Tie a red ribbon
The G8 needs to use its power to change the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS, says David Johnson, director of Waverley Care.
trb Saharan Africa has just
over ltl‘i ot' the world’s
poptrlation but is home to rrrore tlratr 60% of people living with HIV —— oxer 25 million. They are also amongst the world’s poorest people and because of this the vast majority are condemned to tilt).
\\ hy are we failing Africa when we have treatment (antiretrovirals) which helps maintain the health of people with HIV and prevent the onset til/HUS?
Vie used to be able to blame the big phatrnaceutical companies for the high cost of drugs, but international pressttre has resulted in the drug companies cutting the costs of these rrredicirres to low- incorrre countries. We’ve also seen the development of generic anti- llIV drugs that are much cheaper than those made by the big plrarrrracetrticals. But none of this helps the millions who cannot afford the costs of even these cheaper products. Most African
health care systems work on a ‘
costslrare basis when it comes to medicines and. because antiretrovirals are taken daily, the
costs remain ottt of the reach of
rrrarry Africans living with HIV. Sadly. there are sorrre sub—Saharan African countries where there is still a high level of denial about
1 10 THE LIST 23 Jun— 7 Jul 2005
HIV. for instance the South African health minister has encouraged people to eat more lemon and garlic as a way to treat diseases like HIV.
Scaling up antiretroviral treatment needs political commitment and funding at both local and international level. The UN‘s 2004 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic notes that while the global funding available to respond to the epidemic had tripled, it remains seriously inadequate. Some funding streams. notably those from the USA. are conditional on a percentage being ring-fenced for ‘abstinence only‘ messages not dissimilar to ‘the silver ring thing’ being advocated by some sections of American society. There is no evidence that such messages alone make a difference and people need to be given realistic choices, of which abstinence might be one but not the only one.
The wealthy West needs to consider how it supports Africa in the battle against HIV. Poaching health care staff to work in the NHS in the UK simply diminishes the stock of trained medical staff who can support the fight against HIV in their home countries. A good 70% of doctors trained in South Africa for instance, one of
the hardest hit countries. currently live abroad. We need to look at how we can support capacity building in health care structures in Africa. such as the Waverley Care/NHS Lothian initiative to forge a link with Zambia. to see how we can learn from and support each other in tackling HIV.
HIV is not just about the person living with HIV. especially in Africa where it is a family disease. We need to keep parents alive in order to enable them to bring up their children. We need to keep people alive in order to stop the
- collapse of economies. And we
need to keep people alive to stop the slide into despair that breeds vknence.
The G8 must consider how to prevent millions of people from dying of a preventable and treatable (but not curable) disease. This means working towards the provision of antiretrovirals that are free to the individual. Political
commitment and resources are the
keys that will help turn this epidemic around.
Waverley Care exists to promote the welfare of people living with HIV in Scotland, and to support their relatives, carers and dependants. 0131 226 2206.
Doctors'notes
I Jetting off to fabulous tropical places does require a bit of preparation. A handy source of information about what jabs you need and other travel health matters is www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk. The site also links to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office site for safety advice on areas throughout the world.
I If you have friends/family who buy you rubbish presents and you wish they wouldn't bother. there is a great way to get out of the whole awkward transaction without hurting anyone's feelings. Cancer Research UK's www.giveincelebration.org allows you to build your own webpage so people can make donations on yOur behalf. as well as download v0uchers to include with invitations. See the shopping section, page 1 10, for similar schemes.
I At least 20 countries round the world are working towards smoke-free public places, with Sweden joining the six that have already implemented comprehensive legislation (Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Italy and Bhutan). A report presented at the Smokefree Europe conference in Luxembourg at the beginning of June says ending smoking in public places has not damaged the economies of the countries concerned. The research was entirely independent of funding from tobacco firms and also took into account trends before bans were introduced. www.smokefree europe.com
I Still on the subject of tobacco. GNER has announced that from 29 August it will be banning smoking on all its trains. The move follows research that shows that 90% of train passengers don't smoke and complaints have risen by 172%. If the thought of the train to London without a cigarette brings you out in a cold sweat. call the Smokeline on 0800 848 484.