ENI – Faith-based organizations can play an important role in the response to HIV and AIDS if they abide by the best public health practices, says Dr. Julio Montaner, the new president of the International AIDS Society during the 17th International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City in August.
"We know what needs to be done to respond effectively to the HIV epidemic. What is lacking is political leadership," said Montaner. On a one-to-ten scale, he sees the global response to the epidemic scoring "between three and four." This is a global average. By regions, he says, "North America must be closer to seven, Latin America to five, and Africa to two."
Montaner is an Argentine physician who heads the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, a programme at St Paul's Hospital, which belongs to faith-based care provider Providence Health Care, in Vancouver.
"We cannot say we are proud of the global response to AIDS. We are ashamed of the lack of implementation," Montaner says. For every person who begins to receive treatment, there are between two and three who become infected with the virus. "We are in a race against the clock."
The International AIDS Society describes itself as "the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS professionals," with more than 10,000 members from 185 countries. The society convenes the International AIDS Conference every two years. The next conference is scheduled for Vienna in 2010.
