EUROPE/ITALY - "There is life beyond HIV": more than half of those eligible to treatment are still without care

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - 45% of the 37 million people living with HIV are unaware of being infected with the virus. On the occasion of the World Day against HIV/AIDS, which is celebrated on December 1 each year, the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that despite the many progresses made and the ambitious targets set by the United Nations, more than half of those infected have no access to the care they need.
In the statement sent to Agenzia Fides, the NGO says that to win the fight against AIDS and combat the stigma still associated with the disease it is crucial involve patients and communities. In South Africa, for example, MSF worked with local artists and HIV-positive patients who decided to get involved in the creation of murals that depict their faces, to encourage other young people to face the disease with courage and show that they can live a healthy and satisfying life. They are visible on the facade of the OR Tambo Hall, the largest, well-known and visible building in Khayelitsha, a crowded suburb of Cape Town, where more than one in five adults is living with HIV, in a Country where every four minutes a young person between 15 and 29 years of age is infected. The project was designed for and with people living with HIV in the city. Despite the enormous difficulties, these people live an active and creative life, demonstrating that HIV is not in any way a death sentence. They want to convey this positive message as much as possible to encourage others to get tested and receive treatment in order to live a healthy and satisfying life. To describe the project, the NGO has released the video "There is life beyond HIV" which can be seen at https://youtu.be/fipXgwU_Mr4. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 01/12/2015)

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