God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

10/27/2009 • 5:30 am Comments Off on 27.10.2009 In between in Europe…

27.10.2009 In between in Europe…

Press Release European Commission:

A strategy for combating HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighbouring countries 2009-2013

Today, the Commission has renewed its efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighbouring countries by adopting a strategy for the period 2009-2013. Effective HIV treatment exists but there is still no cure or vaccine against AIDS. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighbouring countries has increased from 1.5 million in 2001 to 2.2 million in 2007. Approximately 730,000 of these people live in the EU. With 50 000 newly diagnosed HIV cases in the EU and the neighbouring countries alone in 2007, there is no time for complacency. Disparities exist between the numbers of HIV cases and the different modes of transmission across Europe. The strategy tackles these differences by concentrating on 3 key areas: HIV prevention and HIV testing, priority groups most at risk of HIV and priority regions. The strategy is accompanied by an action plan which illustrates concrete steps, target groups and evaluation tools that can be used to measure progress.

EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said “We need to continue the political momentum in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We need to encourage people to take responsibility for themselves and their partners by talking about and practicing safe sex and going for HIV testing. However, this needs to go hand in hand with the respect for the human rights and non discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS. We have treatment options today that can delay the outbreak of AIDS for many years”.

Objectives

The overall objectives of this Strategy are: (i) to reduce new HIV infections across all European countries by 2013, (ii) to improve access to prevention, treatment, care and support and (iii) to improve the quality of life of people living with, affected by or most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in the European Union and neighbouring countries.

The strategy calls on all key actors including national authorities and NGOs to work on:

  • improving information for all, especially targeting young people who have missed the successful HIV communication campaigns in the past
  • addressing migrants from countries with a high prevalence of HIV to make them knowledgeable on preventing transmission, HIV testing and treatment options
  • improving policies targeting, in particular, the populations most at risk, emphasising human rights, and addressing discrimination and stigma associated to HIV/AIDS

Priority regions

HIV infections are particularly high in the neighbouring countries of the Union. Exchange of good practices on prevention, testing, treatment and care between countries is important. This is especially beneficial in times of budget constraints. The cooperation and know how transfer of doctors, nurses and public health experts as well as the sharing of quality data will help colleagues in neighbouring countries to improve evidence based prevention, state of the art testing and treatment services, and to improve surveillance. Such joint efforts will reduce new infections and improve the life of people living with HIV/AIDS and underline the value of good cooperation between neighbours.

Priority groups: most at risk populations

The strategy reiterates the fact that the biggest impact on the epidemic can be achieved when the situation of the most at risk populations is efficiently addressed. The major at risk populations in Europe are men having sex with men, accounting for about 40% of all new infections in the EU, migrants from high prevalence areas, and injecting drug users, with a share of up to 70% of all new infections in EU neighbouring countries. Tailor-made approaches to reach these groups are essential towards containing the epidemic in Europe.

Early testing and timely access to treatment save lives

Of particular concern is the high number of persons who are not aware of their infection. About 30% of people in the EU and up to 70% of people in several neighbouring countries do not know their HIV status. This presents a serious concern for policy makers. Late diagnosis usually leads to late treatment and hence to a reduced life expectancy, a lower quality of life and to an increased danger of transmitting the virus to partners.

Background

The European Commission is involved in the fight against AIDS at European and Global levels. The first strategy on combating HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighbouring countries, adopted in 2005 laid the foundations for today’s updated strategy. A number of key achievements relate to a stronger political commitment, involvement of civil society at European level, the operational centralisation of HIV/AIDS surveillance by the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), efforts to facilitate access to affordable antiretroviral medicines, funding of prevention projects and programmes, investments in research, and a close cooperation between partners.

More information:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_threats/com/aids/aids_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/health_problems/hiv-aids/index_en.htm

MEMO/09/479

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, Politics and Society, , ,

10/26/2009 • 9:18 am Comments Off on 26.10.09 new week, new ventures

26.10.09 new week, new ventures

While this post is coming alive, I am on my way to Frankfurt to meet with representatives of the AIDS action alliance to discuss possible involvement at the 2nd ecumenical church day in Munich in May 2010 and the World AIDS Conference in Vienna. Mid November we have our annual planing meeting with HOPE Cape Town and then most travel arrangements must be decided on. Monday Frankfurt, Tuesday/Wednesday Bitburg and Wednesday eve Aachen are the next stations of my travel – Bitburg with a talk @ the Lion’s Club and various encounters and talks with the students and teachers of the St. Willibrord Gymnasium regarding the work of HOPE Cape Town and obviously touches the general situation in South Africa.  In Aachen I will talk about “HIV and AIDS as sign of the times” and discuss a possible theology of HIV and AIDS for our days.  All encounters create the opportunity to function as a bridge between South Africa and Europe. This becomes more and more important. In my talks in Berlin I once again realised how necessary it is that information is floating freely and honestly between South Africa and Germany to foster the development of relationships between the two countries which are helpful to the people and not only to the ruling class. Sometimes the European or German partners are very quick with solutions to our problems between Cape Town and Johannesburg – forgetting the different way, people in the South experience their realities. South Africa has a lot still to learn and to develop, be it that politicians are team player and not lone warriors trying to gain as much as possible as long as they are in office. But also the cooperation between NGO’s and government needs improvement and also here, the working mechanism developed in Germany between those parties, could have an assisting factor for us at the bottom of Africa.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Politics and Society, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , , , ,

10/25/2009 • 8:02 am 1

25.10.2009 News from the Vatican…

I found this article about the last day of the Africa synod. I do understand this article as a great encouragement for my work as on the “condom” issue it clearly supports my stand that there is no official policy, that we have to debate such a policy and the book “Gott, AIDS, Africa” seeks in big parts to assist in such deliberations.  Good to know that after all the hassle I experienced there is also officially  nothing wrong with my stance. 🙂

Vatican City – The pope appointed Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana to head the Vatican’s justice and peace office on Saturday, a high-profile post that cements his reputation as a possible future papal candidate.

The office is responsible for promoting the church’s social teachings on justice issues, such as war, the death penalty and human rights. Turkson told reporters three weeks ago there was no reason there couldn’t be a black pope, particularly after Barack Obama was elected US president. Turkson’s appointment to his new post was announced at the end of a three-week Vatican meeting on the role of the Catholic Church in Africa, which Turkson had headed. In their discussions, the 300 bishops and cardinals tackled the pressing issue of Aids on the continent, including the question of whether married couples could use condoms if one spouse is infected. While the Vatican has no specific policy concerning condoms and Aids, the Catholic Church opposes the use of condoms as part of its overall teaching against artificial contraception. It advocates sexual abstinence and marital fidelity as the best way to combat the spread of HIV.

In their final recommendations to the pope, the bishops made no mention of condoms, leaving it up to the couples themselves to decide how to prevent infection. Asked at a news conference if this marked a deviation from church teaching, Turkson replied that the Vatican still had no firm policy on the matter. “That issue is still being discussed,” Turkson said. “I don’t know when this discussion will come to an end, but I’m aware such a discussion is going on in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”

Condone condoms?

In 2006, the Vatican’s top health care official confirmed his office was studying whether condoms can be condoned in the case of a married couple where one spouse is HIV-positive. Since then, there has been no indication the issue was still on the table until Turkson’s comments. In the final recommendation, the bishops called for pastoral care for couples dealing with an infected spouse to help form their consciences “so that they might choose what is right, with full responsibility for the greater good of each other, their union and their family.”

Other issues in the document include:

– An urgent call for starting religious dialogue with followers of Islam and African traditional religions.

– A recommendation that each African bishop name an exorcist to deal with sorcery and witchcraft, which are part of traditional African religions and cultures.

– A denunciation of an African Union agreement known as the Maputo Protocol that says abortion should be legal in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is endangered.

– A call for a day for reconciliation every year.

Round of applause

But the biggest news to come at the end of the synod was Turkson’s appointment, which drew a round of applause when Pope Benedict XVI announced it at a luncheon with the 300 bishops, priests and others attending the synod. The 61-year-old archbishop of Cape Coast replaces Italian Cardinal Renato Martino, who is retiring.

Up until now, the most prominent African cardinal mentioned as a possible first black pope was Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria. But he retired from the Vatican office in charge of rules for celebrating the liturgy around the world last year, and will celebrate his 77th birthday next week, making him an unlikely choice. Speculation has swirled for years about the possibility of a pope from the developing world because that is where the church is growing fastest.

– AP

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, Networking, , , , , , , , , , , ,

10/23/2009 • 9:28 pm Comments Off on 23.10.2009 Friday eve…

23.10.2009 Friday eve…

Friday eve in Berlin – a long day draws to an end and it is nice just to have the perspective of going to bed before midnight. 🙂

The meeting with the Charite and all other invited parties was a very productive one and I am looking forward now to see the HIV / AIDS exhibition 2012/2013 being realised with the help of a whole network of supporters. As Joachim Franz said this morning: “There are times where you feel that things simply are coming together”. And this week was indeed such a time where all the networking of the last years brought different people together and drew several plans which will bring the topic of HIV and AIDS once again to center stage. Rising numbers also in many parts of Europe make it indeed necessary to highlight the danger of ignorance towards this pandemic.

It was an exhausting week, but a good one. Tomorrow morning I will meet up with an old friend of mine  and I am looking forward to it. Besides all business there must be time to refresh old friendships and to catch up with people close to your heart.

The week was also a good one for HOPE Cape Town and I am sure the management will be delighted to hear about the variety of networking and involvement it will have in the next years to come. For me personally, networking is in our days one of the most important ways of using resources wisely but also to create synergies which reach out in a way, a single organisation will never be able to do alone.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, , , , , ,

10/21/2009 • 7:51 pm Comments Off on 21.10.2009 More than four million…

21.10.2009 More than four million…

More than 4 million people in low and middle-income countries were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the close of 2008, representing a 36% increase in one year and a ten-fold increase over five years, according to a report released by the WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS.

Towards universal access: scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector highlights other gains, including expanded HIV testing and counselling and improved access to services to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child.

“This report shows tremendous progress in the global HIV/AIDS response,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. “But we need to do more. At least 5 million people living with HIV still do not have access to life-prolonging treatment and care. Prevention services fail to reach many in need. Governments and international partners must accelerate their efforts to achieve universal access to treatment.”

Treatment and care

Access to antiretroviral therapy continues to expand at a rapid rate. Of the estimated 9.5 million people in need of treatment in 2008 in low- and middle-income countries, 42% had access, up from 33% in 2007. The greatest progress was seen in sub-Saharan Africa, where two-thirds of all HIV infections occur.

Prices of the most commonly used antiretroviral drugs have declined significantly in recent years, contributing to wider availability of treatment. The cost of most first-line regimens decreased by 10-40% between 2006 and 2008. However, second-line regimens continue to be expensive. Despite recent progress, access to treatment services is falling far short of need and the global economic crisis has raised concerns about their sustainability. Many patients are being diagnosed at a late stage of disease progression resulting in delayed initiation of ART and high rates of mortality in the first year of treatment.

Testing and counselling

Recent data indicate increasing availability of HIV testing and counselling services. In 66 reporting countries, the number of health facilities providing such services increased by about 35% between 2007 and 2008. Testing and counselling services are also being used by an increasing number of people. In 39 countries, the total reported number of HIV tests performed more than doubled between 2007 and 2008. Ninety-three percent of all countries that reported data across all regions provided free HIV testing through public sector health facilities in 2008.

Nevertheless, the majority of those living with HIV remain unaware of their HIV status. Low awareness of personal risk of HIV infection and fear of stigma and discrimination account, in part, for low uptake of testing services.

Women and children

In 2008, access to HIV services for women and children improved. Approximately 45% of HIV-positive pregnant women received antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV transmission to their children, up from 35% in 2007. Some 21% of pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries received an HIV test, up from 15% in 2007. More children are benefiting from paediatric antiretroviral therapy programmes: the number of children under 15 years of age who received ART rose from approximately 198 000 in 2007 to 275 700 in 2008, reaching 38% of those in need.

Globally, AIDS remains the leading cause of mortality among women of reproductive age. “Although there is increasing emphasis on women and children in the global HIV/AIDS response, the disease continues to have a devastating impact on their health, livelihood and survival,” said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director.

Most-at-risk populations

In 2008, more data became available on access to HIV services for populations at high risk of HIV infection, including sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users. While HIV interventions are expanding in some settings, population groups at high risk of HIV infection continue to face technical, legal and sociocultural barriers in accessing health care services. “All indications point to the number of people needing treatment rising dramatically over the next few years,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Ensuring equitable access will be one of our primary concerns and UNAIDS will continue to act as a voice for the voiceless, ensuring that marginalized groups and people most vulnerable to HIV infection have access to the services that are so vital to their wellbeing and to that of their families and communities.”

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, , , , , , , , , ,

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