Elton John marks World AIDS Day with call to action

Sir Elton John marked World AIDS Day on Tuesday (01Dec15) by writing an emotive article urging global leaders to commit to wiping out the deadly disease by 2030.
The Rocket Man star has spent years campaigning and raising money to fight HIV/AIDS with his Elton John AIDS Foundation, and he recently announced a special partnership with the U.S. government.
The scheme, which is a joint effort with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), aims to help sufferers in countries which have little support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Sir Elton renewed his calls for action on World AIDS Day on Tuesday in an article published by Britain’s The Independent newspaper.
In the piece, the singer urges global leaders to stand by a pledge to work towards eliminating the threat posed by AIDS by the year 2030.
“This World AIDS Day, there’s a target and a prediction we should all focus on: ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 or facing (sic) a return to the dark darkest days of the disease… If we don’t deploy the arsenal now, we risk a mutation of the HIV virus and the long, hugely costly road to new medical formulations…
“I am heartened by the amazing work of so many agencies and institutions around the world… I’m truly hopeful that 2030 is a target we can achieve. I’d give anything to be an old man in an AIDS-free world.”