AIDS: the real pandemic of the 21st century

Date: 06/04/06

Since the AIDS epidemic began, an estimated 65 million people have been infected with HIV and of those 25 million have died. The number of new infections keeps on rising, with nearly 5 million people infected in 2005.

Despite widespread concern about the threat of an influenza pandemic, for the moment, the devastation wrought by AIDS is far greater.

The disease remains incurable, but there has been some progress in preventing the spread of HIV and in treating those infected.

Last week the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) published a report on improving access to treatment in poorer countries. The two organisations had set a target of providing treatment to 3 million people in low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2005.

The report published last week shows that the world fell far short of this goal, although the number of those on HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) in those countries went up from 400,000 in December 2003 to 1.3 million.

In a region-by-region assessment, the report concludes that access to HIV treatment has expanded most rapidly in the regions most heavily affected by the epidemic: in sub-Saharan Africa (810,000 people) east, south and south-east Asia (70,000).

But ART access is lower in the low- and middle-income countries that are near neighbours of the EU, with just 21,000 people in eastern Europe and central Asia, and 4,000 in the Middle East and North Africa.

"Virtually all countries in these regions are experiencing low-level epidemics that involve difficult- to-reach populations such as injecting drug-users and sex-workers," says the report.

The next target, approved by the UN general assembly last September, is to make access to treatment universal by 2010.

The WHO and UNAIDS applaud the use of targets to "create and sustain momentum" but they warn that there are still significant obstacles to achieving the goal. "Building universal access to HIV treatment will require significant ongoing efforts to re-build, reinforce and expand under-staffed and under-funded healthcare systems that are already severely challenged in many countries."

They warn too of the need for "substantial increases in resources and sustainable financing", estimating that the gap between the currently available resources and what is needed is EUR 14.7 billion for 2005-07..

Putting large numbers of people on ART is impractical for developing countries unless they have been given long-term commitments of funding.

Later this month (20-21 April), the French government will be leading a further round of international talks on how to finance development and the fight against pandemics.

Article takes a look at the devastating effects AIDS/HIV have in many parts of the world and the poor access to treatment in spite of international pledges.
Article is part of a European Voice Special Report, 'Pandemics'.

European Commission: DG Development: Human and Social Development: Health - AIDS - Population https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sectors/human-development/health_en

European Commission: DG Health and Consumer Protection: Public health: Threats to health: Communicable diseases: Special topics: HIV/AIDS http://ec.europa.eu/comm/health/ph_threats/com/aids/aids_en.htm

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