MINSK, 13 April (BelTA) – Belarus has made much progress in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The issue was discussed at the meeting of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko with Michel Sidibe, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), on 13 April, BelTA has learned.
The head of state expressed sincere gratitude for the colossal help and support provided to Belarus in healthcare, especially in the fight against such a terrible disease as HIV/AIDS, and for the evaluation of the country’s HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. “Without your support in the fight against this disease we would have never achieved these results,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.
The President presented the Medal of Francysk Skaryna to Michel Sidibe in recognition of his contribution to the development of healthcare in Belarus.
Michel Sidibe, in turn, remarked that Belarus has made much progress in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS not only with the assistance of UNAIDS but also thanks to the proactive position of Alexander Lukashenko. The executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS thanked the head of state for this approach. It is great honor for him to receive the Medal of Francysk Skaryna from the President of Belarus, the leader of the country which was one of the first countries to achieve excellent results in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. “Belarus demonstrates that a new generation can be born without HIV/AIDS problems,” Michel Sidibe said.
The subprogram HIV Prevention is implemented in Belarus as part of the state program Health of the Nation and Demographic Security of Belarus for 2016-2020. Government bodies and organizations, local authorities, NGOs and international organizations (UNAIDS, UNICEF) are engaged in this work.
One of Belarus’ recent achievements in the fight against HIV/AIDS is the provision of treatment to all HIV patients, preventive treatment of all infected women and children, replacement feeding for infants. The country has managed to stabilize the epidemiological situation and make much progress in preventing the spread of HIV by 2016. More than 4,000 new HIV infections and 2,000 AIDS-related deaths have been prevented starting from 2000. The number of HIV infections among people (15-24 years) has reduced more than two times.