The red ribbon, symbol of the fight against AIDS -

Alvaro Barrientos / AP / SIPA

While the spotlight has been almost exclusively on the coronavirus for more than a year, Sidaction was trying this weekend "to bring HIV out of its invisibility".

"I think we have succeeded in this bet" rejoiced its general manager, Florence Thune.

This traditional moment of annual fundraising has enabled the association to reach nearly 4.5 million euros in pledges, a figure equivalent to the record amount of 2019. The funds will go to research and care programs as well. than to associative care and assistance programs for patients in France and abroad.

“Faced with the current uncertain context, with the economic difficulties encountered by many French people, we were very worried.

Despite this, the general public has mobilized beyond our expectations, “reacted Sunday Florence Thune.

It must be said that the fears were real.

In 2020, the Covid-19 crisis had real consequences on donations.

Nearly 1.5 million euros in pledges were then collected for the fight against AIDS during an evening broadcast on France 2 in June, several months after the charity event was forced to cancel its weekend. end of collection.

The sharp drop in screening

This year, the event was launched Thursday evening with the broadcast of a clip on the 31 partner media.

Then an evening entitled

Merci Line 

was also broadcast on Saturday on France 2 in tribute to Line Renaud, who remains at 92 years the irremovable vice-president of Sidaction, an association created in 1994. Deploring "an alarming drop in HIV tests", Emmanuel Macron had also called not to "let AIDS regain ground", in a message broadcast Saturday on social networks.

"In France, in October, we had 650,000 fewer tests than what was planned at this stage, and some countries had up to 50% fewer screenings," also lamented Florence Thune who specifies that in France, nearly "24,000 people do not know their status due to lack of screening".

According to the latest UNAIDS report, 38 million people around the world are living with HIV and more than 12 million people are waiting for treatment, which is now life-saving.

In 2019, 1.7 million people were newly infected with HIV and 690,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.

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