UN Call To World Leaders: End Aids By 2020!

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for global action to end Aids by 2020! "That is our goal- zero new infections, zero stigma and zero Aids-related deaths," stated Ban at the UN Summit on Aids in New York. Ban acknowledged that in order to eradicate Aids, the world is going to have to face sensitive issues including drug users, homosexuality and the sex trade. Ban urged the global community to come together to achieve universal access to treatment by 2015 by lowering costs. Meanwhile, African leaders have called for greater access to resources to battle the pandemic.

The meeting in New York was attended by 30 presidents and heads of government. African leaders spoke of the desperate need in their countries for better funding to fight the disease. The Nigerian President stated, "to say that adequate funding is critical to the success of our HIV and Aids response is an understatement." Nigeria has the second highest number of HIV positive people after South Africa. Still, the resources available for Africa are insufficient against the enormous size of the HIV impact on the continent.

More than 9 million people are not able to access retroviral treatment and an estimated 1.8 million people die each year from Aids. That does not account for the other 34 million that are estimated by the UN to have Aids and not be aware of it. However, new infections have dropped by 20% since 2001 and infection rates are continuing to decrease. With the new technology available and a strong sense of global solidarity, it is likely the goal for 2020 can be achieved!

-Gabrielle Gurian

SOURCE: BBC NEWS

Can The AIDS Fight Stay Funded?

The world has currently reached a turning point in AIDS treatment. New evidence has shown that the AIDS epidemic can finally be controlled. However, this means more international aid spending at a time of global economic recession. Estimates have shown that funding from donor nations to fight AIDS actually fell in 2010. This is the first decline ever in spending on the fight against HIV/AIDS, a virus that afflicts the lives of 33 million people globally.

In early May, a study, funded by the US National Institute of Health and led by Myron Cohen, proved that AIDS drugs (antiretrovirals) not only are able to restore health to those inflicted with HIV, but also make them less infectious compared to those not taking the drug. Those on antiretrovirals are 96% less likely to transmit the virus to their sexual partners. Experts have found that treatment combined with other preventive tools could potentially "turn the tide" on the epidemic that kills 2.5 million people every year.

On June 8-10th in New York, The UN High Level Meeting will be held regarding HIV/AIDS. The point of contention is whether to set targets for how many people to put on AIDS treatments. These targets cannot be met though if funding continues to decrease. After the drop in 2010 due to the economic crisis, new money will need to be used/donated in order to buy medicine for people fighting the disease. By the end of 2009, 5.2 million people were on the treatment. Globally, donors gave $15.9 billion that year. But with the global economic crisis still taking a toll, the multinational Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has been witness to many nations failing to meet their pledges. Italy rejected any payment at all for 2009 and 2010, creating $192 million in arrears, according to the Global Fund. Netherlands has similarily reduced its payment by $41 million.

The UN meeting is proposing to endorse a declaration on how to combat the epidemic. Activists want to have 15 million people on treatment by 2015 and the US strongly supports the ambitions. The US has taken leadership and set its own goal at treating over four million people in poor countries by the year 2013. The United States is even ahead of schedule! There are 3.2 million patients on antiretrovirals as of September 2010.

-Gabrielle Gurian

SOURCE: WALL STREET JOURNAL
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