Regional HIV/STI plan for the health sector: 2006-2015

Abstract

[Preface]. The beginning of the 21st Century may be viewed as a turning point in the history of the HIV epidemic. At this time, with the increasing availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the means are at hand to prolong life and alleviate suffering among those infected with HIV. International political commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS is currently at a high pitch. The Development Goal included in the Millennium Declaration targeting the epidemic, together with the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as other partnerships, have prompted action at many levels and have increased resources significantly. Concerted efforts are required to make the most of this auspicious time. Scaling up efforts to provide comprehensive care for HIV/AIDS, including prevention, have a critical place on the public health agenda at national and international levels. Advancements made today can change the map of the epidemic in the near future and beyond...Progress in HIV/AIDS care and treatment is being made in Latin America and the Caribbean. By the time the Fourth Summit of the Americas is held in November 2005, the target set during the Nuevo Leon Summit, held in Monterrey, Mexico in January 2004, of treating 600,000 individuals by 2005 will be met and exceeded. Nonetheless, achieving universal coverage will require bridging an equity gap between and within countries. Socio-economic, geographic, gender, and stigma-related factors play a large part in determining the fate of an individual with HIV.