Ilona van de Braak, Communications Director, AIDS Foundation East-West

The Vienna Express is now just over a week away from its final destination of the AIDS2010 conference in Vienna, Austria. Over the past few weeks, thousands of people have attended our events and supported our plea for a response to HIV that is evidence-based and founded upon respect for human rights, not on coercion and fear. Our focus is on Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which is facing the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world (at present, 1.5 million people live with HIV in the region), a situation largely fuelled by the growth in injecting drug use.

Looking at the photos sent to us from our campaign, I’m struck by the number of young faces in the crowds and the enthusiasm, creativity and sheer joie de vivre that young people have brought to our campaign. We set the ball rolling, but they have picked it up and run with it! I can’t stress enough the importance of this response from young people, the group most at risk of and affected by HIV.

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Members of the Dutch Parliament will join the Vienna Express for a trip to the Mainline outreach bus and services for drug users run by the HVO organisation and the Amsterdam Health Services. Presentations will be given by Anke van Dam and Joost van der Meer of AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW), representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Netherlands and UNAIDS, among others.

For more information, contact Anke van Dam, anke_van_dam@afew.org, Tel:  +31 20 638 1718