News (Updated June
19, 2011)
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At the UN high-level
meeting on Aids, Ban Ki-moon called for a global commitment to eliminate Aids by
2020. But where the money will come from to achieve these aims is still a major
issue
By IRIN, part of the
Guardian's Development Network
14 June 2011
Former
The UN high-level meeting
on Aids was nothing if not bold. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, called
for a global commitment to eliminate Aids by 2020. "That is our goal –
zero new infections, zero stigma and zero Aids-related deaths," Ban said to
a round of applause at the UN general assembly last week in
The three-day event,
attended by heads of state, civil society groups, Aids organisations and
activists from more than 30 countries, coincided with the 30th anniversary of
the discovery of Aids and was dominated by discussions on the importance of
increasing access to treatment.
The summit – from 8 to
10 June – concluded with the adoption of a declaration that by 2015 seeks to
double the number of people on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to 15 million, end
mother-to-child transmission of HIV, halve tuberculosis-related deaths in people
living with HIV, and increase preventive measures for the "most vulnerable
populations".
"This declaration is
strong, the targets are time-bound and set a clear and workable roadmap – not
only for the next five years, but beyond," said Joseph Deiss, president of
the general assembly, in a statement. "UN member states have recognised
that HIV is one of the most formidable challenges of our time and have
demonstrated true leadership through this declaration in their commitments to
work towards a world without Aids."
The money to achieve these
aims is still a major issue, but the document is vague on where it will come
from – about $10bn is spent each year, and UNAids says another $6bn will be
required.
Countries agreed to
increase Aids-related spending to reach between $22bn and $24bn in low- and
middle-income countries by 2015.
"To say that adequate
funding is critical to the success of our HIV and Aids response is an
understatement," the Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, said.
"Many countries, including mine, can neither achieve the targets we set for
ourselves 10 years ago, nor the MDGs [millennium development goals], without the
support of our development partners. While appreciating their assistance, I
would like to seize this opportunity to urge them to make every effort to redeem
their promises in view of the proximity of 2015."
During his talk at a
session to launch the global plan to eliminate new HIV infections in babies,
former US president Bill Clinton discussed the importance of co-ordination among
governmental agencies and other bodies, and the overhead costs in assisting
HIV-positive people. He noted that many UN conferences have failed to achieve
the goals they set for themselves, but hoped this time would be different.
"This is something we can do," he said.
Outside the hall, picket
signs demanded urgent action. "We are at a crossroads," said activist
Larry Bryant, who has been living with HIV for 25 years. "World leaders are
wavering in their commitment to combat Aids just as we are turning the tide in
the fight."
Michelle Childs,
policy/advocacy director of the Access Campaign at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF),
attacked what she called "double-speak" – freetrade agreements
between the developed world and poor countries that "are creating further
barriers to price-busting generic competition and threaten access to affordable
newer medicines".
"Countries are making
promises to treat Aids in one meeting, and working hard to keep [medicine]
prices out of reach behind closed doors in other meetings," she alleged.
"The whole Aids
summit will have been a farce if we don't see real plans to ramp up treatment so
we can get ahead of the wave of new infections," said Tido von Schoen-Angerer,
executive director of the MSF's treatment campaign.
Another issue was the
vexing matter of sexual morality, which prevents some countries and participants
from supporting access to sexual and reproductive health services, and women-
and girl-centred approaches to HIV and Aids, such as the combination
intervention that includes female condoms, said Serra Sippel, president of the
Centre for Health and Gender Equity in Washington.
"Have no doubt that
we will lose this fight if we do not address women's rights directly," she
said. "Women live at the intersection of disease and injustice, and as long
as we're unwilling to address that, HIV is winning."
As a consequence of a push
from the
Aditi Sharma, who works
with the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition in
By Abhaya Srivastava (AFP)
– 15 June, 2011
NEW
DELHI
Shyam, his wife and one of
his three daughters, however, are HIV positive. The couple's youngest is also
likely to be carrying the virus, although that will be confirmed only when she
is tested once she is 18 months old.
The 42-year-old and his
family are among the estimated 2.3 million people in
Daily life for people with
the virus is hard, particularly due to the stigma it still carries in the
socially conservative country.
"I was working as a
cook and doing well for myself but my life changed for ever in 2008 when I was
found to be HIV positive," said Shyam, who lives in the east of
"I lost my job and
still can't find another one because the moment people come to know about my
disease, they step back. My wife is illiterate and we have three children to
take care of," he told AFP, fighting back tears.
"The government does
take care of our medical expenses but we need to have some source of livelihood.
I don't know when our life clock will stop ticking. I shudder to think what will
happen to our children."
More than 60 million
people around the world have been infected with HIV since 1981, according to a
UNAIDS report last year based on 2009 figures. Nearly half of them have died
from AIDS-related causes.
In
So-called
"first-line" antiretroviral therapy (ART) -- a cocktail of drugs to
slow the effects of the virus on the body's immune system -- have been widely
available and free of cost in India's public health system since 2004.
More expensive
"second-line" ART is also free of charge, although access to it is
limited to just a few centres across the country.
Indian pharmaceutical
companies have helped to drive down the cost of life-saving generic drugs to
treat people with HIV in developing countries.
But UNAIDS coordinator in
"Fifty percent
reduction (in new infections) is a very good figure. The challenge now is to
ensure that the progress and momentum are maintained," he said.
"There should be no
reduction in political commitment otherwise the epidemic will rebound."
Shyam and his family's
predicament is a stark reminder of the work to be done.
Activists warn that
children with HIV are often abandoned by their parents or excluded from the
society, while adolescents injecting drugs are being left out of the fight
against the illness.
A lack of awareness and
testing could mean many more HIV cases are undiagnosed while the cost of
affordable, Indian-made generic drugs could go up if a proposed trade agreement
with the European Union goes through.
"Children cannot
access information or treatment on their own, which makes it very
difficult," said Anuradha Mukherjee, programmes manager at the charity Naz
Foundation, which works exclusively with AIDS victims.
"They need the right
knowledge and proper sex education, which is often not forthcoming, be it from
parents, school or society in general. In such a scenario it is tough for the
child to know what is right and wrong.
"Also, the young
often do not know the problem of drug-related issues and HIV. They might be
using the same syringe in a party not knowing the possible consequences."
More awareness across all
age groups and every section of society is now needed, Mukherjee added.
"You come across
people who say mosquito bites cause AIDS. So there needs to be more awareness
through media campaigns, more pre-natal check-ups and sex education classes for
children.
"It's a war out there
and everyone must chip in."
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All
rights reserved.
By Kerry Sheridan (AFP)
– 17 June, 2011
WASHINGTON
Kamiar and Arash Alaei
were arrested in June 2008 and accused of communicating with the
Kamiar, 37, was released
several months ago and was on hand to accept the award in
Until Arash is set free,
Kamiar said he cannot move forward with his life.
"I feel I am not
released yet," he said in an interview with AFP before he accepted the
Global Health Council's Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights.
"The majority of
nights I go back to prison and I continue my life in prison," he said.
Kamiar served two and a
half years -- a term he remembers as "870 days, 3,800 hours" -- and is
hopeful that Arash will be eligible for release soon because he has now served
half his sentence.
He declined to discuss the
details of his detention, except that he was kept in solitary confinement for
two months. After eight months in prison, he was allowed to see his brother, he
said.
The pair, known for their
efforts to help drug addicts infected with HIV and improve conditions for sick
prisoners, were not allowed to work as doctors while behind bars.
Instead, Kamiar said they
took on the role of peer counselors, teaching fellow prisoners about basics such
as hand-washing, and holding informal talks with them about HIV, tuberculosis,
and infectious diseases.
The Alaei brothers are
regarded as pioneers of AIDS treatment in
Data is scarce about the
prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Islamic republic, but according to UNAIDS there
were 5,000-10,000 infections in 2009 and about nine percent of people with
advanced HIV infection were being treated with antiretroviral drugs.
The brothers began
treating HIV-positive patients in the late 1990s, and they developed a
three-pronged program that integrated prevention, care and social support.
This
"triangular" approach to AIDS care was first tried in a prison in
their hometown of Kermanshah and later became recognized as a best practice
model in the
The Alaei brothers were
not born in poverty but were taught by their father, a Persian literature
teacher, to use their education to help others.
"He motivated us to
do the public good, even if the community doesn't understand the
situation," said Kamiar.
Physicians for Human
Rights has helped organize a letter-writing campaign across 80 countries urging
the brothers' release.
"The appeal has been
to allow the brothers to do their work," said Susannah Sirkin, deputy
director of PHR.
"This is not a
political campaign. This is a campaign by colleagues, many of whom know the
brothers and their work directly because they have worked in concert with them
or been inspired by their pioneering efforts inside
Kamiar said he was
detained when he took a summer break from his
"When you do some
good, you don't expect to be in prison," Kamiar said.
"But I never got
disappointed because I believe what I did was right. I love my work, and until
the last moment of my life I will do public health, specifically for neglected
populations."
After his release, Kamiar
quietly returned to
The dean of the school of
public health at the State University of New York at
"I think he kept his
intellectual life alive and his mental life alive," said Nasca.
According to Jeff Sturchio,
president of the US-based Global Health Council which gave out the $10,000
award, the brothers serve as a powerful symbol for health professionals
worldwide.
"They really put
themselves at risk in advocating for the rights of people living with HIV and
AIDS," said Sturchio.
"If there are still
places in the world where people are put in prison just because they are
advocating for the rights of people with HIV, then that is a world that we would
like to see changed."
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All
rights reserved.
By Beatrice Debut (AFP)
– 13 June, 2011
LONDON
GAVI (Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunisation), the group backed by Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates,
said the funding would save more than four million lives over the next four
years.
The pledges surpassed the
$3.7 billion (5.3 billion euro) target set by GAVI.
"We have exceeded the
figure that we set ourselves and we have received firm pledges for a sum of $4.3
billion,"
Among other donors,
British Prime Minister
David Cameron told the conference: "Frankly, the idea of children dying
from pneumonia and diarrhoea should be absolutely unthinkable in 2011.
"But for many parents
in the developing world it is a devastating reality."
GAVI is aiming to immunise
243 million more children by 2015.
It has already vaccinated
288 million children in 19 countries and now wants to extend the programme of
jabs to another 26 countries.
Pneumonia and diarrhoea
kill three times as many children under the age of five as HIV/AIDS even though
vaccines are available to prevent such deaths.
Many developing countries
cannot afford the vaccines.
British drug giant
GlaxoSmithKline last week announced it would slash 95 percent off the price of a
vaccine for the diarrhoeal disease rotavirus for sales to the world's poorest
nations.
Mitchell said it was now
possible to vaccinate a child "for the price of a cup of coffee".
Gates told AFP in an
interview: "The great thing is that as these vaccine prices continue to
come down, that should free up funds for new vaccines and (we can) spend money
to spread coverage."
He said around 20 percent
of children in at-risk countries were currently missing out on being vaccinated.
"The kids that are
missed are the ones most at risk. We have to fund a cold chain, keeping the
vaccines cold otherwise they spoil.
"We have to
communicate with the mothers so they know they have to demand the vaccines for
their children and they know it's a safe programme. So money is going to go for
that communications effort."
However, medical charity
Doctors Without Borders said some of the vaccines GAVI bought were overpriced
and claimed there was a "conflict of interest" because pharmaceutical
group Johnson and Johnson is part of the GAVI board.
Gates however said the
vaccines were "often less than a tenth what the
Liberian President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf hailed the conference as "an important moment in our
collective commitment to protecting children in developing countries from
disease", but warned against complacency.
"Every 20 seconds, a
child still dies of a vaccine-preventable disease. There's more work to be
done."
U2 singer Bono, who
founded the ONE campaign against poverty and disease, said that diarrhoea could
be "death sentence" in
"Vaccines are a
global health game-changer," he said.
"The goal of saving
four million kids in the next few years is within reach.
"Vaccines are simple,
powerful, cost-effective tools that can save millions of lives. It's crazy just
how much sense it makes."
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All
rights reserved.