Celebrating 120 Years of Solidarity in Advancing Health and Well-Being, Leaving No One Behind
In 1981, scientists identified a new threat to human health, a disease that would prove devastating beyond calculation. Both the United Nations and the Inter-American systems have a significant body of legal instruments for the protection of human rights that can be used to protect the rights and liberties of persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, the Region of the Americas has contributed with a public health and human rights approach to the global response to the disease. Strengthening local health systems proved to make possible transferring authority, responsibility, and accountability to those services that directly respond to people’s health needs.
In 1987 a program to prevent and control the disease was created, establishing laboratory networks, supporting laboratory operations, and monitoring and improving national and regional case surveillance. PAHO has provided the countries technical guidelines for AIDS prevention and helped emerging national prevention and control programs.
In September 2016, Member States of the Pan American Health Organization approved the Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections 2016 -2021. This Plan aims to promote an accelerated, focused, more effective, innovative and sustainable response, paving the way towards the goal of ending the epidemics of AIDS and STIs as public health problems in the Region of the Americas by 2030.
The Plan also integrates the goals of the previous Regional Strategy and Plan of Action for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Congenital Syphilis, reducing the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis to elimination levels.
