PSI calls for renewed focus on prevention against HIV/AIDS

During a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, PSI’s general secretary Peter Waldorff called for more investment on prevention against HIV/AIDS. “The number of people infected with HIV is rising and yet we see a decline in prevention programmes. We must renew our efforts in effective prevention actions," says Waldorff. In 2001 almost 28 million people around the world were HIV-infected. In 2007, the number had grown to over 33 million. That year an estimated 2 million people died as a result of AIDS. PSI also demands more investments to protect health care workers who have run high risks while performing their jobs. PSI launched a campaign at the end of 2007 to promote the switch to the use of safe injection devices, such as retractable syringes. The use of retractable syringes protects not only patients, but they also protect nurses, laboratory personnel and doctors as well as waste collectors from the risk of HIV infection.

Download the PSI brochure HIV/AIDS: A call for more investment in prevention here (1.5 MB).