2 December 2020
A thematic press conference dedicated to World AIDS Day was organized by the National Press Center of the Republic of Belarus in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. Participants discussed the situation with the spread of HIV infection in the world, the system of medical care for people with HIV infection in the Republic of Belarus and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on doctors’ fight against the spread of HIV infection.
According to the epidemiological service, as of 1 November 2020, there are 22,792 people with HIV infection in Belarus. At the same time, there is still a negative attitude in society towards people living with HIV, which makes many people afraid to be examined, which leads to late detection of the disease, increases the risks of health problems, death, further transmission of infection and has serious economic consequences. One of the reasons for this is the criminalization not only of HIV transmission, but also of putting people at risk of HIV infection, an approach that causes stigmatization. To address this issue the Ministry of Health together with UN agencies in Belarus is preparing proposals to improve the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. To stop the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is one of the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 3 ‘Good Health and Welfare’. Thanks to prevention, effective antiretroviral therapy and joint efforts of international, national and nongovernmental organizations, the number of new HIV cases in the world is declining every year, and Belarus has been able to confirm its status as a country that eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV for several years. A video version of the briefing dedicated to World AIDS Day can be viewed on the website of the National Press Center.
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