AIDS Increase a Wake Up Call For The Gay Community

NZAF Says Increase In Hiv Rates Is A Wake Up Call For The Gay Community

“The new report on the global HIV and AIDS epidemic is a wake up call for the gay community in New Zealand.” said Rachael Le Mesurier, Executive Director of the Foundation.

The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS and WHO have just released a new report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. The report titled ‘AIDS Epidemic Update 2003” indicates that the global AIDS epidemic shows no sign of abating.

“It’s clear that the global epidemic is presenting in different ways in different countries, but the pattern is the same HIV is increasing at an alarming rate.”

“It is clear that western countries are seeing a significant increase in gay communities. For the gay community, media and policy makers the challenge is not to succumb to complacency – we need to all keep the ISSUES OF HIV/AIDS at the forefront of our concerns.” said Rachael Le Mesurier

NZ cannot afford to be complacent. HIV has not gone away. It is here and the trend in new cases is up. Access to treatment and resourced prevention programmes must remain centre stage.

“The only ‘cure’, we have is prevention and that means safe sex and safe injecting.”

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