroviral treatment coverage rose to 62% in 2018.