Each week, nearly 25,000 adults and 3,600 children die from AIDS globally. This includes nearly 18,000 adults and 3,400 children in sub-Saharan Africa alone. While co-infection with tuberculosis is often the proximate cause of death, the unfortunate cause in far too many cases is stigma. Stigma kills. It’s that simple. While we have made great strides in overcoming stigma through access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services, work remains to be done. Fear of disclosure still keeps people from seeking help; it delays access to life-saving treatments and it contributes to poor adherence. We are seeing the effects of stigma today in West Africa — and here at home — with the Ebola epidemic. We have been seeing it for decades with HIV/AIDS. On World AIDS Day 2014, nearly 35 years into the global AIDS epidemic and more than 10 years after launching the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), it is important to reflect on how far we have come in our partnership with the governments and people of Africa and on how much still needs to be done.
Read the full article on the U.S. Department of State Official Blog.
