Global AIDS conference opens in Mexico

The 17th International AIDS Conference commenced today in Mexico City with numerous appeals for increased efforts to combat the spread of HIV worldwide. A UNAIDS study released last week concluded that several gains were made in HIV prevention, yet U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon observed that ”we are still facing a huge shortfall in resources.” World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan warned that “we dare not let down our guard” and become complacent against the global AIDS pandemic.

The conference was preceded by a march yesterday where thousands of protestors called for better worldwide access to anti-retroviral drugs as well as less discrimination against those with AIDS. As this video notes, “cultural stigmas” serve as a massive barrier for those infected with the disease:

The conference will last six days and is expected to have over 20,000 attendees from around the world. This figure does not include certain groups who had their petitions to be at the forum rejected such as Mexican sex workers.

According to UNAIDS, 1.7 million people in Latin America are infected with AIDS and overall levels of HIV infections in the region have changed little in the past decade. In the Caribbean, AIDS is one of the main causes of death in adults between 15 and 44 years old.

Sources- AFP, BBC News, YouTube, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Al Jazeera English