David Furnish has written an article in the Independent, urging the world to leave no one behind in the fight against AIDS.
People who Inject Drugs are one of the key populations that have the highest prevalence of HIV and whose access to HIV services is severely limited. Below is an extract from the article and information about one of our projects funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
“For the last few decades, those of us in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS have rallied around two powerful words: Ending AIDS.
“And while we are closer to that goal than we have ever been, another set of words threaten to undermine so much of our progress: Left Behind.
“In most communities, People who Inject Drugs still don’t have access to clean syringes, opioid substitution treatment, or naloxone to prevent overdose and the spread of infections. Moreover, many People who Inject Drugs are still denied access to basic health services, non-judgmental primary care, mental health and drug treatment services, and the support they need to maintain stable and healthy lives.
“How can it be that over the past 15 years science has delivered approximately 14m antiretrovirals to people living with HIV, but still managed to exclude 96 percent of People who Inject Drugs?”
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Elton John AIDS Foundation
