G8 Leaders pledge to fight infectious diseases, prioritize HIV and AIDS treatment, vaccine research
By Vichitraweer Singh, Intern, AIDS-Care-Watch campaign
At the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg last month (15-17 July 2006), leaders from the eight wealthiest countries (G8) produced a lengthy document addressing the need to improve international cooperation on the surveillance and monitoring of infectious diseases, intensification of scientific research, building the capacity of health care systems in poor countries, and fulfillment of prior G8 promises.
Anders Nordstrom, the WHO acting director general, described the commitments put forth by the G8 nations as detailed, concrete, and putting them in a leading position to improve global health services.[E1]
However, during the past five years, very few of the G8’s previous commitments on health have been adopted by the leading economies of the world—clearly, for G8 leaders, making promises is much easier than keeping them. If G8 nations are now ready to keep their stated commitments, particularly related to HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases, immediate action by them is warranted.
Given that forty million people are now living with HIV/AIDS, and over three million people died as a result of AIDS related conditions (TB being the number one killer) in 2005, the G8 must be held accountable. Further, as World Learning President Carol Bellamy, and Global Unions HIV/AIDS Programme Chair Alan Leather, recently suggested, G8 leaders should “take the long overdue steps to mainstream HIV/AIDS into overall G8 processes and create a permanent working group on HIV/AIDS.”[2]
RECOMMENDATIONS:
HIV/AIDS is often a disease of poverty. While vital, addressing the need for antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) should not be the only option associated with the concept of “universal access to treatment” for people living with HIV.
A wide range of care and treatment services is necessary to extend the lives of people living with HIV. Food security, access to medications to treat and prevent tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections, clean water, less stigma in health care settings, home and community care, among others are all part of an essential AIDS package.
For instance, in Rwanda, Shakilla Umutoni, executive secretary of Reseau Rwandais des Personnes Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA, an umbrella body for 800-plus organizations for people living with the virus was recently quoted in an IRIN news report stating, “Providing HIV services to people goes beyond giving people ARVs, They need food, they need education and sensitization, and also need home care and follow-up."[3]
AIDS-Care-Watch (ACW)—an international HIV/AIDS campaign with over 400 partners worldwide—strongly recommends that Ministries of Health and international agencies invest in a wide range of care, treatment and support options to enable people living with HIV to stay alive and healthy—especially for those still unable to access ARV treatment.
In addition to the provision of ARV treatment, priority care services include:
• Voluntary HIV counseling and testing;
• Effective diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis;
• Food security and micronutrient provision;
• Drugs, such as cotrimoxazole, to prevent/treat other opportunistic infections;
• Home- and community-based care services;
• Pharmacotherapy therapy for recovering injection drug users.
The AIDS-Care-Watch campaign calls upon the G8 and other donor countries to implement immediate action to ensure wider access to a broad range of affordable and readily available AIDS-related treatment, care and support services to extend the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS related conditions as they wait for expanded ARV treatment access.
Such action will lead to greater promotion of all the ways millions of people living with HIV today can be helped to stay alive. In particular, these measures will:
• Ensure widespread access to comprehensive services to help people discover their HIV status, delay progression to AIDS, and prevent and treat HIV-associated conditions and opportunistic infections.
• Improve health literacy among people living with HIV, particularly in relation to prevention, management, and treatment of ‘early’ HIV-associated conditions.
• Identify, diagnose and treat conditions that accelerate the development of AIDS related conditions, such as malnutrition and treatment of tuberculosis and other concurrent infectious diseases.
These measures significantly shorten the interval between initial HIV infection and the onset of AIDS-related conditions, and must be addressed with urgent priority.
**************
[1] Nordstrom Anders, July 17, 2006. G8 commitment on diseases to improve health security - WHO. Web: http://en.g8russia.ru/news
[2] Carol Bellamy and Alan Leather, July 14, 2006. AIDS: 25 years and no real action. Web: http://www.reformer.com/columnists.
[3]RWANDA: Poverty, landlessness exacerbating impact of HIV, International Regional Information Network (IRIN) report, Thursday July 20, 2006.
At the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg last month (15-17 July 2006), leaders from the eight wealthiest countries (G8) produced a lengthy document addressing the need to improve international cooperation on the surveillance and monitoring of infectious diseases, intensification of scientific research, building the capacity of health care systems in poor countries, and fulfillment of prior G8 promises.
Anders Nordstrom, the WHO acting director general, described the commitments put forth by the G8 nations as detailed, concrete, and putting them in a leading position to improve global health services.[E1]
However, during the past five years, very few of the G8’s previous commitments on health have been adopted by the leading economies of the world—clearly, for G8 leaders, making promises is much easier than keeping them. If G8 nations are now ready to keep their stated commitments, particularly related to HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases, immediate action by them is warranted.
Given that forty million people are now living with HIV/AIDS, and over three million people died as a result of AIDS related conditions (TB being the number one killer) in 2005, the G8 must be held accountable. Further, as World Learning President Carol Bellamy, and Global Unions HIV/AIDS Programme Chair Alan Leather, recently suggested, G8 leaders should “take the long overdue steps to mainstream HIV/AIDS into overall G8 processes and create a permanent working group on HIV/AIDS.”[2]
RECOMMENDATIONS:
HIV/AIDS is often a disease of poverty. While vital, addressing the need for antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) should not be the only option associated with the concept of “universal access to treatment” for people living with HIV.
A wide range of care and treatment services is necessary to extend the lives of people living with HIV. Food security, access to medications to treat and prevent tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections, clean water, less stigma in health care settings, home and community care, among others are all part of an essential AIDS package.
For instance, in Rwanda, Shakilla Umutoni, executive secretary of Reseau Rwandais des Personnes Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA, an umbrella body for 800-plus organizations for people living with the virus was recently quoted in an IRIN news report stating, “Providing HIV services to people goes beyond giving people ARVs, They need food, they need education and sensitization, and also need home care and follow-up."[3]
AIDS-Care-Watch (ACW)—an international HIV/AIDS campaign with over 400 partners worldwide—strongly recommends that Ministries of Health and international agencies invest in a wide range of care, treatment and support options to enable people living with HIV to stay alive and healthy—especially for those still unable to access ARV treatment.
In addition to the provision of ARV treatment, priority care services include:
• Voluntary HIV counseling and testing;
• Effective diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis;
• Food security and micronutrient provision;
• Drugs, such as cotrimoxazole, to prevent/treat other opportunistic infections;
• Home- and community-based care services;
• Pharmacotherapy therapy for recovering injection drug users.
The AIDS-Care-Watch campaign calls upon the G8 and other donor countries to implement immediate action to ensure wider access to a broad range of affordable and readily available AIDS-related treatment, care and support services to extend the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS related conditions as they wait for expanded ARV treatment access.
Such action will lead to greater promotion of all the ways millions of people living with HIV today can be helped to stay alive. In particular, these measures will:
• Ensure widespread access to comprehensive services to help people discover their HIV status, delay progression to AIDS, and prevent and treat HIV-associated conditions and opportunistic infections.
• Improve health literacy among people living with HIV, particularly in relation to prevention, management, and treatment of ‘early’ HIV-associated conditions.
• Identify, diagnose and treat conditions that accelerate the development of AIDS related conditions, such as malnutrition and treatment of tuberculosis and other concurrent infectious diseases.
These measures significantly shorten the interval between initial HIV infection and the onset of AIDS-related conditions, and must be addressed with urgent priority.
**************
[1] Nordstrom Anders, July 17, 2006. G8 commitment on diseases to improve health security - WHO. Web: http://en.g8russia.ru/news
[2] Carol Bellamy and Alan Leather, July 14, 2006. AIDS: 25 years and no real action. Web: http://www.reformer.com/columnists.
[3]RWANDA: Poverty, landlessness exacerbating impact of HIV, International Regional Information Network (IRIN) report, Thursday July 20, 2006.
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 9:00 pm
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