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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Monday, December 1st, 2008 – "This year, World AIDS Day is being celebrated under the theme Lead-Empower-Deliver and is promoted with the campaign slogan "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."
Without in anyway sounding an alarm, when looking at all of the figures and circumstances with which we are faced, it is indeed fair to say that HIV and AIDS is an emergency.
Over the past year we have had our fair share of emergencies. We know how an acute emergency feels; for example the horror of the hurricanes and the panic of the current global economic crisis.
These things, perhaps because they affect us more directly, can sometimes make it difficult for us to appreciate the national emergency that HIV/AIDS presents to us, because it has crept up on us over the past 20 years. But the reality, which we must never forget, is that HIV/AIDS remains a national and international emergency, which threatens our development as a nation.
What is of concern to me, my Government and, I am sure, the entire country, is that our numbers of HIV positive cases are increasing despite the National AIDS Programme's efforts to empower the people by providing information on how to address this matter.
So much progress has been made and our country's response has been strong to the epidemic, but as Minister of Health, I make no apologies for saying that it needs to be strengthened.
We have promoted the implementation of comprehensive health care targeting affected individuals.
We have as a government that purchased lifelong anti retroviral medication for all our HIV infected persons that are made know to the Ministry of Health.
In the past two years we have not had a baby born with HIV in the country as a direct result of all pregnant women receiving HIV tests and those who need it, receiving drugs to protect their baby. Screening, testing and community outreach have all increased.
We have provided the political will, the policies and the financial commitment, but it takes the entire community to prevent and control the HIV epidemic.
Partnerships have been formed between the National AIDS Programme, the business community, faith based organizations and other non-governmental organizations over recent years. We are good at pulling together as a community, but I am sure that more can be done.
The theme for World AIDS Day – Leadership empowers everyone - individuals, organizations and the government to lead in the Turks and Caicos' response to HIV/AIDS.
I ask every one of you to take the lead as leadership does not only apply to those who old positions of power. I am asking you fathers, sons, husbands and brothers to support the rights of women, since young women remain the most vulnerable group. I ask you young women to empower yourselves and prepare yourselves for a bright future, but exercising care, caution and protection.
I have a special message to the church. This year the National AIDS Programme is concentrating on faith based organizations. Churches, as one of the most powerful and influential organization in the community, we look to you for guidance and it has never been more important before now for you to take the lead.
Your influence on your congregations through design and implementation of programmes promoting risk reduction behaviours, your care and compassion for those affected with HIV, are much in need at this stage of our development.
To our young people, we need you to know that of the 41 million people living with HIV, half of those who have become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 years old and are killed by HIV/Aids before they are 35.
This is the global picture, but what I'm trying to say to you young people is that you are the most at risk. And if you are at risk, that means that our future is at risk. This is why I am calling HIV/AIDS a national emergency.
I trust that all of you here understand and appreciate the seriousness of the message.
And so, in closing, I want to give the assurance that as a government we will do whatever is necessary to fight HIV/AIDS, because in the final analysis, it is absolutely in the national interest of the Turks and Caicos Islands to do so.
God bless our community. Let us therefore continue to Lead Empower and Deliver."
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