To mark World Aids Day 2015, the Ministry of Health, through the CCS-AIDS (Coordinating Committee for the Combat against AIDS), held the main event of the day at the National Assembly in order to discuss the HIV –AIDS pandemic both on the global level and national level.

During the opening ceremony, chaired by the Minister of Health, Dr Cristina Fontes Lima, the WHO Representative in Cabo Verde, Dr. Mariano Castellón underlined that: "although Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic with nearly 26 million people living with the infection, more people have now access to diagnosis and information for the prevention of HIV. We have reached a defining moment in the HIV/AIDS response as a result of the remarkable progress in the scale up of prevention, treatment and care interventions for HIV in the African Region.  In 2014, close to 11 million people were receiving lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. This has led to the number of AIDS related deaths reducing by nearly a half since 2005.

In addition, Dr. Mariano Castellon called for special attention to those considered "risk groups", including homosexuals, sex workers and injectable drug users, due to the "concentrated epidemic" registered within those groups and in order to make prevention activities effective.

WHO's objective is to eradicate HIV / AIDS to 2030. It is certainly an ambitious goal, but it's completely attainable, and represents a unique opportunity to change the course of history.

According to the CCS-AIDS, HIV / AIDS prevalence rate is below 1% (0.8) in Cabo Verde. At the national level there are currently 2,300 HIV-positive patients identified by health services, who are being treated in accordance with the criteria established by the health services.

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JOVIC Vesna, Email: jovicv [at] who.int (jovicv[at]who[dot]int)