Last Saturday (1) was World AIDS Day.

Please read our Minister of Health’s message on World AIDS Day published on our website at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/cayman-islands-minister-of-healths-message-for-world-aids-day/

The Cayman AIDS Foundation on their Facebook page says:

The Cayman AIDS Foundation (CAF) is a community based organisation which provides education on the danger of, helps prevent the spread of, and gives support and guidance to all people living with and affected by, HIV & AIDS and STI’s.

We believe that:

All people have equal intrinsic worth.

The spiritual nature of human beings must find positive expression in order for life to have meaning and purpose.

Each individual is ultimately responsible for his or her actions.

Each person has the right to be safe and healthy.

The family is the primary vehicle/unit of moral values and health education.

People need each other.

Education is vital for the survival and progress of a society.

Their message for December 1^st is:

“World AIDS Day takes place on the 1st December each year. It’s an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day.

Over 170 confirmed HIV cases since 1985 in the Cayman Islands. Globally, there are an estimated 36.7 million people who have the virus. Despite the virus only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

Today, scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. There were 16 confirmed cases of HIV in 2017 and 7 new cases and one death in 2018 here in the Cayman Islands.

Some people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with the condition.

This is why our educational and awareness programs are so vital here in the Cayman Islands. Even though our HIV numbers have decreased for 2018 there is still much work to be done to provide knowledge to our Caymanian people.

World AIDS Day is important because it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

The Cayman AIDS Foundation has been around for the past fourteen years. Our mission is to educate people about HIV & AIDS, advise on safe practices, promote regular HIV testing and prevent discrimination against people who are infected.

World AIDS Day maybe once a year, but you can still support people living with HIV all year round. Learn how you can get involved as an activist or as a volunteer.

You can also support our work by donating to The Cayman AIDS Foundation (CAF). We rely on your support to continue awareness programs, campaigning for the rights of people living with HIV and provide support to HIV persons.

Please remember to Rock your Ribbon today. Take a photo and send to #caymanaidsfoundation #rocktheribbon #worldaidsday”

END

Apart from “Rock your ribbon” there was no big fanfare of AIDS awareness that I expected to see.

At Saturday’s Parade of Lights at Camana Bay I did not see one person “rocking their ribbon” let along seeing anybody wearing an AIDS ribbon.

It would have been nice if the Cayman27 presenters and judges would have worn an AIDS ribbon and ‘rocked it’ instead of the dreadful verbiage the television viewers had to put up with whilst the boat judging was going on.

With SEVEN new cases of AIDS reported here, surely that is something worth reporting. There was also one AIDS death here in 2018.

I asked the question “Has AIDS reporting lost its steam? I quickly got my answer..

Reuters published an article in July 2018 giving exactly the answer to my question:

Fight against Aids losing steam – UN

LONDON: Complacency is starting to stall the battle against the global Aids epidemic, with the pace of progress not matching what is needed, the UN warned yesterday. [July 18 2018]

The UN HIV/Aids body UNAids said in an update report that the fight was at a “precarious point”, and while deaths were falling and treatment rates rising, rates of new HIV infections threatened to derail efforts to defeat the disease.

“The world is slipping off track. The promises made to society’s most vulnerable individuals are not being kept,” the report said. “There are miles to go in the journey to end the Aids epidemic.”

Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAids, noted in the report’s foreword that there had been great progress in reducing deaths from Aids and in getting a record number of people worldwide into treatment with antiretroviral drugs.

The report said an estimated 21.7million of the 37million people who have the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes Aids were on treatment last year, five and a half times more than a decade ago.

This rapid and sustained increase in people getting treatment helped drive a 34% drop in Aids-related deaths from 2010 to 2017.

Aids deaths last year were the lowest this century, at fewer than 1million people, the report said.

Sidibe also said there were now crisis points in preventing the spread of HIV – particularly among high-risk and vulnerable populations – and in securing sustained funding.

“The success in saving lives has not been matched with equal success in reducing new HIV infections,” he said. “New HIV infections are not falling fast enough. HIV prevention services are not being provided on an adequate scale and are not reaching the people who need them the most.” – Reuters/African News Agency

SOURCE: https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/fight-against-aids-losing-steam-un-16123611

Unfortunately, we media outlets, in the Cayman Islands, our AIDS awareness/health bodies, and our government, are not doing nearly enough to combat this disease that still has not found a cure.

Much more steam required.