Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, welcomed delegates from all over the globe to launch the Martin Fisher Foundation at the Brighton Dome yesterday, September 14 and committed the city to achieving ZERO deaths from HIV.
After welcoming the international delegates to the city, Cllr Morgan, said; “Brighton and Hove has the highest prevalence of people diagnosed with HIV outside of London. In 2013, nearly 1700 Brighton and Hove residents attended NHS HIV treatment services.
“Over the last thirty years Brighton and Hove has witnessed the incredible progress that has taken place in the diagnosis and treatment of people living with HIV. Professor Martin Fisher was at the forefront of these improvements both locally and nationally. With his colleagues he transformed the care of local people living with HIV and built an outstanding unit both in terms of the care it provides and the contribution it makes to research and clinical knowledge.
“Because of the progress made in preventing transmission, prompt diagnosis and effective treatments, people diagnosed early with HIV can now expect to have a near normal life expectancy.
“The council, with it’s public health role, needs to work together with partners across the health sector to support the furtherance of this vital work.
“The Martin Fisher Foundation will continue Professor Fisher’s life-saving work. I look forward to the advances in the care and treatment the Foundation’s work will bring to everyone including the people of Brighton and Hove.
“It is down to us all to achieve Martin’s goal; zero stigma, zero transmission and zero deaths from HIV/AIDS.”
The morning session included contributions from Dr Valerie Delpech, Public Health England; Prof Deenan Pillay, University KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Simon Collins, HIV-positive Treatment Advocate, UK; Mr Robert Fieldhouse, Body Positive, UK; Dr Duncan Churchill, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, Prof Christine Katlama, University Pierre and Marie Curie, France; Prof Juergen Rockstroh, University of Bonn, Germany and Dr Cal Cohen, Gilead Sciences, USA. Subjects covered ranged from understanding the evolution of the HIV epidemic, to the challenges of co-infection, PrEP and treatment. The overriding message from all speakers was the importance of testing early and commencing treatment as soon as possible.
The afternoon session was chaired by Baroness Gould, Chair of the UK Government’s Independent Advisory Group for Sexual Health and HIV, and included a moving tribute film to Martin produced by Armadillo, a piano recital by Neil Georgeson and a call to action to ZERO with official tributes from Professor Malcolm Reid, Dean, Brighton and Sussex Medical School; Mr Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals; Dr David Asboe, President, British HIV Association; Dr Janet Clarke, President, British Association of Sexual Health and HIV and Professor Trevor Beedham, Dean, The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London.
The afternoon session was brought to a close by Martin Fisher Foundation Patron Jane Mezzone, former lead commissioner for sexual health, East Sussex Brighton and Hove Health Authority and presently the Strategic Sexual Health Commissioning Co-ordinator for London ADPH across all 33 Local Authorities, who called for a strategic approach in achieving ZERO and James Ledward, commissioning editor of Gscene Magazine who reflected on the importance of the new Foundation involving LGBT and HIV community organisations in all plans to reduce HIV infections to ZERO.
Martin Fisher was honorary consultant physician in sexual health and HIV at Brighton and Sussex University Hospital (BSUH) and was instrumental in the development of the HIV department there since being appointed to the post in 1995. He was one of the worlds leading HIV physicians and specialists and the first professor of HIV medicine at Brighton & Sussex Medical School. Martin died suddenly on April 20 earlier this year.
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