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Durban (S.A.) afrol.com, 9 July - Spending on HIV and AIDS must be dramatically increased in order to meet even the most basic care and prevention needs in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Peter Piot, Executive Director of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS). "The increasing global imbalance in resources fuels the fire of HIV/AIDS in Africa," said Dr Piot. "Right now, US$ 3 billion is needed for basic care and prevention in Africa - before we even consider the issue of combination therapy. Incredibly, this figure is almost ten times what is being spent today." In remarks delivered today at the Opening Ceremony of the XIII International AIDS Conference here, Dr Piot called upon the governments of affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, donor governments, and other important sectors, including business, to dramatically increase the resources dedicated to HIV/AIDS care and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr Piot noted that several developed world nations have recently increased their contributions to address the global epidemic, but said that much more remains to be done. Dr Piot also urged the governments of the world's wealthiest countries to cancel the debt of many of the hardest hit African nations, so that some of the billions of dollars now spent on debt service can be dedicated to health care and HIV/AIDS prevention. Many of the countries with the highest overseas debt are also among the most severely affected by HIV/AIDS, and debt service savings could be used for programs to provide care and reduce HIV transmission. Dr Piot noted that African countries pay the world's richest nations $15 billion in debt repayment every year, while the total domestic and international spending on AIDS in Africa barely tops $300 million. "This drastic imbalance in resources is costing millions of lives a year," said Dr Piot. "Current efforts are simply inadequate. The entire world must do more." This year's International AIDS Conference is being held for the first time in Africa, where adult HIV infection rates top 25% in several nations. Last week, UNAIDS released a global report on the epidemic that stated that as many as two out of three15-year-olds in the hardest hit African nations, such as Botswana, are expected to die of AIDS. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region hardest hit by AIDS, there were 4 million new HIV infections during 1999 and the epidemic continues to spread. AIDS now kills ten times more people a year than war on the African continent. Against this backdrop, activists, scientists and political leaders have gathered in Durban from 9-14 July to find ways to slow the epidemic's spread and to break the silence that surrounds it. Conference Focuses on Addressing and Combating the Stigma of HIV/AIDS. A UNAIDS press conference also held here today addressed strategies to combat the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. Stigma is blamed for much of the harm caused by AIDS, and the Durban conference theme is "Break the Silence." Many people infected with HIV face discrimination from colleagues, friends, and at times loved ones. They may lose their homes or jobs, and some have even been killed. Denial goes hand in hand with discrimination, and many people deny that HIV exists in their communities. This prevents those infected from seeking care and hampers open discussion that could help people take preventive action. "As we stand on the threshold of a new millennium overshadowed by the real destruction caused by this virus, AIDS 2000 will focus on the pressing need to further break down the prejudices and barriers that prevent the full development of an effective response," said Professor Hoosen Coovadia, Conference Chair. "In the spirit of an open forum, we will look collectively for ways to bring the attention of the public, governments, and international organizations to the urgent challenge of fully addressing HIV/AIDS in health care, social policy, research and economic issues." "The global silences on HIV/AIDS have been based in ignorance, fear, and denial. Although some of these silences have been broken, the world is still surrounded by far too much ignorance and fear, which could so easily be changed if we all play our part," said Shaun Mellors, Conference Community Coordinator. While HIV is primarily spread globally through sexual behaviour, the subjects of sex and sexually transmitted infections remain taboo. Still, UNAIDS has noted hopeful signs that more individuals and political leaders are speaking out. A number of heads of state have begun speaking publicly about AIDS, breaking the silence and leading by example. But silence usually remains the rule, at least in everyday life. Another of the speakers at today's press conference was Fezeka Kuzwayo, one of the few of South Africa's 4.2 million individuals living with HIV who has spoken publicly about her disease. Source:
UNAIDS
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