Taking steps to stop Aids
Some 40 million people in the world are living with HIV. Twenty per cent of them are found in the Asia Pacific. These figures represent more than eight million people. Last year, Aids claimed the lives of more than half a million people in Asia. In Asia,more than one millon people became infected in 2005.
The vast majority of people living with HIV, at high risk of infection or affected by Aids are not able to get the services they need. As the epidemic continues to ravage entire continents, scaling up access to prevention, treatment, care and support has become an urgent priority. Adopting the goal of moving towards universal access can help countries mobilise more rapidly to fulfill the human rights of their people. This week, the Public Health Ministry of the Royal Thai Government will host representatives from 20 countries for the “Asia and Pacific Regional Consultation on Scaling up Towards Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support”. The Pattaya meeting brings together more than 100 government and civil society leaders from across the region. They face the challenge of identifying the main obstacles in the region to scaling up access to HIV services. Also and maybe even more important, they will have to identify the concrete and workable solutions to these obstacles. Delegates at the Pattaya conference will discuss how to build upon existing local and national Aids policies, enhance cooperation between agencies addressing the disease and break down barriers which continue to impede services to those most in need: children, housewives, young people and the marginalised communities of sex workers, injecting drug users and men who have sex with men. In Asia and the Pacific, many countries have already undertaken bold steps to destigmatise HIV and to provide society’s m ost vulnerable with access to care. Thailand is soon to launch its first ever nationwide HIV education campaign targeted specifically at men who have sex with men. India has drafted legislation making it illegal for hospitals to deny treatment to people living with HIV and for employers to discriminate against workers on the basis of their HIV status. While UNAIDS applauds every effort to openly include Aids issues in a broad social and political dialogue, the fact remains that certain vulnerable communities, such as injecting drug users, remain on the outer edge of society and are unable to access comprehensive HIV treatment, prevention and support services. This is a serious indicator of the challenges that lie ahead, and which can only be overcome through political commitment, the full engagement of all people and groups involved in the response and especially the inclusion of people living with HIV. Prevention must now be placed in the vanguard of all levels of access through expanded Aids information, condom distribution, programmes that reach injecting drug users, a sound sexual education curriculum and increased voluntary HIV testing and counselling services. Vigilant efforts to prevent new HIV infections are the most vital contributions responsible individuals, societies and governments can make to ensure the human rights of those at risk, as well as those living with HIV, are upheld. Dr Prasado RaoDr Prasado Rao is the director of the UNAIDS Asia-Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok.
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