Dr Beatriz Grinsztejn, the President of the International AIDS Society, delivered the annual David Cooper Lecture last week in Sydney.
In conversation with Dr Norman Swan she highlighted the challenges in the current global HIV funding environment, particularly in the context of the withdrawal of US funding from PEPFAR and other international funds.
“The world has the tools to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030,” she said. “The HIV response that was born from activism, solidarity and science remains one of humanity’s greatest collaborative achievements. So to preserve it, we need we must protect what works. Invest in what is new and never forget who is most at risk of being left behind.” Dr Grinsztejn said.
In her talk Dr Grinsztejn noted that discrimination, stigma, and access to lifesaving HIV prevention and treatment also persists around the globe.
The David Cooper Lecture honours the legacy of the Kirby Institute’s founding director, Scientia Professor David Cooper AC, who passed away in 2018. Professor Cooper was an internationally renowned scientist and HIV clinician who laid the foundations for Australia’s ongoing leadership in the fight against the global HIV epidemic.
Dr Grinsztejn reflected on the early days of HIV research and advocacy.
“In those days, HIV was not just a virus; it was a mirror reflecting who we were as a society,” Dr Grinsztejn said. “Many of the first people I cared for were gay men whose lives were devastated not only by an illness for which no treatment existed, but also by prejudice and rejection.
“The suffering I witnessed was not only biological but deeply social. People were dying from lack of medicines, yes, but also from loneliness, discrimination and the system [was] totally unprepared to care for them.”
It was during this time that she learned to view medicine as a field where “science and justice must walk together”.
The International AIDS Society President said the world had the ability to end HIV as a public health threat, but it as concerning that many countries were reducing their funding to the global challenge.
“The world has the tools to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030,“ she said. “What is missing is sustained political will, predictable and adequate funding and the courage to confront inequity head-on.
“We also need to preserve investment in science and in preparing the new generation of scientists to continue the work.”
Dr Grinsztejn also highlighted that the criminalisation of homosexuality in many countries also created a huge challenges for providing effective services.
The US decision to reduce their contributions through the PEPFAR and USAID programs, and put limits on the conditions preventative medication can be deployed, and new system of setting up agreements would have a massive impact on the challenge.
