IAPAC Embraces
Secretary Clinton's Call for an AIDS-Free Generation
Statement by Dr. José M. Zuniga
President of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care
in Response to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Address
at the National Institutes of Health
Washington, DC - November 8, 2011 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today
called upon the US Government, other governments, donors and stakeholders, scientists and clinicians, and people
living with HIV/AIDS and their advocates to leverage 30 years of investments and considerable progress in
order "to change the course of [the HIV] pandemic and usher in an AIDS-free generation."
Where just a few short years ago that goal would require numerous qualifying statements, the progress that has been made
in the continuum from laboratory to clinic to community makes it easy for institutions such as the International
Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) to embrace Secretary Clinton's rallying call. There exist
vidence-based interventions we know can work, and if they are deployed off of successful platforms
such as the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we can in effect:
1) zero out new HIV infections in children;
2) ensure that as children transition into adolescence and eventually into adulthood they have access to a wide range of prevention tools; and
3) provide continuous access to antiretroviral therapy for those who acquire HIV to both save and enhance their lives and, as important,
help prevent the transmission of HIV to others.
Achieving such an ambitious goal is doable. But, as Secretary Clinton noted, there is no one
institution - however powerful or well-resourced - that can singlehandedly advance this cause. Thus none,
including the US Government, should be expected to do so. Existing partners and those yet to be brought
into the fold can make possible a world in which we are preventing more new HIV infections than we
are putting HIV-positive people on antiretroviral therapy. Our 17,000 clinician-members in over
100 countries thus commit to double our efforts to expand access to combination prevention
and care, treatment, and support services worldwide. We look forward to collectively
celebrating an AIDS-free generation in some not too distant future.
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The International Association of
Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC)
The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) represents more than 17,000 clinicians
in over 100 countries, and advances education, technical assistance, and global health initiatives in
43 countries. Among its initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa are several that are meant to expand the
health workforce's capacity to deliver integrated health services, and to strengthen health
systems so that they may more efficiently utilize their existing health workforces. More
information about IAPAC is available at www.iapac.org. Visit www.iapac.org for more information.
Reproduced with permission -
"International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC)"
International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC)
