New HIV infections drop dramatically in Africa :
People with the disease live longer and better
by Jocelyne SAMBIRA
Africa is pulling out all the stops in its race to curb the AIDS
pandemic by 2015, a deadline set by UN member states. From making
anti-retroviral drug therapy (ART) readily available to the masses, to
increasing consistent, correct condom use and voluntary medical male
circumcision, everything has been tried and tested. And these efforts
are paying off, according to the latest report of the Joint UN Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), entitled Results.
Africa has cut AIDS-related deaths by one third in the past six
years, the report says. Even countries with the highest HIV prevalence
in the world have seen the number of new HIV infections decline
dramatically.
Malawi has witnessed a 73 percent drop in new HIV infections.
Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe follow. South Africa managed to
reduce new infections by 41 percent. Even Swaziland - the country with
the highest HIV prevalence in the world - saw new HIV infections drop by
37 percent.
Meanwhile, in other regions of Africa, Ghana topped the list,
followed by Burkina Faso and Djibouti.
Leaders in Africa have been funnelling money into their national AIDS
programs. Last year alone, South Africa invested $1.9 billion from
public sources for its national AIDS response. Kenya doubled its
domestic investments for AIDS between 2008 and 2010, and Togo did the
same between 2007 and 2010. International assistance has also been
stable, with 26 of 33 countries in sub-Saharan Africa relying on donor
support for their domestic programmes, Results adds.
‘From despair to hope’
The scaled-up response has been most effective in boosting the number
of people on ART treatment and reducing the number of children born with
HIV. Six African countries (Burundi, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Togo
and Zambia) saw a 40 percent reduction in the number of children newly
infected by the virus between 2009 and 2011. “It is becoming evident
that achieving zero new HIV infections in children is possible,” says
Michel Sidibé, the UNAIDS executive director. “I am excited that far
fewer babies are being born with HIV. We are moving from despair to
hope.”
On the other hand, North Africa has not fared so well. The number of
people newly infected with HIV each year has risen since 2001, although
overall numbers are still relatively low.
On 1 December, World AIDS Day, Mr. Sidibé called on the world to
renew its commitment to zero new infections, zero discrimination and
zero AIDS-related deaths. At a UN high-level meeting on AIDS in New York
in 2011, global leaders agreed to meet the ambitious targets of
significantly reducing the sexual transmission of HIV, virtually
eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission and achieve universal access
to treatment by 2015. Mr. Sidibé believes that with “political will and
follow through,” the world can reach those shared goals.
Challenging the ‘rosy picture’
ONE, a global advocacy group fighting poverty and preventable
diseases, begs to differ. The world is not on track to achieve the
global AIDS targets, the organisation asserts.
In its latest progress report, The Beginning of the End of AIDS?
Tracking Global Commitments on AIDS, ONE remarks that anti-retroviral
treatment for HIV-positive individuals has been the hallmark of the
world’s response to the AIDS pandemic. But, the group warns, only 6.6
million of the 15 million who need the treatment have access to it, and
2.5 million continue to be newly infected every year.
According to the South African advocacy group Section27, such figures
prove that the “end of the epidemic is no where near.” Section27
Director Mark Heywood challenges the “rosy picture” painted by UNAIDS.
He argues that the “remarkable” gains of recent years have yet to be
consolidated and entrenched, notes that people living with HIV/AIDS
still need to secure their rights and warns that the global economic
recession could redirect money away from AIDS.
Funding remains crucial
UNAIDS maintains that high-income countries have continued to help
even as they faced persistent economic problems. The agency admits
though that international assistance is still a crucial lifeline for
many low income countries.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an
international grant-making institution, has been instrumental in
attracting funds for national programs. It is currently preparing for
its 2013 replenishment meeting. It has already received a donation of
$200 million from RED (a division of the ONE campaign) to fight the AIDS
epidemic in Africa.
Meanwhile, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a
US government initiative and the largest funder of HIV efforts
worldwide, has announced that its future focus will be on prevention,
women and girls, as well as on reaching the most at-risk populations.
Together, the Global Fund and PEPFAR are supporting 5.6 million
people on ART treatment globally, ONE notes. There are more than 5
million people on ART treatment in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Moving forward, experts and policy makers agree that keeping people
on treatment is as important as getting them the drugs. UNAIDS warns
that adherence to these HIV treatment programmes can fall as people
regain better health. The agency cites the example of a treatment centre
in Malawi where nearly half the people who began ART are no longer in
care five years later. HIV treatment is for life, UNAIDS emphasizes, and
people living with the virus need to take pills every day. It urges
African countries to incorporate community support strategies to
complement clinical services and to keep down programme management costs
and drug prices. Basically, more people need access to treatment to live
longer and more productive lives.
– Third World Network Features
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