Significant gains in preventing HIV, but not enough – UNAIDS report by UNAIDS / Oxfam 10:41pm 1st Aug, 2008   Mexico City. Aug 3, 2008    Keep up momentum in war on AIDS, global conference told. (AFP)    A global conference on AIDS opened here with appeals for the world not to flag in fighting a disease that has claimed more than 25 million lives and placed 33 million others under its shadow.    "AIDS is the most complex, the most challenging and probably the most demanding infectious disease humanity has ever had to face," Margaret Chan, director general of the UN"s World Health Organisation (WHO) said Sunday.    "We dare not let down our guard. This is an unforgiving epidemic," she warned. "We are going to be in this for the long haul."    The six-day 17th International AIDS Conference is the first to take place in Latin America, a region with entrenched stigma against people with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).    More than 22,000 scientists, policymakers and field workers are attending, making it the second largest conference in the 27-year history of the disease, and the largest in a developing country.    The biennial gathering coincides with a relative lull in the protracted fight against the disease, marked by successes in bringing long-awaited antiretroviral drugs to badly-hit poor nations.    Peter Piot, executive director of the UN agency UNAIDS, hailed this as "cause for great encouragement," but little more. "It"s certainly far too early for declaring victory, because the end of AIDS is nowhere in sight," Piot said soberly. "Every day, almost three times as many people become newly infected with HIV as those who start taking antiretroviral therapy."    Among those attending the conference is former US president Bill Clinton, considered a key figure in the campaign to slash the price of anti-HIV drugs to developing countries which are home to 90 percent of the 33 million people with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Insiders said they did not expect any breakthrough announcement in the arena of drugs, and braced for confirmation that the quest for a vaccine was mired in setbacks.    Thanks to an increase in funding and cuts in the price of first-generation antiretrovirals, three million people in developing countries now have access to lifeline drugs that suppress HIV, but do not eradicate it from the body.    But this is still less than a third of the way to the goal of universal access by 2010, enshrined by the UN General Assembly.    According to UN agency UNAIDS, around 10 billion dollars was spent last year fighting AIDS in poor countries, more than eight billion dollars short of what was needed.    The conference theme, "Universal Action NOW," reflects an appeal to political leaders to maintain their effort, amid worries about a looming money crunch as the cost of treatment spirals as more people go on drugs.    Aug 2008    Urgent action is needed in order to achieve the promise of universal access by 2010. (Oxfam)    Inadequate donor financing and aggressive tactics by multinational pharmaceutical companies threaten to derail efforts to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support by 2010, international agency Oxfam warned today.    At a news conference on the opening day of the International AIDS Conference, singer and Oxfam ambassador Annie Lennox lauded the progress achieved to date, and urged action by rich countries.    Annie Lennox said: “If we are to achieve the promise of universal access by 2010, the AIDS Conference must light a fire under political leaders to increase their aid for HIV/AIDS and make it more effective. It is unacceptable that so many women, in particular, are suffering for want of treatment and care."    The agency said lack of predictable financing leaves health systems vastly under-staffed, while aggressive legal maneuvering by the multinational pharmaceutical industry makes key medicines unaffordable for poor people and poor countries.    Oxfam International health adviser Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni said: “Fifty percent more than the amount currently pledged for HIV/AIDS is needed to meet the promised goal of universal access by 2010. In 2008 alone UNAIDS estimates an US$8 billion shortfall, and the gap will increase if donors do not change course.”    Rohit Malpani, Oxfam International policy adviser, said: “Multinational pharmaceutical companies have deployed armies of lawyers to block affordable generic medicines, particularly for second-line treatment. The world’s richest governments have joined them to punish developing countries that in good faith try to make medicines affordable.”    Oxfam also criticized donors’ penchant for giving short-term grants, which hinders building strong health systems. Dr. Kamal-Yanni: “Addressing the workforce crisis, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, requires long-term predictable financing so countries can train, hire and retain staff, particularly female health workers in rural areas.”    Wasai Jacob Nanjakululu, head of Oxfam’s global AIDS program, said: “Only two of Africa’s countries, Botswana and Gambia, have made good on their promise to spend 15% of the national budget on health. Africa must do its part to close the financing gap and achieve universal access.”    31 July 2008 (UNAIDS)    While there have been significant gains in preventing new HIV infections in a number of heavily-affected countries and reducing the number of AIDS-related deaths, the epidemic is far from over in any part of the world, says a new United Nations report released today.    The 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic, produced by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), is the most comprehensive review of the epidemic to date with 147 countries reporting data on HIV.    It notes, among other things, that the combined efforts of governments, civil society and affected communities can make a difference in saving lives.    For example, changes in sexual behaviour in countries such as Rwanda and Zimbabwe have led to a decline in the number of new HIV infections, and condom use is increasing among young people with multiple partners in many countries. Young people in seven of the most-affected countries, including Burkina Faso and Cameroon, are also waiting longer to have sex.    In addition, the percentage of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission rose from 14 per cent to 33 per cent from 2005 to 2007. The number of new infections among children fell from 410,000 to 370,000 in the same period.    “The overall finding of the report is that we’ve made enormous progress, that there are real results,” UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot told journalists, as he launched the report in New York. “We’ve achieved more in the fight against AIDS in the last two years than in the preceding 20 years.”    At the same time, he stressed the need to sustain the gains made over the long term and scale up efforts at prevention and treatment. The report notes that while the number of new HIV infections has declined from 3 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2007, the rates of infection are rising in many countries such as China, Indonesia, Kenya and Russia.    There are now an estimated 33 million people living with HIV worldwide, with 2 million estimated to have died from AIDS last year. Also, AIDS continues to be the leading cause of death in Africa.    Dr. Piot noted that there are still five new infections for every two people who are newly put on treatment. “So the gap between those who are in need of treatment and those who have access to treatment is widening. Ultimately, we’ll have to intensify our interventions… our prevention efforts to stop this epidemic,” he stated.    The head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) agreed that HIV prevention efforts must be intensified, particularly among young people.    “We will not be able to beat the HIV epidemic without a sustained success in reducing HIV infections, especially among young people,” said Executive Director Thoraya Obaid, noting that 45 per cent of all the new adult infections last year were among young people aged 15 to 24.    Despite the progress cited by the report in terms of increased condom use among young people and the fact that more of them are waiting longer to have sex, they still remain vulnerable because many of them lack accurate and comprehensive information on how to protect themselves from infection, she said.    Praising the United States Government for its significant funding boost to fight AIDS, the head of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said today that the new investment will inject fresh hope for the future.    US President George W. Bush has signed a new bill into law renewing the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which triples funding to tackle the pandemic to nearly $15 billion over the next five years.    “We are at a turning point in the world’s response to AIDS,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot, who was present at the bill’s “historic” signing in Washington, DC.    “AIDS is not just a short-term emergency, but also a long-term crisis that will require a serious commitment and serious resources for decades, not years, to come.”    While the pandemic is not yet over around the world, Dr. Piot stressed that the considerable investment by the US and other nations in HIV prevention, care and treatment has led to fewer AIDS deaths and infections.    In a related development, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the international drug facility known as UNITAID today announced an infusion of $50 million targeted at cutting mother-to-child HIV transmission.    The funds will test 10 million pregnant women for HIV and treat nearly 300,000 mothers and children in nine countries where one quarter of the world’s HIV-infected pregnant mothers give birth every year. Those nations are: Central African Republic (CAR), China, Haiti, Lesotho, Myanmar, Nigeria, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe.    “This effort aims to go beyond mere prevention by promoting ongoing treatment for mothers and their babies,” said Philippe Douste-Blazy, who chairs UNITAID’s Executive Board. “Our aim is to fund the most effective and appropriate medicines and diagnostics on the market for both women and children.”    The investment will allow UNICEF to receive lower drug prices, leading to increased treatment for women living with HIV and also enhanced measures to prevent infection in their children. It will also provide a one-year course of anti-retroviral treatment to HIV-positive pregnant women in need in the nine target countries.    Today’s announcement comes ahead of the XVII International AIDS Conference, which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will help open in Mexico City on 3 August.    The event will bring together world leaders, policymakers, academics and activists to review lessons learned and build momentum towards achieving universal access goals by 2010 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which includes the target of halting the spread of HIV/AIDS – by 2015.    The UN International Labour Organization (ILO) plans to hold events to raise awareness of the pandemic’s impact on the workplace.    Those working in their productive prime are both most at risk of being infected with HIV and most affected by the virus. The ILO said that more than 30 million people globally of working age are living with HIV.    “Workplaces are vitally important for HIV/AIDS information, prevention, non-discrimination and access to treatment,” said Sophia Kisting, Director of ILO/AIDS. “At the same time, we are seeing increasing evidence that the workplace literally ‘works’ as a vital entry point for a whole range of responses to issues raised by the pandemic.”    Information about AIDS, condoms and anti-discrimination messages are being distributed to participants in this year’s Beijing Olympics, thanks to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Chinese organizing committee for the games.    “Olympic athletes are helping break down barriers of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV,” Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director, said today at the launch of the campaign in the Chinese capital.    “They are also well placed to carry the messages across countries and cultures to inspire people to adopt behaviours that protect them against HIV,” Dr. Piot added.    In the clinic at the Olympic Village, some 100,000 high quality condoms are available for distribution along with information on HIV prevention and anti-discrimination in English, French and Chinese.    In addition, all Olympians have received a fact sheet and two AIDS video spots featuring the Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and Michael Ballack, the German footballer and UNAIDS Special Representative.    The campaign aims at reaching Olympic athletes, members of the national delegations and the more than 100,000 volunteers supporting the games, using the event to amplify key HIV and AIDS messages globally.    * Visit the link below to access the 2008 UNAIDS Report. 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