According to estimates by the World Health Organization, 33.4 million people around the world are currently living with HIV, and 25 million have died thus far of HIV related causes. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 67% of people living with HIV, and 60% of those are women., Unless dramatic action is taken by funding countries like the US to scale up treatment and prevention, this global pandemic will continue to spiral out of control, devastating the lives of tens of millions of people worldwide.
The disease: Human Immunodeficiency Virus, more commonly known as HIV, is the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids like blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. It is not contagious through everyday contact, like a hug, handshake, or sharing a glass with someone. HIV multiplies within its host’s body, attacking the immune system and causing it to become weak and prone to other infections. AIDS refers to the advanced stages of HIV, when other infections like Tuberculosis take advantage of the weakened immune system and attack the HIV positive person, or when the level of CD4+ T cells, vital for the immune system, drops below a certain level.3 Infections like these are called “opportunistic infections” and are the ultimate cause of death for most people with AIDS.
New infections: There are an estimated 2.7 million new infections each year. HIV is transmitted in a variety of ways including
- Unprotected sex: heterosexual sex remains the main method of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Mother to Child Transmission: Nearly 500,000 children are infected with HIV each year, over 90% of whom get infected through mother to child transmission.
- Injection drug use: accounts for 10% of all new infections, and in some areas, like Eastern Europe, this number is much higher. Around the world 16 million people use injection drugs and 3 million of them are estimated to have HIV.
The problems:
Vulnerable populations: Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, HIV infections are disproportionately high among men who have sex with men, sex workers, and injecting drug users. Globally women make up about 50% of people living with AIDS, but make up more than half of new infections.2
Lack of knowledge: Many people who are HIV positive do not know that they have been infected; in sub-Saharan Africa only an average of 22% of the population ages 15 – 49 has been tested for HIV in the last 12 months.1 This is due to a variety of factors, including lack of knowledge among the population about the ways they may have been exposed, the availability of confidential testing services, and the stigma and fear related to being diagnosed with HIV. Many also lack information about how to protect themselves from HIV.
Poverty: At least 95 percent of new HIV infections occur in developing countries.6 Poverty increases susceptibility to HIV/AIDS in a number of ways.
Drug use: The fact that the use of injection drugs like heroine is illegal in most countries creates barriers to access prevention and care for drug users.
Lack of HIV prevention resources: Once individuals know how they can protect themselves from HIV, they need the tools to be able to do so. Health clinics in impoverished areas frequently have a shortage of condoms and of testing services, making prevention difficult even with knowledge.
Shortage of HIV/AIDS treatment
As of the end of 2009, there were about 5 million people receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Although this is more than ever before, it still accounts for just under half of the number of people that need ART.
Opportunities:
Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV/AIDS
Pre and post natal care, ART for pregnant mothers : The chances of mother to child transmission can be reduced to less than 2% by treatment with ART during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.
Comprehensive sex education, especially focused on youth: Since 45% of new infections are among youth ages 15 – 24, youth are a clear choice for education programs.
Harm reduction programs for drug users: Providing clean needles and syringes for injection drug users reduces the chance of HIV transmission since it can be transmitted through blood. and other blood borne diseases.
Availability of condoms, female condoms, testing services: When used consistently and correctly, male condoms are 80% effective in preventing HIV transmission.1 Female condoms have an equivalent level of effectiveness, but need to be more widely available and as affordable as male condoms.
Male circumcision: Studies have shown that male circumcision reduces a man’s likelihood of getting HIV through sexual intercourse by 60%, as long as the circumcision is fully healed.
Relevant legislation on bringing down medication prices
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was a five-year program launched in 2003 to combat HIV around the world. It allocated 50 billion dollars over five years to combat HIV/AIDS, and it remains the largest commitment in history of a single nation to combat a single disease. During the period of 2003 – 2008, PEPFAR focused on 15 primary countries, 12 of which were in sub-Saharan Africa, and it supported the provision of treatment to more than 2 million people, care to more than 10 million people, and prevention of mother-to-child treatment services during nearly 16 million pregnancies.
Global Health Initiative: The GHI, established in 2008, assigned $63 billion dollars over the course of six years in order to “help partner countries improve health outcomes through strengthened health systems.” It implements a women and girl centered approach and expands on PEPFAR to include, Malaria, Tuberculosis and Child Health.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund)
The Global Fund is an international financial entity created in 2000 specifically to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria. They receive funds from donor country governments and foundations and distribute the funds via grants to organizations and governments battling these three diseases.
As of 2010 the US has donated $4.3 billion out of a total of $15.7 billion donated by the international community.15
What you can do
- Learn how to contact your elected officials, how to generate media coverage of global AIDS issues, and how to mobilize your communities to get more involved by utilizing the Global AIDs Alliance Activist Toolkit.
- Ask President Barack Obama, to commit $6 billion to the Global Fund over the next 3 years.
- Contact your members of Congress and urge them to continue exercising leadership on this critical issues
- Show a movie discussing the issue. Check out our film library for a list of free films you can borrow from AIDemocracy. Films come with discussion guides and free shipping. It couldn’t be any easier!
- Organize an event on your campus. Bring in a speaker. Organize a debate. Stand up and demand change. Check out our event database for some great ideas to get you started.
- Request a mini-grant to make your film or event a success. We provide small grants to help pay for materials, food and speakers. Contact us to discuss.
- Talk to the network. Write a blog for our site. Post something on our Facebook group. Share photos or video with us on YouTube. Share your opinions with other concerned students like you. How to submit materials.
- Ask for advice and support. Not sure how to get started? Need to talk through ideas for your event? AIDemocracy staff and student leaders are here to help
