Rising AIDS Rates Remains Global Worry
Pastor Dale Morgan
Rising AIDS Rates Remains Global Worry*
by William M. Reilly
UPI U.N. Correspondent
United Nations (UPI) May 23, 2007
The President of the U.N. General Assembly earlier this week opened a
mandated review of efforts to stem the AIDS epidemic with some pretty
sobering statistics and some advice on what to do about the continuing
emergency yet voiced optimism the battle could be won. Sheikha Haya
al-Khalifa of Bahrain, president of the 192-member assembly, said Monday
since HIV/AIDS had been first discovered in 1981, more than 25 million
people had died and continue dying at the rate of 8,000 a day, with
6,000 more becoming infected daily.
There were about 4.1 million new infections last year leaving
approximately 40 million people infected, including 17 million women,
she said, adding 12 million children in Africa have been orphaned by AIDS.
"HIV/AIDS is a nightmare that haunts us all and demands (the) immediate
and sustained engagement of the world community."
Khalifa said the pandemic tests everyone, "not only in our willingness
to respond, but also in the divisions that shape our response."
That response was not a question of either treatment or prevention, or
even what kind of prevention; it was all of them combined, she said. It
was also not an issue of either science or values; it was both.
The world would never be entirely secure, unless the international
community tackled poverty, injustice and inequality, and HIV/AIDS was
related to all three, the assembly president said, pointing out the
security dimension.
As HIV/AIDS had spread, it had devastated entire populations leaving
some countries more fragile and exposed to all sorts of dangers,
including civil wars, she said. AIDS also hindered development,
devastated economies in the developing world and widened even further
the gap between the richest and poorest countries. It destroyed hope,
dreams and aspirations.
She reminded U.N. member countries the pandemic was worse in the poorest
of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 62 percent of
global infections and the majority of overall deaths due to the disease.
The disease has taken on a new face in the region -- a feminine one.
HIV/AIDS infections were up to six times higher for young women than for
young men, Khalifa said. As a result, nearly 1,000 children died
everyday in Africa.
She said such deaths could not only be stopped but the rate reversed.
"What we need is a partnership between governments, multilateral
institutions, civil society, non-governmental organizations, scientists,
doctors, as well as individuals," Khalifa said. "Most importantly, we
need to engage those living with HIV/AIDS and those at greatest risk of
infection -- women and children -- to be at the center of the response."
Many women find it difficult or embarrassing to talk about HIV/AIDS, she
said. Many women would rather not get the treatment they need, or stop
their children from contracting the disease, because they did not want,
or did not know, how to cope with the fear and stigma of HIV/AIDS.
Establishing healthy behavior when children were young, rather than
asking them to change practices later in life, may improve matters, the
assembly president said. If world leaders honored their commitment and
lived up to their promises, then young people would have the
reproductive health services and information to meet their needs. Young
people needed a good education.
Working with drug companies to reduce the costs of anti-retroviral drugs
and helping developing countries build their health systems in order to
treat those infected were also suggested. Such efforts should be coupled
with making sure that those getting treatment also had enough food to eat.
She called for a comprehensive approach in the fight and for the
assembly to keep abreast of what is happening in relation to the AIDS fight.
"We must constantly ask ourselves: What are we doing to fight this
global emergency, and what more can we do?" Khalifa said. "Future
generations will either praise us, or hold us accountable for our
failure to prevent the spread of this disease. This is a make or break
time, but beating this disease is entirely within our reach."
In connection with the assembly session, U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon met with U.N. staff living with HIV from across regions and
agencies of the world organizations, his spokeswoman, Michele Montas,
told reporters Tuesday.
After the meeting Montas said he described the meeting as one of the
most moving experiences in his life.
He told colleagues he has met many people in his life -- presidents,
kings, diplomats -- but this was one of the most important events of his
life. He said that he was very touched by their courage and, more, by
their directness in talking about their lives.
The secretary-general spoke about the discrimination those with HIV
often face in many parts of the world, including in Asia and his own
country, South Korea.
"I felt ashamed on their behalf," Montas quoted Ban as saying.
Source: United Press International