Leading with science, uniting for action on HIV/Aids

a result of Aids. It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to more than 34 million people living with HIV worldwide.
Today, we celebrate those lives saved and improved in Zimbabwe and recommit to the fight against Aids.
On this World Aids Day, we emphasise science as the way forward.
Recent scientific breakthroughs have altered our outlook on the future of Aids.
Of particular importance was a study showing that antiretroviral treatment reduces the likelihood of transmission of HIV to an uninfected partner by a remarkable 96 percent.
For the first time, with this and other tools, we have a potential path to eliminate this disease from the global landscape.
By using our new knowledge, we can implement more effective programmes to provide HIV prevention, treatment, and care to millions of people worldwide, and in communities throughout Zimbabwe.
Since 2000, the United States government has invested over US$245 million in Zimbabwe’s fight against HIV/Aids.
In 2012, the US will contribute an estimated US$60 million to the national HIV/Aids response in Zimbabwe through the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), including support for treatment of 80 000 people and interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV for approximately 40 000 women living with HIV/Aids.
Working with Zimbabwe, we are embracing smart investments to save more lives.
Treatment – both to save the lives of those infected, and to prevent infection of others – is a key evidence-based intervention, along with prevention of mother-to-child transmission, voluntary medical male circumcision, HIV testing and others.
In all we do, we are focusing on using our resources as effectively and efficiently as possible to maximise the human impact of our investments and save more lives.
President Barack Obama’s Global Health Initiative is using health systems built through PEPFAR to address public health challenges in a more integrated and comprehensive way.
A prime example of this is the partnership between American and Zimbabwean health professionals to bring quality assurance and international standards to Zimbabwean laboratories and testing centres.
The US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Zimbabwe office is working hand-in-hand with the Zimbabwe National Quality Assurance Program (ZINQAP) through a US$10 million, 5-year program.
This week ZINQAP and CDC are running a southern African workshop in Bulawayo for scientists, lab technicians and medical specialists from around the region.
CDC also supported the creation this year of Zimbabwean National Guidelines for Medical Laboratories, a National Blood Policy and National Blood Standards this year.
Some key results of these initiatives have been the upgrade of the tuberculosis laboratory at the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, and the establishment of a laboratory mentorship program.
All of these efforts to raise the professional standards of scientific work in Zimbabwe, make Zimbabwe better able to fight HIV nationwide, and contribute toward a better future for all citizens.
Despite challenging economic times, the United States remains committed to a leadership role in the global Aids response.
Meeting the challenge of this disease will require commitment from all parties – including the governments of affected countries, donor governments, civil society, faith-based organisations, and the private sector. Today, we recognise how far we have come in turning the tide against HIV, while acknowledging the lengths we still must travel.
On this World Aids Day, we stand together with Zimbabwe. With science as the roadmap, let us renew our efforts to reach the goal of an Aids-free generation.