By Julie Mandoyan | July 25, 2012 - 15:00 GMT 
"The end of AIDS is not free. It is not too expensive. It is priceless." This was the impassioned call of UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, at the opening of the International AIDS conference on 22 July (22 July-27 July). But at a time of a global recession, when industrialized countries are unlikely to increase their aid commitments and pharmaceuticals remains a profit-driven industry, how are the most affected countries - often also the world’s poorest - to pay for treatment?
The annual conference centers on the fight against a pandemic that knows neither cure nor vaccine. Halting the number of those infected with HIV - which affects over 40 million individuals worldwide - was listed as a priority for this year’s edition, which gathered policy-makers, researchers, doctors and patients in Washington DC.
One of the (recurring) issues highlighted during discussion panels was the accessibility of medications. Although it has been proven that early treatment of HIV-affected individuals limits the chances for the virus to spread - before HIV positive patients are affected by AIDS - access to medication remains a problem in many countries.
Mozambique is one. Records show it has one of the highest rates of HIV-AIDS contamination in the world. According to UNICEF estimates, AIDS accounts for nearly 25 percent of all deaths recorded. UNAIDS puts the prevalence rate in the adult population aged between 15-49 years at 11.5 percent.To read the full article click here .
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