This post's title isn't a question. Instead, it's a reference to the World Health Organization. Dr. Art Ammann, President of Global Strategies for HIV Prevention and extended Faith Alive family member, urges all of us to speak up for people around the world who are HIV+. Simply click on TreatAll.org if you agree with this statement:
"I want WHO treatment guidelines updated now so that all HIV infected women, men and children can be treated, regardless of CD4 count or clinical status, as recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in April, 2012. HIV infected people in poor countries are deserving of the best recommended treatment. It may cost more now, but it will cost a lot less later. Millions of HIV infections will be prevented, millions of HIV-infected individuals will not progress to AIDS, and millions of children will not become orphans."
Dr. Art says, "We need your help with an issue of justice and equity. In April the US Department of Health and Human Services revised their HIV treatment guidelines to state that all HIV-infected individuals should be treated. This will benefit hundreds of thousands of individuals in the US but for millions of people in resource poor countries it won't help unless the World Health Organization (WHO) changes their guidelines too. They have not done so for over two years and have no plans to update their guidelines for another year. WHO guidelines restrict treatment to individuals who have more advanced HIV infection. This makes no sense and it means that millions of poor and disadvantaged HIV-infected individuals including women, pregnant women and children will go untreated, advance to AIDS and have HIV infected babies. The epidemic of HIV infection in children and the associated HIV orphan epidemic affecting millions of children could end if all HIV-infected women were treated with antiretroviral drugs."
Let's make a statement NOW during the International AIDS Conference this week in Washington DC.
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