By Paul W Dennis
Today, 1st December marks the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Launched in 1988, the annual observance highlights worldwide efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has revealed that significant progress has been made in the AIDS response since 1988, and today three in four people living with HIV know their status.
But we still have miles to go, as the organisation’s report shows, and that includes reaching people living with HIV who do not know their status and ensuring that they are linked to quality care and prevention services.
A joint message from Anglican leaders has stressed how they are joining with Christians from other Churches to promote HIV testing.
Amongst them is Margaret Sentamu, the wife of Ugandan born Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who underwent a 20-minute finger prick test this week, to demonstrate how simple the test is.
This year, the Anglican Communion Office is working alongside the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance to mark the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day by encouraging everyone to get tested and know their HIV status.
Mrs Sentamu, according to anglicannews.org underwent her text in a community facility organised by National Health Service (NHS) staff from York’s sexual health services and the charity Yorkshire MESMAC. The simple finger prick test can provide results in about 20 minutes.
“It’s important to raise awareness not just for one day, but all year round of the importance of getting tested”, Mrs Sentamu said “There have been fantastic advances in medication which means people can now live a completely normal life, particularly when they get an early diagnosis.”
Like her husband, Mrs Sentamu hails from Kampala. Both she and Archbishop John have lost family and friends to Aids. “It has taken a while for the message to get through to people that HIV is spread by having unprotected sex”, she said. “Because of this, African women were, and are, particularly vulnerable to being infected with the virus.
“Understandably people may be nervous about taking a test but you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Late diagnosis can be devastating, so be brave and go forward – do not fear the test.”
The Anglican Communion’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jack Palmer-White said: “Whilst there has been significant progress made to increase the number of people who know their HIV status, more needs to be done to ensure that this is a reality for everyone.
According to the Ministry of Health, Uganda, between 1.5 million and 2 million people have died of HIV/Aids-related ailments since 1982.
“Churches can play a vital role in helping people understand why knowing their status is so important, and church leaders can be a positive example to their congregations by being tested themselves.”
He said that the “huge numbers of people” who do not know their status “are being denied the opportunity to live their lives to the full because of untested or untreated HIV infections.
“Now is the time to end HIV/Aids”, he said. “Together, we can achieve this goal. But it requires us to work together to bring hope to the millions who do not know they are living with HIV and to support the millions more who need access to treatment.”
To help raise the profile of this campaign, prayers have been commissioned from activists within the church who are working within their communities to prevent, treat and support people living with HIV.
These prayers will be used as part of the World Council of Church’s World Aids Day Prayer Service
Anglicannews.org contributed to this Report.
