A woman walks past a poster during the AIDS 2022 conference in Montreal on July 31. Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
The director-general of the World Health Organization told an international AIDS conference in Montreal today that growing inequality could reverse a decade of progress in the fight against HIV.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who addressed the 2022 AIDS conference by video, says that COVID-19, inflation and cuts in foreign aid from rich countries are deepening the divide between rich and poor nations.
He says that while the number of HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths is much lower than it was a decade ago, that progress could easily be reversed.
Ghebreyesus says he worries that access to HIV prevention tools, testing and treatment is often based on where people live and how much money they have.
The international AIDS conference runs until Tuesday at Montreal’s downtown convention center, the Palais des Congrès de Montreal.
More than 9,000 delegates from around the world will attend in person, with another 2,000 registered to participate remotely.
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