Thread by @WHO

LIVE with @DrTedros on #WorldAIDSDay ⬇️

"The global #HIV epidemic has faded from the headlines, but it is not over. Far from it.

On #WorldAIDSDay, we commemorate those we have lost, and commit to protecting those at risk"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "#WorldAIDSDay is one day a year, but almost 38 million people around the world live with #HIV every day"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "It has been more than 40 years since this novel virus emerged, and yet last year, an estimated 1.5 million people were newly infected with #HIV, and nearly 700 thousand people died from causes related to #AIDS"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "We know we can do better, because we have made real progress in the two decades years since the #UNGA held its first special session on #HIV"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "More than 28 million people around the 🌍 are now on antiretroviral therapy"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "8 countries achieved the 90–90–90 targets for testing, access, and viral suppression by the end of 2020, and several countries are nearing the new 95-95-95 targets set out in the Global #AIDS Strategy this year"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "#Botswana has become the latest country – and the first high burden country, as well as the first from Africa – to request WHO certification for being on the path to elimination of mother-to-child transmission of #HIV"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "#AIDS-related mortality has declined by nearly half since 2010"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "Even before #COVID19 hit, progress & funding for the #HIV response had flatlined. Many of the most at-risk populations weren't being reached with HIV testing, prevention & care services, even as these key populations also face significant stigma & discrimination"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "The #COVID19 pandemic has made things worse, with the disruption of essential health services, including for #HIV. Compounding this is the fact that people with HIV are especially vulnerable to COVID-19"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "𝗔𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗦 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

We have the tools to end the AIDS epidemic, if we use them well"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros "On Monday, @UNAIDS issued a stark warning – that if we fail to act, we will see a resurgence of up to 7.7 million #AIDS related deaths over the next 10 years"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "But if we can meet the targets of the Global #AIDS Strategy 2021 to 2026, and commit to our WHO global health sector strategies, 4.6 million lives could be saved"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "Let me leave you with 3️⃣ priorities for all countries.

1️⃣ re-commit to end #HIV by making it a political and budgetary priority"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "That means preventing new infections, increasing access to treatment for those who need it, and fulfilling the promise to those on treatment, by making sure that access to the best ARVs continues without interruption"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1466019925315756036?s=20

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "The Call to Action for better and safer medicines for pregnant women, which WHO and partners are launching today, is an example of how we can fulfil this promise"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1466019925315756036?s=20

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "2️⃣ in the face of the #COVID19 pandemic, we must restart essential health services, so that everyone, everywhere, has access to prevention, testing, treatment and care for #HIV and COVID-19"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "3️⃣ concentrate efforts on marginalized populations that have been left behind"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "We owe it to those who have lost their lives to #HIV and #COVID19, and those who continue to face the threat of these diseases, to work towards more sustainable and resilient health systems to protect our communities into the future"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay

@DrTedros @UNAIDS "Ultimately, these 2 viruses, & the suffering they have caused, must serve as motivation for all of us to continue striving towards #HealthForAll, so that all people have access to all the health services they need, for all of the health threats they face"-@DrTedros #WorldAIDSDay