This is a slightly lower amount than last year. the association Sidaction collected 4 million euros from pledgesfor the fight against Page during its traditional annual collection weekend. This year, the event was launched on Thursday evening with a clip on the 33 partner media and a special musical program was broadcast on Saturday evening on France 2.
“Donors were there despite the very busy news, they have already shown great mobilization and generosity towards l’Ukraine “, observed Sunday the general manager of Sidaction, Florence Thune. The association raised almost 4.5 million euros in pledges last year during its collection weekend, an amount almost equivalent to its 2019 record (4.5 million euros).
Fewer screenings with the Covid-19 crisis
At present, the Sidaction association considers that the risk of a resumption of the HIV epidemic is “alarming” due in particular to a “drop in screenings” due to the pandemic of Covid-19. “This drop in screening means that more people do not know their HIV status, which means that there is a greater risk of contamination”, specifies Florence Thune.
Furthermore, the war in Ukraine could contribute to a subsequent resurgence of the HIV epidemic in the region. “Ukraine is one of the most affected countries in Eastern Europe. He had made a lot of effort in recent years, but we know how devastated the health system will be” by the war, explains Florence Thune.
The funds collected by Sidaction will go to research and care programs as well as associative programs for prevention and aid to patients in France and abroad, indicates the association. According to the latest UNAIDS report, 37.7 million people worldwide are living with HIV and 680,000 people died in 2020 of AIDS-related illnesses. In France, 173,000 people are living with HIV.