By Janie Amaya
Singer and actress Mandy Moore joined a group of health panelists on Capitol Hill Thursday to highlight the ongoing achievements in the fight against AIDS in the U.S. and world wide, on World AIDS Day.
U.S. supported programs such as family planning and HIV/AIDS integration services are great contributors in the fight to achieve an AIDS-free generation, according to the Global Health Council.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic broke-out nearly 30 years ago and according to the Global Health Council these prevention programs are efficient, effective and in demand.
As the Ambassador for the non-profit organization Population Services International (PSI), Moore has travelled extensively around the world working to help improve the health and lives of people in developing countries.
Moore said that through her travels, she has been able to see first hand the toll HIV/AIDS takes on families who don’t rely on support systems such as family planning and HIV/AIDS integration services.
“Country-wide in Cameroon, there are 330,000 children who have lost one parent to HIV/AIDS, classifying them as AIDS orphans,” Moore said.
However, according to Moore and the Global AIDS Report, the overall growth of the AIDS epidemic has steadily declined since the late 1990s due to significant antiretroviral therapy over the past few years.
“The most recent United Nations AIDS reports on World AIDS Day highlights the fact that eliminating new HIV infections in children is completely within our grasp,” Moore said.
Ugandan physician and panelist Dr. Peter Okaalet said that in a country where family planning was almost a taboo in the past, the latest HIV/AIDS prevention and education efforts begin with teaching the young people.