Guyana must be on the road to eliminating HIV by 2020 – says Health MinisterMinister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday declared that in the next ten years Guyana would be well on the road towards eliminating HIV.His comments came as the country became the first in the world to have national principles, standards and guidelines for the prevention of HIV, all in one national document.Guyana has the second highest level of HIV in the Caribbean and Latin America. The prevention document was launched at Hotel Tower in Georgetown.Mr. Michel Sidib? the UNAIDS Executive Director said, “Guyana must be proud of this achievement as it continues to build on the advances it has made in reducing the spread of HIV, as is witnessed by reduced infections through mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and by caring for those infected with the virus.”Dr. Ruben del Prado, Country Coordinator of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Guyana, noted that “nowhere else in the world,” to his knowledge,nfl jerseys cheap, “there exists such a comprehensive set of HIV prevention principles, standards and guidelines that are homegrown and tailored specifically to a country’s vision, ambitions and needs. These are expected to be used to guide all prevention efforts in Guyana, at both the Governmental and non-governmental levels.”The launching of the document is expected to be the first step in reorienting stakeholders towards a more defined national approach to HIV prevention, with the objective of reducing, even further, the spread of HIV. The Ministry of Health will now facilitate a series of national “hands-on” trainings in the use of the document, as part of its national ‘roll-out’ and implementation strategy.For the Ministry of Health in Guyana, during this and the next decade, the goal is early attainment of Universal Access for Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support.“By 2020, Guyana must be well on the road towards eliminating HIV as a major public health problem,Jerseys From China,” says Minister Ramsammy, who also envisages “a Guyana where Guyanese do not suffer stigma and discrimination, or even worse, criminalisation, because of HIV status, sexual orientation, religion or gender.”According to Minister Ramsammy, “high quality HIV prevention standards are necessary for building a national HIV prevention infrastructure. The standards that we have developed in Guyana were formulated based on expertise and opinions of a wide range of selected professionals in and outside Guyana, as well as drawing on the views and experience of users. The development of these National HIV Prevention Principles, Standards and Guidelines has been an exciting collaboration between my Ministry and UNAIDS.”Dr Ramsammy stated that prevention strategies must become more robust and investment in HIV prevention must be consistent with a goal towards eliminating new HIV transmission. “This is an ambitious goal, but we have demonstrated we can change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic.“We must now pursue a trajectory of elimination of new HIV infections in Guyana. The paradigm must shift. We are so used to talk of the trajectory of reduction. It is time we embrace the trajectory of elimination.”According to Dr del Prado, these National HIV Prevention Principles, Standards and Guidelines that present HIV prevention as an ‘outcome’ – will reverberate far beyond the boundaries of Guyana, and could well be one of the most important ways forward for countries that wish to intensify their HIV prevention activities towards delivering high-quality prevention outcomes.“All that has been incorporated in these 34 pages is the result of over two years of intensive labour,China Jerseys NFL Wholesale, under the leadership of the Ministry of Health National AIDS Programme Secretariat, on content, form and presentation that has been well thought-through by many, nationally,Cheap Nike Air Max Shoes, and with expert feedback, internationally.” He added that “with the global ‘Prevention Revolution’ announced by UNAIDS, and the entire world now seeking revitalised and endearing guidance on how to move HIV prevention to the next level – Guyana has captured and encapsulated the essence on the way forward in one single, national-level document.”“Guyana must, therefore proudly present this to the world during the XVIIIth International AIDS Conference, in July 2010,wholesale jerseys, in Vienna.”