Nobody needs to die of AIDS anymore: Elton John

Among scourges like malaria, diabetes and cancer, AIDS is the only major epidemic that could be ended “in our lifetime,” if only old-fashioned attitudes and society could be changed, Elton John said Tuesday.

At the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, the 71-year-old musician and activist told CNN of his frustration at the lack of compassion and humanity toward groups most affected by HIV, such as LGBT communities.

The stigma they face causes them to miss out on life-saving testing and treatment, he said.

John believes that the UNAIDS target of ending AIDS by 2030 could be hit with the help of allies such as Britain’s Prince Harry, whose “passion for HIV” he described as an asset in the fight. 

US President Donald Trump could be key too if he shows support for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, to “keep the foot on the accelerator” rather than making cuts to the successful bipartisan program.

“Maybe he could be the president of the United States who ends AIDS altogether. Why not?” John asked, adding that “no disease has had scientific progress like this disease.”

“Nobody needs to die of AIDS anymore.”

On Tuesday morning, John took to the stage at the conference with Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, to launch a $1.2 billion partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation and PEPFAR called the MenStar Coalition. 

It will work creatively to boost HIV diagnosis and treatment among young men, focusing on those 24 to 35, among whom testing and treatment rates are low, endangering their own health and that of the people they have sex with.

On stage, Prince Harry described how proud he was to join John, “who has always put people at the center of his work.”

In return, John told CNN how Prince Harry had inherited his mother’s ability to “charm the pants of anyone” and the value that brings to make people care about HIV and the people affected by the infection.

Elton John and Prince Harry appeared on stage together during the AIDS conference.

He also spoke fondly of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, who he believes would be delighted at the progress in the field, adding that "we'd have probably come a lot further as well" if she were alive today.

Source: CNN