Responses to HIV are key to making Lisbon a more fair and resilient city.
Today, despite the widespread effectiveness of treatment, a political response that removes barriers, eliminates stigma and discrimination is needed. The Municipality of Lisbon assumes the political leadership of this response, from a local perspective, with the collaboration of government entities, associations, academia, and people living with HIV and affected by the infection. Our commitment: working to improve the diagnosis of HIV infection; improving access to treatment and promoting its efficiency.
With the signing of the Paris Declaration in May 2017, Lisbon is committed to supporting and accelerating local responses in the area of HIV. Adherence involves eliminating the HIV and AIDS epidemic as a public health problem in Lisbon by 2030 and achieving the 1990-90-90 targets by 2020 so that:
90% of people living with HIV are aware of their infection;
90% of people who know they have HIV are on antiretroviral treatment;
90% of people on treatment have an undetectable viral load.
On May 17, 2018, the Lisbon City Council signed a collaboration protocol with key partners to implement the strategy of the "Lisbon, city without AIDS" (Lisboa, Cidade sem SIDA) initiative.
- Formulate strategies to address the preventive needs on sexual transmission and on sharing of drug use material;
- Distribute HIV prevention materials in accessible locations, in appropriate quantities, and associated with the initiative's graphic identity;
- Provide safe material for drug consumption and naloxone use in the community;
- Collaborate in the introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the community;
- Improve the conditions of access to post-exposure prophylaxis;
- Ensure access to sexual health consultations in key populations;
- Develop a comprehensive plan of action to increase early diagnosis;
- Establish a network of partners and tracing partnerships;
- Collaborate in the implementation of Test and Treat;
- Remove barriers to diagnosis and treatment;
- Implement continuous monitoring of initiatives under this project.
- Establishment of a local network of partners with experience in the area of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections;
- Creation of operating structures that are facilitating engines of communication / information and allow the streamlining of procedures;
- Establishment of working groups that focus on specific themes according to the objectives to be achieved;
- Creation of a monitoring system to monitor the progress of the initiative in partnership with IAPAC and UNAIDS.
The ambitious goal of this protocol of collaboration between partners in various areas is to make Lisbon a City Without AIDS by 2030.
Of all the commitments made by the City of Lisbon by signing the Paris Declaration on 29 May 2017, it seems to me particularly important that responses to HIV / AIDS contribute to a positive social transformation, in order to promote a welcoming and inclusive society.
It is essential to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable to the epidemic, who are also the most affected and often the most discriminated against: men who have sex with men, migrants, drug users and sex workers. Only then our common goal can be achieved.
Teresa Pizarro Beleza, Professor at the Faculty of Law of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
An infection which is exclusively human, such as HIV infection, deserves a clear control and, ultimately, eradication strategy. There's nothing overly ambitious about it! On the contrary, this has to be the commitment to health as a human right.
Ending the AIDS epidemic is an achievable goal, but in order to be truly effective we need that 90% of people living with HIV know about their status, 90% of those are in treatment and 90% of those achieve viral suppression. We should recognize its syndemic nature, monitor the dynamics of the epidemic, act where the risk is more important, ensure continued pathways in health care and sustainable access, and make the best treatments affordable
In Portugal, it is in large urban centers that infection has a more evident expression: therefore, attentive and caring cities can accelerate this process and lead the end of the epidemic.
Henrique Barros, president of the Institute of Public Health at the University of Porto.
Lisbon City Council - Manuel Grilo, councilor
State Secretary for Health
Portuguese Group of Activists in Treatments - Luís Mendão
Faculty of Law of the New University of Lisbon - Teresa Pizarro Beleza, professor professor
Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto - Henrique de Barros, president
Activist - Paolo Gorgoni
It is made up of representatives of the following entities:
Lisbon City Council (presidency)
Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Lisbon
Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and Tagus Valley
Directorate General for Health - National Program for HIV and AIDS
Primary Healthcare Clusters of Lisbon North, Central Lisbon and Western Lisbon and Oeiras
Hospital Centers of Lisbon North, Central Lisbon and Western Lisbon and Oeiras
Portuguese Group of Activists in Treatments
Expert in the area of HIV - National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge