Gains made in the HIV fight are fragile and should be sustained, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said yesterday.

In a message to mark today’s observance of World AIDS Day, UNAIDS Execu-tive Director Michel Sidibe said it was a day filled with both hope and concern. There is hope because significant progress has been made towards universal access as new HIV infections have dropped. According to UNIAIDS, fewer children are born with HIV and more than 4 million people are on treatment. The organization stated that it is concerned that for the past 28 years since the discovery of the virus, HIV continues to make inroads into new populations; stigma and discrimination continue to undermine efforts to turn back the epidemic. The violation of human rights of people living with HIV, including women and girls, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers must end it added.

UNAIDS also called on all stakeholders  to act on HIV prevention, noting that for every two people put on treatment, five are newly infected and according to the release, too often prevention programmes are not reaching those most in need.

It also noted that strides made today in combating the disease are fragile and must be sustained, and that the economic crisis should not be a reason for reducing investments in health.

UNAIDS stated that economic adjustments must be made though a human rights lens that keeps the focus on those most vulnerable, adding that this is the time to increase rather than decrease funding for AIDS. The organization stated that all concerned must take AIDS out of isolation and create a broad social movement that will accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals.

The organization stated that World AIDS Day provides an opportunity for everyone – individuals, communities and political leaders – to take action towards making universal access a reality.