Faith-based responses to the global HIV pandemic: exceptional engagement in a major public health emergency

Autor: R. J. Vitillo
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Medicine and the Person. 7:77-84
ISSN: 2036-3877
2035-9411
DOI: 10.1007/s12682-009-0020-3
Popis: The HIV pandemic is an “exceptional” public health emergency requiring an “exceptional” response from all sectors of society, including that of the faith communities. While significant progress has been made with provision of life-prolonging and life-enhancing combination anti-retroviral therapy to those who need it, even in low- and middle-income countries, the annual HIV incidence far outstrips the reduction in HIV-related morbidity and mortality in such places. The action of faith-based organisations in this field is often misunderstood and under-valued. The article attempts to demonstrate the key contribution by people of faith to the global HIV pandemic response. Special attention is paid to the work of the Catholic Church in this field in view of its vast infrastructure of education, health care, development and social service activities and of its exemplary efforts to coordinate an effective HIV response from global to grass roots levels. Independent evaluations and statistical data regarding the level and quality of faith-based engagement in this field are presented in order to demonstrate the basic premise of the article — i.e., that faith-based organisations are lending exceptional energy, expertise, and experience in order to achieve the commitment of the international commitment to advance universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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