[hivaids-twg] Fwd: Today's News (2009.11.24ex)
HIV-TWG Moderator
hivtwg.moderator at gmail.com
Wed Nov 25 02:23:52 GMT 2009
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Diaz, Clara <diazc at unaids.org>
Date: Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 9:03 PM
Subject: Today's News (2009.11.24ex)
To:
*SPECIAL COVERAGE ON THE LAUNCHING OF THE **2009 AIDS EPIDEMIC UPDATE***
Please find attached the following AIDS-related articles compiled by UNAIDS
*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*
1. Mail & Guardian, SA - *Aids death toll passes 25-million *
2. Times LIVE, SA - *New HIV infections slowing, new networking site *
3. Afrik.com - *Baisse du nombre des nouvelles infections à vih de 17 % en
huit ans *
4. KBC, Kenya - *Drop in HIV infections and deaths *
5. Al Jazeera.Net - *UN report marks spread of Aids *
*ASIA** AND PACIFIC*
1. China Daily - *China**'s HIV positive population to hit 740,000 *
2. The Star, Malaysia - *33.4 mln worldwide infected with AIDS virus *
3. Dawn, Pakistan - *AIDS death toll passes 25 million mark *
4. Business Standard, India - *AIDS death toll passes 25 million-mark*
5. Chna Daily - *Over 33 mln infected with AIDS: UN*
6. The Star, Malaysia - *FACTBOX - Africa still worst hit by AIDS*
7. Xinhua News, China - *China's health minister warns of HIV spread *
8. Sydney Morning Herald - *HIV kills 25 million, infects 60 million: UNAIDS
*
9. TVNZ, N. Zealand - *Over 33m worldwide infected with AIDS *
*EUROPE***
1. BBC News, UK - *Drop in new HIV infections and deaths *
2. Reuters, UK - *Over 33 million worldwide infected with AIDS: report*
3. IRF, Austria - *Zahl der Aids-Neuinfektionen um 17 Prozent gesunken *
4. Daily Mail, UK - *Aids deaths and HIV infections fall as drugs make an
impact *
5. Le Monde - *Le virus du sida infecte 7 400 personnes par jour, dont 1 200
enfants *
6. Tribune de Genève - *Sida: les nouvelles infections ont baissé de 17% en
huit ans*
7. AFP - *Sida: 25 millions de morts mais baisse de 17% des infections en
huit ans *
8. AFP - *AIDS death toll passes 25 mln: UNAIDS *
9. RSR.ch - *Sida: forte baisse des nouvelles infections *
10. El País, Spain - *Las infecciones por el VIH bajan un 17% en ocho años*
*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*
1. Milenio, Mexico - *Nuevas infecciones de SIDA bajaron un 17% en siete
años: ONU*
2. El Financiero, Mexico - *Afecta virus de SIDA a 33.4 millones de personas
en el mundo *
3. Diario Libre.com - *Prevalencia de la epidemia de Sida en AL se mantiene
estable*
4. Pernambuco.com, Brazil - *Aids: 25 milhões de mortos e redução das
infecções em oito anos*
5. JB Online, Brazil - *Sai hoje relatório sobre epidemia global de aids*
*NORTH AMERICA*
1. Associated Press - *UN: HIV outbreak peaked in 1996 *
*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*
1. UNAIDS - UNAIDS Executive Director visit to China opens with focus on
civil society
2. UNAIDS - *Business coalitions on AIDS strengthen the private sector
response to AIDS in Asia*
3. UNAIDS - *Eight-year trend shows new HIV infections down by 17%—most
progress seen in sub-Saharan Africa *
4. UNAIDS - *UNAIDS Outlook 2010: Fresh perspective on the AIDS epidemic and
response *
===========================
*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*
===========================
*Aids death toll passes 25-million **
**Mail & Guardian, SA*
24/11/2009
HUI MIN NEO | GENEVA
HIV/Aids has now killed 25-million people around the world but the number of
new infections is slowing sharply, the UN said in its annual report on the
pandemic on Tuesday.
Almost 60-million people have been infected by the HI virus since it was
first recorded but prevention programmes are having a significant impact,
the UNAids agency said in its latest report.
Around two million people died of the disease in 2008, bringing the overall
toll to about 25-million since the virus was first detected three decades
ago.
About 2,7-million were newly infected in 2008, it added.
Michel Sidibe, UNAids executive director, said that the number of new human
immunodeficiency (HIV) virus infections have been reduced by 17% over the
past eight years with some of the most notable progress reported in Africa.
HIV incidence has fallen by 25% since 2001 in East Africa while the figure
for the sub-Saharan Africa as a whole was about 15% -- equating to about 400
000 fewer infections in 2008, said the report.
In South and South East Asia, HIV incidence has declined by 10% in the same
time period.
"The good news is that we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are
due, at least in part, to HIV prevention," Sidibe said in a statement.
"However, the findings also show that prevention programming is often off
the mark and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes
to where they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more
lives saved."
The new report showed that more people than ever, about 33,4-million, are
now living with the syndrome as people live longer due to the beneficial
effects of antiretroviral therapy.
The number of deaths linked to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids)
has declined by over 10% over the past five years as more people gained to
access to life saving treatment, said the report, estimating that about
2,9-million lives have been saved since 1996 when more effective treatment
became available.
"International and national investment in HIV treatment scale-up has yielded
concrete and measurable results. We cannot let this momentum wane," said
Margaret Chan, head of the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO).
"Now is the time to redouble our efforts, and save many more lives."
Sibide said that HIV/Aids, which was first declared as having reached
epidemic proportions in 1981, was evolving and that research in some of
Africa's worst affected countries had shown it haviing an increasingly
significant impact on maternal mortality.
"Half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and South Africa are due to HIV,"
he said.
"This tells us that we must work for a unified health approach bringing
maternal and child health and HIV programmes as well as tuberculosis
programmes together to work to achieve their common goal." - AFP
*2*
*New HIV infections slowing, new networking site **
**Times LIVE, SA*
24/11/2009
Claire Keeton
New HIV infections have come down 17% over the last eight years, UNAIDS and
WHO reported today.
This finding, reported in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, is good news.
New infections were down by about 400 000 in sub-Saharan Africa last year,
about 15% lower than in 2001 when the UN Declaration of Commitment on
HIV/AIDS was signed.
But HIV is rising again in some countries, according to the report.
More people are living with HIV than ever before, an estimated 33.4 million
worldwide – with about 5.5 million in South Africa.
“To better connect the 33.4 million people living with HIV and the millions
of people who are part of the AIDS response”, UNAIDS has launched a free
social networking site, called AIDSspace.org.
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé said today: “The good news is that
we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are due, at least in part,
to HIV prevention.
“However, the findings also show that prevention programming is often off
the mark.”
Over the past five years the number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by
over 10%, with antiretrovirals saving some 2.9 million lives, the report
indicated.
Dr Margaret Chan, Director- General of WHO said: “International and national
investment in HIV treatment scale-up has yielded concrete and measurable
results. We cannot let this momentum wane.
“Now is the time to redouble our efforts, and save many more lives.”
Sidibe said: “AIDS isolation must end. Half of all maternal deaths in
Botswana and South Africa are due to HIV.
“This tells us that we must work for a unified health approach bringing
maternal and child health and HIV programmes as well as tuberculosis
programmes together to work to achieve their common goal.”
*3*
*Baisse du nombre des nouvelles infections à vih de 17 % en huit ans**
**Afrik.com*
24/11/2009
Selon les nouvelles données publiées dans Le point sur l’épidémie de sida en
2009, le nombre des nouvelles infections par le VIH a diminué de 17 % ces
huit dernières années. Depuis 2001, date de la signature de la Déclaration
d’engagement des Nations Unies sur le VIH/sida, le nombre des nouvelles
infections en Afrique subsaharienne a baissé approximativement de 15 %, soit
environ 400 000 nouvelles infections de moins en 2008. En Asie orientale,
l’incidence a diminué de près de 25 % et, en Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est de 10
% sur la même période. En Europe orientale, après une augmentation
spectaculaire des nouvelles infections chez les toxicomanes par voie
intraveineuse, l’épidémie s’est considérablement stabilisée. Pourtant, dans
certains pays, des signes montrent que l’incidence du VIH croît de nouveau.
Le rapport, publié aujourd’hui par le Programme commun des Nations Unies sur
le VIH/sida (ONUSIDA) et l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS), souligne
qu’au-delà du pic et de l’évolution naturelle de l’épidémie, les programmes
de prévention apportent un réel changement.
« La bonne nouvelle, c’est que nous avons des preuves que les baisses que
nous observons sont dues, au moins en partie, à la prévention, se félicite
Michel Sidibé, Directeur exécutif de l’ONUSIDA. Néanmoins, nous constatons
également que la programmation de la prévention est souvent éloignée des
réalités et que, si nous arrivions mieux à amener les ressources et les
programmes là où ils seraient le plus efficaces, nous progresserions plus
vite et sauverions davantage de vies. »
Pour la première fois, la parution est double et le rapport UNAIDS Outlook
examine la manière dont les études sur les « modes de transmission »
changent l’approche pour les efforts de prévention. Ce nouveau rapport,
présenté comme un magazine, cherche des idées et moyens innovants d’utiliser
les données recueillies dans le rapport épidémiologique qui l’accompagne.
Accès universel à la prévention, au traitement, aux soins et au soutien
Les données du Point sur l’épidémie de sida montrent qu’à 33,4 millions,
[31,1 millions–35,8 millions], le nombre de personnes vivant avec le VIH
dans le monde n’a jamais été aussi élevé, ce qui s’explique par la
prolongation de leur survie, grâce aux effets bénéfiques des thérapies
antirétrovirales, et par la croissance démographique. Le nombre des décès
dus au sida a baissé de plus de 10 % ces cinq dernières années, davantage de
personnes accédant désormais aux traitements indispensables à leur survie.
L’ONUSIDA et l’OMS estiment que, depuis l’avènement des traitements
efficaces en 1996, quelque 2,9 millions de vies on pu être sauvées.
Le Dr Margaret Chan, Directeur général de l’OMS a déclaré : « Les
investissements internationaux et nationaux pour l’extension des traitements
du VIH ont donné des résultats concrets et mesurables. Nous ne devons
surtout pas relâcher l’action et c’est, au contraire, le moment de redoubler
d’efforts et de sauver encore beaucoup plus de vies ».
Les thérapies antirétrovirales ont aussi eu un effet significatif pour la
prévention des nouvelles infections chez l’enfant, davantage de mères
séropositives ayant désormais accès au traitement qui leur évite de
transmettre le virus à leurs enfants. Environ 200 000 nouvelles infections
chez l’enfant ont ainsi pu être évitées depuis 2001.
Au Botswana, avec une couverture des traitements de 80%, les décès dus au
sida ont baissé de plus de 50 % au cours des cinq dernières années. Le
nombre des enfants récemment devenus orphelins diminue également, du fait
que leurs parents vivent plus longtemps.
Sortir le sida de son isolement
L’une des conclusions importantes du rapport est que la lutte contre le sida
est plus efficace lorsque les programmes de prévention et de traitement du
VIH ont été intégrés dans d’autres services de santé et d’aide sociale. Les
premières données montrent que le VIH peut avoir un impact non négligeable
sur la mortalité maternelle. Les modèles de recherche élaborés à partir
d’estimations établies en Afrique du Sud montrent qu’en 2008, le VIH était à
l’origine d’environ 50 000 décès maternels.
« Il ne faut plus s’occuper du sida de manière isolée » a dit M. Sidibé. «
Les modèles de recherche montrent déjà que le VIH peut avoir un impact non
négligeable sur la mortalité maternelle. En Afrique du Sud et au Botswana,
la moitié des décès maternels sont dus au VIH. C’est pourquoi nous devons
réunir les programmes de santé maternelle, de santé de l’enfant et de prise
en charge du VIH, mais aussi ceux de lutte antituberculeuse, dans une
approche unique afin d’atteindre un but commun. », a-t-il ajouté.
Les programmes de prévention du VIH ne s’adaptent pas rapidement à
l’évolution de l’épidémie de sida
Ce numéro double montre aussi que l’épidémie change de visage et que les
efforts de prévention ne suivent pas le rythme de ce changement. Par
exemple, en Europe de l’Est et en Asie centrale, l’épidémie, qui auparavant
touchait surtout les toxicomanes par voie intraveineuse, affecte désormais
aussi leurs partenaires sexuels. De la même manière, dans certaines régions
d’Asie, où l’épidémie se propageait principalement par l’intermédiaire de la
prostitution et de l’injection de drogue, le VIH touche désormais de plus en
plus les couples hétérosexuels.
Les données montrent que peu de programmes de prévention du VIH sont
destinés aux personnes de plus de 25 ans, aux couples mariés ou aux
personnes ayant une relation stable, aux veufs et aux veuves ou encore aux
personnes divorcées, alors que c’est dans ces groupes que l’on a constaté
une forte prévalence du VIH dans de nombreux pays d’Afrique subsaharienne.
Par exemple, au Swaziland, plus des deux tiers des adultes infectés ont plus
de 25 ans mais pourtant très peu de programmes sont conçus pour eux.
Dans de nombreux pays, la part allouée à la prévention représente désormais
la plus petite part des budgets alloués au VIH. Ainsi, au Swaziland, à peine
17 % du budget total consacré au sida ont été destinés à la prévention
malgré un taux national de prévalence du VIH de 26 %. Au Ghana, le budget
consacré à la prévention a été diminué de 43 % entre 2005 et 2007.
Renforcement des capacités : création d’un nouveau réseau social pour les
personnes concernées par le sida dans le monde
Afin d’exploiter pleinement les résultats obtenus et de permettre aux 33,4
millions de personnes qui vivent avec le VIH et aux millions de gens qui se
consacrent à la lutte contre le sida de mieux communiquer, l’ONUSIDA a créé
le site Web AIDSspace.org, un réseau social ouvert à tous et gratuit.
AIDSspace.org a pour but d’étendre les réseaux informels et établis afin que
davantage de personnes concernées par le VIH participent et que les
ressources disponibles soient pleinement exploitées pour lutter plus
efficacement contre le sida. AIDSspace repose sur une idée simple : si des
centaines de millions de gens peuvent se connecter sur certains réseaux
sociaux parmi les plus populaires (p. ex. Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace,
Twitter, YouTube) pour échanger des idées ou poster et communiquer des
informations qui ne concernent pas le VIH, ils peuvent aussi le faire pour
tout ce qui concerne le VIH – grandes politiques, études de cas, matériels
multimédia, affiches de conférences, rapports et autres sources
d’informations essentielles. Sur AIDSspace.org, les utilisateurs peuvent
aussi trouver et poster des offres d’emploi et consulter des avis sur les
prestataires de services.
Pour plus d’informations, prière de contacter : ONUSIDA
*L’ONUSIDA est un projet novateur de la famille des Nations Unies, qui
rassemble les efforts et les ressources de son Secrétariat et de 10
organisations du système des Nations Unies dans la riposte au sida. Le
Secrétariat de l’ONUSIDA, qui a son Siège à Genève (Suisse), est présent sur
le terrain dans plus de 80 pays. Les organismes coparrainants sont les
suivants : le HCR, l’UNICEF, le PAM, le PNUD, le FNUAP, l’ONUDC, l’OIT,
l’UNESCO, l’OMS et la Banque mondiale. L’ONUSIDA a comme priorité absolue de
contribuer à honorer les engagements mondiaux en faveur de l’accès universel
à des interventions complètes pour la prévention du VIH, ainsi que le
traitement, les soins et l’accompagnement des personnes qui vivent avec le
virus.*
*5*
*Drop in HIV infections and deaths**
**Kenya Broadcating Corporation*
24/11/2009
Greater access to anti-retroviral drugs has helped cut the death toll from
HIV by more than 10% over the past five years, latest figures show.
The World Health Organization and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/Aids
(UNAids) say an estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with
HIV.
That figure is up from 33 million in 2007 because fewer are dying with HIV.
The latest report also shows there has been a significant drop in the number
of new HIV infections.
UNAids and WHO say better access to powerful drug treatments has helped save
many lives.
The report estimates that since the availability of effective treatment in
1996, some 2.9 million lives have been saved.
In total, almost 60 million people have been infected by HIV and 25 million
people killed by causes related to the virus since the epidemic started.
Prevention programmes
The report also suggests that HIV prevention programmes have had a
significant impact.
It says new HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the past eight
years.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the epicentre of the global pandemic, the number of
new infections has fallen by around 15% since 2001 - equating to about
400,000 fewer infections in 2008 alone.
In the same period, infection rates were down by nearly 25% in East Asia,
and by 10% in South and South East Asia.
In Eastern Europe, after a dramatic increase in new infections among
injecting drug users, the rate of infection has levelled off considerably.
Director general of the World Health Organization Dr Margaret Chan said:
"International and national investment in HIV treatment scale-up has yielded
concrete and measurable results.
"We cannot let this momentum wane. Now is the time to redouble our efforts,
and save many more lives."
Child infections
Anti-retroviral therapy has also made a significant impact in preventing new
infections in children as more HIV-positive mothers gain access to treatment
preventing them from transmitting the virus to their children.
Around 200,000 new infections among children have been prevented since 2001.
In Botswana, where treatment coverage is 80%, Aids-related deaths have
fallen by more than 50% over the past five years and the number of children
orphaned is also coming down as parents are living longer.
UNAids executive director Michel Sidibe said although prevention programmes
had helped cut new infections, they were often "off the mark".
"If we do a better job of getting resources and programmes to where they
will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives saved,"
he said.
*6*
*UN report marks spread of Aids **
**Al Jazeera*
24/11/2009
An estimated 33.4 million people around the world are infected with the Aids
virus, but many are living longer due to the availability of HIV drugs, a UN
report has said.
The report by the World Health Organisation and the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/Aids (UNaids) was issued in Shanghai on Tuesday.
While the figure represents an increase from 33 million in 2007, the report
suggested that was likely caused by more infected people getting access to
HIV drugs.
"The number of Aids-related deaths has declined by over 10 per cent over the
past five years as more people gained access to life-saving treatment," it
said.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the region worst hit by Aids, there were 400,000
fewer infections in 2008, down 15 per cent compared to 2001.
New HIV infections declined by nearly 25 per cent in East Asia and 10 per
cent in south and southeast Asia within the same time frame.
Maternal deaths
Michel Sidibe, the executive director of UNaids, applauded current HIV
prevention programmes but he said more needed to be done.
"The findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark
and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes to where
they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives
saved," he said.
The data was contained in the 2009 Aids epidemic update, which revealed that
HIV still played a significant factor in deaths to women during childbirth.
Using South African data, about 50,000 maternal deaths were associated with
HIV in 2008.
"Aids isolation must end ... half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and
South Africa are due to HIV," Sidibe said.
The report also indicated some change in the way Aids has spread around the
world.
HIV transmission in Asia in the past was mainly through prostitution and
intravenous drug use, but now, it is increasingly affecting heterosexual
couples.
While it was confined mainly to injecting drug users in the past in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia, the disease is now spreading to sex partners of
people who inject drugs.
*=======================*
* *
*ASIA** AND PACIFIC*
* *
*=======================***
*China's HIV positive population to hit 740,000 **
**China Daily*
24/11/2009
By Shan Juan
China will have an estimated 740,000 people living with HIV/AIDS on the
mainland by the end of this year, Health Minister Chen Zhu announced in
Shanghai Tuesday morning.
The number has increased from the 700,000 estimated in 2007.
The cumulative total number of reported HIV positive cases, including
102,323 full-blown patients, amounted to 319,877 from 1985 to the end of
October this year.
"The exact number of infections keeps rising in the nation but at a lower
speed compared with previous years," said Chen.
China updates the estimated figure of HIV positive population every two
years. In 2005, it was 650,000.
An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with the AIDS virus,
according to a statement issued by the World Health Organization and the
Joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS, reported Reuters. The figure is up from 33
million in 2007.
It is the first time worldwide infection figures have been announced in
China.
*2*
*33.4 mln worldwide infected with AIDS virus**
**The Star, Malaysia*
24/11/2009
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected
with the AIDS virus, according to a report issued on Tuesday in Shanghai by
the World Health Organisation and the Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
That figure is up from 33 million in 2007. However, the report said more
people were living longer due to the availability of HIV drugs.
"The number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by over 10 percent over the
past five years as more people gained access to life-saving treatment," it
added.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where the scourge of AIDS is most keenly felt, there
were 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, or down 15 percent compared to 2001.
New HIV infections declined by nearly 25 percent in East Asia and 10 percent
in south and southeast Asia within the same time frame.
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe said the declines were due partly to
HIV prevention programmes but he said more needed to be done.
"The findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark
and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes to where
they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives
saved," he said.
The data were contained in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, which revealed
that HIV played a significant factor in deaths to women during childbirth.
Using South African data, about 50,000 maternal deaths were associated with
HIV in 2008.
"AIDS isolation must end ... half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and
South Africa are due to HIV," said Sidibe.
The report said the face of the AIDS epidemic was changing and that
prevention efforts were not keeping pace with the shift.
HIV transmission in Asia in the past was mainly through prostitution and
injecting drug use, but now, it is increasingly affecting heterosexual
couples.
While it was confined mainly to injecting drug users in the past in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia, the disease is now spreading to sex partners of
people who inject drugs.
(Reporting by Royston Chan in Shanghai; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
*3*
*AIDS death toll passes 25 million mark**
**Dawn, Pakistan*
24/11/2009
GENEVA: AIDS has now killed 25 million people around the world but the
number of new infections is slowing sharply, the UN said in its annual
report on the crisis Tuesday.
Almost 60 million people have been infected by the HIV virus since it was
first recorded but prevention programmes are having a significant impact,
the UNAIDS agency said in its latest report.
Around two million people died of the disease in 2008, bringing the overall
toll to around 25 million since the virus was first detected three decades
ago.
Some 2.7 million were newly infected in 2008, it added.
Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS executive director, said that the number of new human
immunodeficiency (HIV) virus infections have been reduced by 17 per cent
over the past eight years with some of the most notable progress reported in
Africa.
HIV incidence has fallen by 25 per cent since 2001 in East Africa while the
figure for the sub-Saharan Africa as a whole was around 15 per cent —
equating to around 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, said the report.
In South and South East Asia, HIV incidence has declined by 10 per cent in
the same time period.
‘The good news is that we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are
due, at least in part, to HIV prevention,’ Sidibe said in a statement.
‘However, the findings also show that prevention programming is often off
the mark and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes
to where they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more
lives saved.’
The new report showed that more people than ever, around 33.4 million, are
now living with the virus as people live longer due to the beneficial
effects of antiretroviral therapy.
The number of deaths linked to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
has declined by over 10 per cent over the past five years as more people
gained to access to life saving treatment, said the report, estimating that
around 2.9 million lives have been saved since 1996 when more effective
treatment became available.
‘International and national investment in HIV treatment scale-up has yielded
concrete and measurable results. We cannot let this momentum wane,’ said
Margaret Chan, head of the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO).
‘Now is the time to redouble our efforts, and save many more lives.’
Sibide said that AIDS, which was first declared as having reached epidemic
proportions in 1981, was evolving and that research in some of Africa's
worst affected countries had shown it having an increasingly significant
impact on maternal mortality.
‘Half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and South Africa are due to HIV,’
he said.
‘This tells us that we must work for a unified health approach bringing
maternal and child health and HIV programmes as well as tuberculosis
programmes together to work to achieve their common goal.’
*4*
*AIDS death toll passes 25 million-mark**
**Business Standard, India*
24/11/2009
PTI. AIDS has now killed 25 million people around the world but the number
of new infections is slowing sharply, the UN said in its annual report on
the crisis today.
Almost 60 million people have been infected by the HIV virus since it was
first recorded but prevention programmes are having a significant impact,
the UNAIDS agency said in its latest report.
Around two million people died of the disease in 2008, bringing the overall
toll to around 25 million since the virus was first detected three decades
ago.
Some 2.7 million were newly infected in 2008, it added.
Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS executive director, said that the number of new human
immunodeficiency (HIV) virus infections have been reduced by 17 per cent
over the past eight years with some of the most notable progress reported in
Africa.
HIV incidence has fallen by 25 per cent since 2001 in East Africa while the
figure for the sub-Saharan Africa as a whole was around 15 per cent --
equating to around 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, said the report.
In South and South East Asia, HIV incidence has declined by 10 per cent in
the same time period.
"The good news is that we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are
due, at least in part, to HIV prevention," Sidibe said in a statement.
*5*
*Over 33 mln infected with AIDS: UN**
**China Daily*
24/11/2009
(Agencies)
SHANGHAI: An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with the
AIDS virus, up from 33 million in 2007, but more people are living longer
due to the availability of drugs, according to a United Nations report.
However, more than half of the people who need life-saving drugs are not
getting them, according to the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, launched on
Tuesday in Shanghai by the World Health Organisation and Joint UN Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
Cocktails of drugs can control HIV but there is no cure.
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe told Reuters in an interview in
Shanghai that advances in HIV prevention and treatment were still very
lopsided.
"The major problem we are facing today is inequity. It is very important we
don't continue to have 400,000 babies born with HIV in Africa every year,"
Sidibe said.
"That is something that the world can deliver. That is why we are calling
for virutal elimination of transmission from mother to child by 2015."
Teguest Guerma, acting director of WHO's HIV/AIDS department, told a
simultaneous press briefing in Geneva that while more than 4 million people
were receiving HIV drugs at the end of 2008, up from 3 million at the end of
2007, many more were going without.
"More than 5 million people need treatment and are not receiving it," Guerma
said.
Speaking later to Reuters, Guerma said second line drugs still cost a
minimum of $800 per year in low-income countries.
"It is still very expensive ... If (patients) fail in the first line regime,
they need to switch to the second. One reason it is not being done is
because it is not available and it costs too much. Countries are not
purchasing it," Guerma said.
Overall, however, the epidemic seems to be stabilising, Paul De Lay, deputy
executive director of UNAIDS, said in Geneva.
"The data we are seeing confirm this," he said. "It is a combination of
decreasing deaths, more people therefore living, adding to the total number
of infected and decreasing new infections."
In sub-Saharan Africa, where the scourge of AIDS is most keenly felt, there
were 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, or down 15 percent compared to 2001.
New HIV infections declined 25 percent in East Asia and 10 percent in south
and southeast Asia within the same timeframe.
However, more needs to be done, Sidibe said.
"The findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark
and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes to where
they will make the most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives
saved," he said.
The report also revealed that HIV played a significant factor in deaths to
women during childbirth. Using South African data, about 50,000 maternal
deaths were associated with HIV in 2008.
"AIDS isolation must end ... half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and
South Africa are due to HIV," said Sidibe, who also called for an end to
discriminatory laws in many countries.
Laws criminalising homosexuality and prostitution for example end up driving
these high-risk groups underground so they are unable to access treatment or
services. Ultimately, infections spread into the general population.
*6*
*FACTBOX - Africa still worst hit by AIDS**
**The Star, Malaysia*
24/11/2009
REUTERS - An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with the
AIDS virus, according to a statement issued by the World Health Organisation
and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
Here are some facts about AIDS, according to UNAIDS
THE GLOBAL PICTURE:
* Global deaths from AIDS reached an estimated 2 million in 2008, the same
number as in 2007. Since the AIDS pandemic started in the early 1980s,
almost 60 million people have been infected with the virus and 25 million
have died of HIV-related causes.
* In 2008, around 430 000 children were born with HIV, bringing to 2.1
million the total number of children under 15 living with HIV. Young people
account for around 40 percent of all new adult (15+) HIV infections
worldwide.
* The annual number of new HIV infections remained the same in 2008 as for
2007 at 2.7 million. This is down from 3.0 million in 2001.
* Although 33.4 million people suffered human immunodeficiency virus
infections in 2008, more of them are living with HIV than ever before
because people are living longer at least in part due to the beneficial
effects of antiretroviral therapy.
AFRICA & ASIA:
* Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV,
accounting for 67 percent of all people living with HIV worldwide and 91
percent of all new infections among children.
* Sub-Saharan Africa also accounts for 72 percent of AIDS-related deaths.
* An estimated 1.9 million people were newly infected with HIV in
sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, bringing to 22.4 million the number of Africans
living with HIV.
* The nine countries in southern Africa continue to bear a disproportionate
share of the global AIDS burden, with each of them having an adult HIV
prevalence greater than 10 percent.
* With an adult HIV prevalence of 26 percent in 2007, Swaziland has the most
severe level of infection in the world. Lesotho's epidemic seems to have
stabilized, with a prevalence of 23.2 percent in 2008.
* South Africa continues to be home to the world's largest population of
people living with HIV - 5.7 million in 2007.
* In Asia, an estimated 4.7 million people were living with HIV in 2008. The
number of new HIV infections decreased from 400,000 in 2001 to 350 000 in
2008.
* In 2008, an estimated 330,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses.
* Asia, home to 60 percent of the world's population, is second only to
sub-Saharan Africa in terms of people living with HIV.
* India accounts for roughly half of Asia's HIV prevalence. With the
exception of Thailand, every country in Asia has an adult HIV prevalence of
less than 1 percent.
* HIV prevalence in eastern Europe and Central Asia is on the rise, with
severe and growing epidemics in the Ukraine and Russia. With an adult HIV
prevalence of 1.6 percent in 2007, Ukraine has the highest prevalence in all
of Europe.
* In Latin America, new HIV infections totalled an estimated 170,000 in 2008
bringing to 2 million the number of people living with HIV in Latin America.
An estimated 77,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses last year.
* In 2008, North America had 55,000 new HIV infections and Western and
Central Europe had 30,000 new infections.
Sources: Reuters/UNAIDS
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
*7*
*China's health minister warns of HIV spread **
**Xinhua News, China*
24/11/2009
SHANGHAI, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- AIDS is spreading rapidly among high-risk
groups in parts of China and is threatening to become a serious epidemic,
said Minister of Health Chen Zhu on Tuesday.
A total of 319,877 people had been registered HIV positive, including
102,323 AIDS patients and 49,845 deaths, as of Oct. 31, according to
statistics released on a national AIDS control meeting in Shanghai.
But the actual numbers could be much greater as the statistics only
included cases reported by medical facilities.
According to estimates by the Ministry of Health and the Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), China has 560,000 to 920,000 people
infected by HIV virus and 97,000 to 112,000 AIDS patients in China by the
end of 2009.
Another 41,000 to 55,000 people would have contracted the virus within
2009, according to the estimation.
Taking combating HIV/AIDS as a high priority, the government had
categorized it "as a strategic issue bearing on economic work and social
stability," Chen said.
China had set up the initial form of a mechanism for combating HIV/AIDS
that suited China's specific situation and achieved remarkable progress, he
said.
The government has been providing free voluntary blood tests, free
anti-retroviral treatments for AIDS patients with economic difficulties,
free medical advice and treatment for pregnant women and infants, free
education for AIDS orphans and governmental care for AIDS patients who lived
in poverty.
The central government's funding for AIDS control grew from 390million
yuan (57.1 U.S. dollars) in 2003 to 994 million yuan in 2008 while funding
from local governments grew from 100 million yuan to 600 million yuan in the
same period, Chen added.
China appreciated and welcomed the support of the international
community, Chen said.
"China wish to conquer AIDS with the world by expanding international
cooperation, deepening medical reform and exploring advanced technologies,"
Chen said.
China has 276 AIDS control programs jointly operated with more than 40
foreign governments or international organizations, involving 3.58 billion
yuan in fund.
Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, said AIDS was a challenge
facing the world that demanded full use of the resources at hand.
*9*
*HIV kills 25 million, infects 60 million: UNAIDS **
**Sydney Morning Herald*
24/11/2009
Almost 60 million people have been infected by HIV and 25 million people
killed by causes related to the virus since the epidemic started, according
to new data published by UNAIDS on Tuesday.
While prevention programmes have helped to cut infection rates by 17 percent
over the past eight years, the total number of people living with HIV
continued to rise in 2008.
By the end of 2008, a total of 33.4 million people or 20 percent more people
were living with the epidemic compared to in 2000.
"The continuing rise in the population of people living with HIV reflects
the combined effects of continued high rates of new HIV infections and the
beneficial impact of antiretroviral therapy," said UNAIDS in its annual
report.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region, as it is home to 67
percent -- 22.4 million -- of those currently living with the human
immunodeficiency virus.
In South and South-east Asia, 3.8 million people are now living with the
infection, added UNAIDS.
The comparative figure for Eastern Europe and Central Asia is 1.5 million.
UNAIDS observed that in these regions, the epidemic was "experiencing
significant transitions."
While Asia's epidemic was once concentrated among risk groups such as sex
worker, drug users and homosexuals, it is now "steadily expanding into
low-risk populations to the sexual partners of those most at risk."
In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the epidemic was once characterized
mainly by transmission through drug users, but it is now increasingly moving
into "significant sexual transmission."
© 2009 AFP
*10*
*Over 33m worldwide infected with AIDS **
**TVNZ, New Zealand*
24/11/2009
An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with the AIDS virus,
according to a report issued in Shanghai by the World Health Organisation
and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
That figure is up from 33 million in 2007.
However, the report said more people were living longer due to the
availability of HIV drugs.
"The number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by over 10% over the past
five years as more people gained access to life-saving treatment," it added.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where the scourge of AIDS is most keenly felt, there
were 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, or down 15% compared to 2001.
New HIV infections declined by nearly 25% in East Asia and 10% in south and
south-east Asia within the same time frame.
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe said the declines were due partly to
HIV prevention programmes but he said more needed to be done.
"The findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark
and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes to where
they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives
saved," he said.
The data were contained in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, which revealed
that HIV played a significant factor in deaths to women during childbirth.
Using South African data, about 50,000 maternal deaths were associated with
HIV in 2008.
"AIDS isolation must end ... half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and
South Africa are due to HIV," said Sidibe.
The report said the face of the AIDS epidemic was changing and that
prevention efforts were not keeping pace with the shift.
HIV transmission in Asia in the past was mainly through prostitution and
injecting drug use, but now, it is increasingly affecting heterosexual
couples.
While it was confined mainly to injecting drug users in the past in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia, the disease is now spreading to sex partners of
people who inject drugs. (Reuters)
*========================*
*EUROPE***
*========================*
*Drop in new HIV infections and deaths **
**BBC News, UK*
24/11/2009
Greater access to antiretroviral drugs has helped cut the death toll from
HIV by over 10% over the last five years, latest figures show.
The World Health Organization and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) says an estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with
HIV.
That figure is up from 33 million in 2007 - as fewer are dying with HIV.
The latest report also shows there has been a significant drop in the number
of new HIV infections
UNAIDS and WHO say better access to powerful drug treatments has helped
saved many lives.
The report estimates that since the availability of effective treatment in
1996, some 2.9 million lives have been saved.
Prevention programmes
The report also suggests that HIV prevention programmes have had a
significant impact.
It says new HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the past eight
years.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the epicentre of the global pandemic, the number of
new infections has fallen by around 15% since 2001 - equating to about
400,000 fewer infections in 2008 alone.
In the same period infection rates were down by nearly 25% in East Asia, and
by 10% in Sout and South East Asia.
In Eastern Europe, after a dramatic increase in new infections among
injecting drug users, the rate of infection has levelled off considerably.
Director-General of WHO Dr Margaret Chan said: "International and national
investment in HIV treatment scale-up has yielded concrete and measurable
results.
"We cannot let this momentum wane. Now is the time to redouble our efforts,
and save many more lives."
Child infections
Antiretroviral therapy has also made a significant impact in preventing new
infections in children as more HIV-positive mothers gain access to treatment
preventing them from transmitting the virus to their children.
Around 200,000 new infections among children have been prevented since 2001.
In Botswana, where treatment coverage is 80%, Aids-related deaths have
fallen by over 50% over the past five years and the number of children newly
orphaned is also coming down as parents are living longer.
According to new data in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, new HIV infections
have been reduced by 17% over the past eight years globally.
*2*
*Over 33 million worldwide infected with AIDS: report**
**Reuters, UK*
24/11/2009
*Story carried by Washington Post, Irish Times*
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected
with the AIDS virus, according to a report issued on Tuesday in Shanghai by
the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Program on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
That figure is up from 33 million in 2007. However, the report said more
people were living longer due to the availability of HIV drugs.
"The number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by over 10 percent over the
past five years as more people gained access to life-saving treatment," it
added.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where the scourge of AIDS is most keenly felt, there
were 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, or down 15 percent compared to 2001.
New HIV infections declined by nearly 25 percent in East Asia and 10 percent
in south and southeast Asia within the same time frame.
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe said the declines were due partly to
HIV prevention programs but he said more needed to be done.
"The findings also show that prevention programing is often off the mark and
that if we do a better job of getting resources and programs to where they
will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives saved,"
he said.
The data were contained in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, which revealed
that HIV played a significant factor in deaths to women during childbirth.
Using South African data, about 50,000 maternal deaths were associated with
HIV in 2008.
"AIDS isolation must end ... half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and
South Africa are due to HIV," said Sidibe.
The report said the face of the AIDS epidemic was changing and that
prevention efforts were not keeping pace with the shift.
HIV transmission in Asia in the past was mainly through prostitution and
injecting drug use, but now, it is increasingly affecting heterosexual
couples.
While it was confined mainly to injecting drug users in the past in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia, the disease is now spreading to sex partners of
people who inject drugs.
(Reporting by Royston Chan in Shanghai; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
*3*
*Zahl der Aids-Neuinfektionen um 17 Prozent gesunken**
**ORF, Austria*
23/11/2009
Also covered by Frankfurter Rundschau, Die Welt Online
In den vergangenen acht Jahren ist die Zahl der neuen Aids-Infektionen um 17
Prozent zurückgegangen. Das geht aus dem neuen Weltaidsbericht der Vereinten
Nationen hervor, der heute in Shanghai vorgestellt wurde. Auch sterben
weniger Menschen an der Immunschwäche-Krankheit.
Die Zahl der Aids-Todesfälle sei in den vergangenen fünf Jahren um mehr als
zehn Prozent zurückgegangen, während immer mehr Menschen Zugang zu
Aids-Medikamenten bekommen hätten. Damit seien seit 1998 schätzungsweise 2,9
Millionen Menschenleben gerettet worden, so die UNO.
33,4 Millionen Menschen haben Aids
Weltweit lebten heute 33,4 Millionen Menschen mit Aids - mehr als je zuvor,
unterstreicht der Bericht. Im vergangenen Jahr hätten sich 2,7 Millionen neu
infiziert. Zwei Millionen Menschen seien 2008 an der Krankheit gestorben.
Der Rückgang der neuen Infektionen zeige, dass Programme zur Verhinderung
von HIV-Infektionen Erfolg hätten.
"Die gute Nachricht ist, dass der Rückgang, den wir sehen, zumindest
teilweise auf Vorbeugung zurückgeht", sagte Michel Sidibe, der
Exekutivdirektor des UNO-Aidsprogramms UNAIDS. Doch gingen die Programme
häufig auch am Ziel vorbei und müssten effektiver ausgerichtet werden.
*4*
*Aids deaths and HIV infections fall as drugs make an impact**
**Daily Mail, UK*
24/11/2009
By Daily Mail Reporter
Greater access to HIV drugs has helped cut the number of Aids-related deaths
by 10 per cent in past five years, according to a report released today.
An estimated 33.4million people across the globe are infected with the Aids
virus, according to the World Health Organisation and the Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
That figure is up from 33 million in 2007. However, the report said more
people were living longer due to the availability of HIV drugs.
'The number of Aids-related deaths has declined by over 10 per cent over the
past five years as more people gained access to life-saving treatment,' it
added.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where the scourge of Aids is most keenly felt, there
were 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, or down 15 per cent compared to 2001.
New HIV infections declined by nearly 25 per cent in East Asia and 10 per
cent in South and South-East Asia within the same time frame.
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe said the declines were due partly to
HIV prevention programmes but he said more needed to be done.
'The findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark
and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes to where
they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives
saved,' he said.
The data were contained in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, which revealed
that HIV played a significant factor in deaths to women during childbirth.
Using South African data, about 50,000 maternal deaths were associated with
HIV in 2008.
'Aids isolation must end ... half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and
South Africa are due to HIV,' said Mr Sidibe.
The report said the face of the Aids epidemic was changing and that
prevention efforts were not keeping pace with the shift.
Daniel Halperin, an Aids expert at Harvard University, said it was good news
the rate of new infections was dropping and that access to Aids drugs was
helping to cut the death rate.
Earlier this year, the UN announced there are now 4million people on
lifesaving Aids drugs worldwide, a ten-fold increase in five years.
HIV transmission in Asia in the past was mainly through prostitution and
injecting drug use, but now, it is increasingly affecting heterosexual
couples.
While it was confined mainly to injecting drug users in the past in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia, the disease is now spreading to sex partners of
people who inject drugs.
With HIV is now declining in most countries, some experts said the report
should change the spending habits of international donors.
Globally, HIV causes about 4 per cent of all deaths, but gets about 23 cents
of every public health US dollar.
'We shouldn't let this single disease continue to distort overall global
funding, especially when bigger killers like pneumonia and diarrhea in
developing countries are far easier and cheaper to treat," said Philip
Stevens, of International Policy Network, a London-based think tank.
In the report, UN officials wrote that 'Aids continues to be a major public
health priority' and called for more funds to support their effort.
Officials said the drugs have saved nearly 3 million lives.
People with HIV who start the drugs must continue indefinitely, so the cost
of treating HIV will continue to rise, even as the epidemic fades. Prices
could skyrocket if resistance develops and more expensive regimens are
needed.
Whether previous U.N. initiatives are responsible for the epidemic's
downturn is uncertain. Some experts said the drop in HIV may simply be a
result of the virus burning itself out, rather than the result of any health
interventions.
Ties Boerma, a WHO statistics expert, said countries whose HIV prevalence
declined dramatically, like Zimbabwe, were not always those that got the
most AIDS money.
The report also noted that where treatment is available, rates of HIV are
either stable or rising.
Elizabeth Pisani, an epidemiologist who once worked for UNAIDS, said when
people with HIV don't take their drugs exactly as prescribed, they have
periods where they become infectious, giving the virus a chance to spread.
Most people without treatment die before infecting many others.
"In theory, treatment may have an important preventative effect, but in
practice, it can actually make things worse,' Pisani said. 'We obviously
can't stop treatment, but we need to do a lot more on prevention.'
Stevens said the fact that Aids peaked more than a decade ago suggests it is
now time for the global community to prioritise other health problems.
Outside of the worst-affected countries such as South Africa, respiratory
infections, heart disease and malaria are bigger killers.
'Against this backdrop, it is unjust that Aids should commandeer such a
disproportionate level of funding,' Stevens said.
*5*
*Le virus du sida infecte 7 400 personnes par jour, dont 1 200 enfants **
**Le Monde*
24/11/2009
L'Onusida a rendu public, mardi 24 novembre, son rapport annuel sur l'état
de la pandémie de sida. Ce sont 33,4 millions de personnes dans le monde qui
vivaient avec le virus du sida (virus de l'immunodéficience humaine, VIH) à
la fin de l'année 2008. Deux millions de porteurs du virus sont décédés en
2008 tandis que 2,7 millions de nouvelles contaminations se produisaient
cette même année.
Ces chiffres sont identiques à ceux de l'année 2007. Les optimistes les
interprèteront comme une stabilisation globale de l'épidémie. Les
pessimistes y verront une incapacité à la faire régresser alors que le
nombre de personnes sous traitement dans les pays en développement s'est
accru.
L'Onusida souligne l'ampleur de l'incidence de l'infection par le VIH : plus
de 7 400 nouvelles contaminations se produisent chaque jour et sur ce total,
quotidiennement 1 200 enfants sont infectés.
Dans 97 % des cas, les nouvelles contaminations se produisent dans des pays
à revenu faible ou intermédiaire.
Sur les 6 200 infections se produisant chez les plus de 15 ans, 48 %
concernent des femmes (50 % en 2007) et 40 % affectent les 15-24 ans (45 %
en 2007).
"Il y a davantage de personnes infectées par le VIH, car les gens vivent
plus longtemps du fait des effets bénéfiques de la thérapie antirétrovirale
et de la croissance démographique", relève le rapport d'Onusida, tout en
soulignant que "le nombre des décès liés au sida a décliné de plus de 10 %
au cours des cinq dernières années". "Les nouvelles infections à VIH ont
baissé de 17 % au cours des huit dernières années", ajoute-t-il
L'AFRIQUE SUBSAHARIENNE LA PLUS TOUCHÉE
Les statistiques recueillies par l'Onusida montrent que l'Afrique
subsaharienne continue d'être, et de très loin, la région du monde la plus
touchée :
- le nombre de personnes vivant avec le virus y est en légère progression :
22,4 millions fin 2008, contre 22 millions un an plus tôt.
- le nombre des décès régresse lentement : 1,4 million de décès en 2008,
contre 1,5 million en 2007.
- le nombre d'enfants de moins de 15 ans séropositifs ne change pas : 1,9
million.
- le nombre d'enfants de moins de 15 ans nouvellement infectés est en
augmentation : 390 000 en 2008, contre 330 000 en 2007. Cet accroissement
soulève la question de l'efficacité des programmes de prévention en
direction de ces jeunes. Il contraste avec la diminution de l'incidence chez
les moins de 15 ans en Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est : 18 000 en 2008 contre 21
000 en 2007.
"Depuis 2001, date de la signature de la Déclaration d’engagement des
Nations Unies sur le VIH/sida, le nombre des nouvelles infections en Afrique
subsaharienne a toutefois baissé de près de 15 %, ce qui représente environ
400 000 infections de moins en 2008", souligne toutefois Onusida.
*6*
*Sida: les nouvelles infections ont baissé de 17% en huit ans**
**Tribune de Genève*
24/11/2009
*Story carried by Le Temps (CH), 24Heures (CH), Romandie News (CH)*
Les nouvelles infections du virus du sida ont baissé de 17% en huit ans, a
annoncé mardi le Programme commun des Nations Unies sur le sida (ONUSIDA).
Au total, 33,4 millions de personnes vivaient avec le VIH en 2008. L'an
dernier, 2,7 millions de nouveaux cas d'infection ont été recensés dans le
monde, avec deux millions de décès.
"L'épidémie du sida recule, mais reste très sérieuse dans beaucoup de pays",
a commenté Paul De Lay, directeur exécutif adjoint d'ONUSIDA. Il a mis en
cause la baisse des financements et l'inadéquation des programmes de
prévention face à l'évolution de l'épidémie.
Nombre record de malades
Les effets de la thérapie antirétrovirale et de la croissance démographique
font qu'il n'y a jamais eu autant de personnes vivant avec le VIH, soit 33,4
millions de personnes, dont 22,4 millions en Afrique. En 12 ans, quelque 2,9
millions de vies ont pu être sauvées grâce à ces traitements.
La baisse des nouvelles infections est depuis 2001 de près de 15% en
Afrique, soit 400'000 infections de moins. En Asie de l'Est, les nouvelles
infections ont diminué d'environ 25% et en Asie du sud et du sud-est de 10%
en huit ans.
Après une augmentation spectaculaire parmi les consommateurs de drogues,
l'épidémie s'est stabilisée en Europe orientale, bien qu'il y ait des
indications selon lesquelles les nouvelles infections au VIH repartent à la
hausse dans cette région. (ATS).
*7*
*Sida: 25 millions de morts mais baisse de 17% des infections en huit ans**
**AFP*
24/11/2009
*Story carried by Mondial.Info.fr <http://mondial.info.fr/>., Point24
(Luxembourg), L’Internaute Magazine, L’Express, RTL Info.be, La Croix, RTBF
Info, LePoint.fr. ABC (Spain in Spanish), NRK (Norway in Norwegian). Also
covered by Nouvel Observateur, France Info, Europe 1, 20Minutes.fr*
GENÈVE — Quelque 25 millions de personnes sont mortes du sida depuis
l'apparition de la maladie et 60 millions ont été infectées, mais le nombre
de nouvelles infections a baissé de 17% ces huit dernières années grâce
surtout à la prévention, selon un rapport publié mardi par l'Onusida.
"Depuis le début de l'épidémie, près de 60 millions de personnes ont été
infectées par le VIH et 25 millions de personnes sont décédées de causes
liées au VIH", indique le rapport annuel de l'organisme onusien établi en
collaboration avec l'Organisation mondiale de la santé.
"La tendance sur huit ans indique une baisse des nouvelles infections de
17%" depuis 2001 alors que "la plupart des progrès s'observent en Afrique
subsaharienne", ajoute-t-il.
"La bonne nouvelle, c?est que nous avons des preuves que les baisses que
nous observons sont dues, au moins en partie, à la prévention", s'est
félicité le directeur exécutif de l?Onusida, Michel Sidibé, cité dans un
communiqué.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. Tous droits réservés
*8*
*AIDS death toll passes 25 mln: UNAIDS**
**AFP*
24/11/2009
by D'Arcy Doran D'arcy Doran
SHANGHAI (AFP) – AIDS has killed 25 million people worldwide but new
infections are slowing sharply, the UN said on Tuesday in an annual report
on the crisis that mixed hope with a warning against complacency.
Almost 60 million people have been infected by the HIV virus since it was
first recorded but prevention programmes are having a significant impact,
the UNAIDS agency said in its latest report, released here in Shanghai.
Around two million people died of the disease in 2008, bringing the overall
toll to around 25 million since the virus was first detected three decades
ago. The UN figures
Some 2.7 million were newly infected in 2008, it added, bringing the world
total to 33.4 million.
Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS executive director, told a Shanghai press conference
on the report's launch that the number of new human immunodeficiency (HIV)
virus infections has been reduced by 17 percent over the past eight years.
"The good news is that we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are
due, at least in part, to HIV prevention," Sidibe said.
Some of the most notable progress has been reported in Africa, the report
said.
HIV incidence has fallen by 25 percent since 2001 in East Africa while the
figure for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole was around 15 percent -- equating
to around 400,000 fewer infections in 2008.
In South and South East Asia, HIV incidence has declined by 10 percent in
the same time period, the report said.
Sidibe said treatment products had increased ten-fold in the past five
years, leading to an 18 percent decline in mortality since 2001.
But he added better prevention strategies were needed to stop new
infections, which stood at 7,400 a day.
"Any time we are putting two people on treatment, five people are being
infected," he said. Key facts on the AIDS virus
"The findings (of the report) show that prevention programming is often off
the mark and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programmes
to where they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more
lives saved."
The new report showed that more people than ever were now living with the
virus as people live longer due to the beneficial effects of anti-retroviral
therapy.
The number of deaths linked to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
has declined by over 10 percent over the past five years as more people
gained access to life saving treatment, said the report.
It estimated that around 2.9 million lives have been saved since 1996 when
more effective treatment became available.
"International and national investment in HIV treatment scale-up has yielded
concrete and measurable results. We cannot let this momentum wane," said
Margaret Chan, head of the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO).
"Now is the time to redouble our efforts, and save many more lives."
Sibide said that AIDS, which was first declared as having reached epidemic
proportions in 1981, was evolving and that research in some of Africa's
worst affected countries had shown it having an increasingly significant
impact on maternal mortality.
"Half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and South Africa are due to HIV,"
he said.
"This tells us that we must work for a unified health approach bringing
maternal and child health and HIV programmes as well as tuberculosis
programmes together to work to achieve their common goal."
1. UNAIDS
*9*
*Sida: forte baisse des nouvelles infections**
**RSR.ch*
24/11/2009
Story also carried by TSR.ch
L'épidémie du sida recule. Les nouvelles infections ont baissé de 17% en
huit ans, a annoncé mardi le Programme commun des Nations unies sur le sida
(ONUSIDA). Le nombre des décès liés au sida a décliné de plus de 10% au
cours des cinq dernières années.
Au total, 33,4 millions de personnes vivaient avec le VIH en 2008. L'an
dernier, 2,7 millions de nouveaux cas d'infection, dont 1,9 million en
Afrique, ont été recensés dans le monde, avec deux millions de décès (1,4
million en Afrique), a précisé ONUSIDA dans son rapport annuel. «L'épidémie
du sida recule, mais reste très sérieuse dans beaucoup de pays», a commenté
Paul De Lay, directeur exécutif adjoint d'ONUSIDA, en présentant le rapport
annuel de l'organisation à Genève. Il a mis en cause la baisse des
financements et l'inadéquation des programmes de prévention face à
l'évolution de l'épidémie. Nombre record de malades Les effets de la
thérapie antirétrovirale et de la croissance démographique font qu'il n'y a
jamais eu autant de personnes vivant avec le VIH, soit 33,4 millions de
personnes, dont 22,4 millions en Afrique. En 12 ans, quelque 2,9 millions de
vies ont pu être sauvées grâce à ces traitements. La baisse des nouvelles
infections est depuis 2001 de près de 15% en Afrique, soit 400'000
infections de moins. En Asie de l'Est, les nouvelles infections ont diminué
d'environ 25% et en Asie du sud et du sud-est de 10% en huit ans. Après une
augmentation spectaculaire parmi les consommateurs de drogues, l'épidémie
s'est stabilisée en Europe orientale, bien qu'il y ait des indications selon
lesquelles les nouvelles infections à VIH repartent à la hausse dans cette
région. Le nombre des décès liés au sida a décliné de plus de 10% au cours
des cinq dernières années. Depuis le début de la pandémie, près de 60
millions de personnes ont été infectées par le VIH et 25 millions de
personnes sont décédées de causes liées au virus. Programmes pas à la
hauteur «La bonne nouvelle, c'est que nous avons des preuves que les déclins
que nous constatons sont dus, en partie du moins, à la prévention du VIH», a
affirmé le directeur exécutif d'ONUSIDA Michel Sidibé, cité dans un
communiqué. «Toutefois, les conclusions nous montrent aussi que les
programmes de prévention ne sont souvent pas à la hauteur. Si nous
réussissons à faire en sorte que les ressources soient dirigés là où ils
auront le plus d'impact, des progrès plus rapides peuvent être faits et
davantage de vies sauvées», a-t-il ajouté. Il ne faut pas traiter le sida de
manière isolée dans les programmes de santé. L'épidémie évolue Le visage de
l'épidémie est en train de changer, avertit ONUSIDA. Les activités de
prévention ne suivent pas. Par exemple, l'épidémie en Europe orientale et en
Asie centrale, caractérisée auparavant par une forte propagation chez les
usagers de drogues injectables, se propage désormais aux partenaires sexuels
de ces personnes. De même, dans certaines parties de l'Asie, l'épidémie,
autrefois alimentée par une transmission du virus par le biais du commerce
du sexe et de la consommation de drogues injectables, affecte de plus en
plus les couples hétérosexuels. Peu de programmes sont destinés en Afrique
subsaharienne aux plus de 25 ans, aux couples mariés, aux veufs et divorcés,
groupes au sein desquels une prévalence élevée du VIH a été constatée,
déplore l'agence spécialisée de l'ONU. Fonds en baisse Les fonds consacrés à
la prévention du VIH sont en baisse dans certains pays. Par exemple, au
Swaziland, à peine 17% du budget total pour le sida ont été dépensés pour la
prévention, malgré un taux de prévalence du VIH de 26%. Au Ghana, le budget
alloué à la prévention a été coupé de 43% par rapport aux niveaux de 2005,
prévient ONUSIDA. Pour la première fois, le rapport épidémiologique
d'ONUSIDA s'accompagne d'un autre rapport «UNAIDS Outlook», présenté comme
un magazine. Il examine la manière dont les études sur les «modes de
transmission» changent l'approche pour les efforts de prévention.
*10*
*Las infecciones por el VIH bajan un 17% en ocho años**
**El País, Spain*
24/11/2009
*Story also covered by El Mundo*
E. DE BENITO – Madrid
Los brotes verdes también han llegado al mundo del sida. Los datos que han
hecho públicos hoy Onusida y la Organización Mundial de la Salud muestran
que el número de nuevos infectados ha bajado en el mundo un 17% desde 2001.
Todas las regiones del mundo experimentan avances. El África subsahariana,
que concentra al 60% de los afectados, registra un descenso del 15% de
nuevas transmisiones (aproximadamente 400.000 personas menos).
Después de un año sin ofrecer datos, Onusida -que ha cambiado de director;
ahora es un africano, Michel Sidibé- ha vuelto a ofrecer estimaciones sobre
el impacto de la enfermedad. En Asia oriental, la región que se observa con
más atención porque se esperaba una explosión de la enfermedad, la bajada ha
sido del 25%. En el sureste asiático, un 10%. La región con datos peores es
Europa Oriental, donde la epidemia, debida sobre todo al uso compartido de
jeringuillas por usuarios de drogas, se ha "estabilizado".
"La buena noticia es que tenemos evidencias de que los descensos que estamos
viendo se deben, por lo menos en parte, a la prevención", ha dicho Sidibé.
"Sin embargo, los hallazgos muestran que a veces los programas de prevención
no dan en el blanco, y que si mejoramos la obtención de recursos para que
los programas actúen donde tendrán más impacto, se hará un progreso mayor y
se salvarán más vidas", ha añadido.
En total, se calcula que en el mundo viven unos 33,4 millones de personas
con VIH. La cifra no baja respecto a otros años, pero tiene una explicación
positiva: aunque bajen las infecciones, también ha aumentado la
supervivencia de los afectados. De hecho entre 2003 y 2008, la proporción de
personas con acceso al tratamiento ha pasado del 7% al 42%. El número de
infectados se calcula que ha sido de 2,7 millones, y el de fallecidos baja a
2 millones. Pero si se comparan estos datos con los estimados para 2008 (uno
de los grandes problemas de estos informes es que no se pueden centrar en
las cifras exclusivamente ya que los sistemas de medición con muy
deficitarios en la mayoría de los países; en muchas zonas de África, por
ejemplo, se basan en los análisis hechos a las mujeres embarazadas y de ahí
se extrapolan al resto de la población).
Este sistema de medición -el único posible en muchas regiones- arroja
también datos positivos. En África, las mujeres embarazadas son uno de los
objetivos prioritarios de los programas de prevención. Primero, porque,
aunque sea sólo al final del embarazo, la mayoría acude a un médico;
segundo, para evitar que transmitan el virus a sus bebés; tercero, porque su
tratamiento es el más sencillo y barato. A diferencia que en el caso de las
personas con sida (el conjunto de enfermedades que aparece cuando el sistema
inmunitario ya está tan deteriorado que no puede evitar las infecciones
llamadas oportunistas), no hay que mantenerles la medicación durante toda la
vida. Basta con hacerlo durante unos meses antes y después de dar a luz (si
van a amamantar a sus bebés). Y es suficiente con administrarles -a pesar de
los recelos mostrados por algunos dirigentes africanos- un sólo fármacos, la
nevirapina. Por lo que, además, se tata de una medida barata. Con este
sistema la directora de la OMS, Margaret Chan, calcula que se han evitado
200.000 transmisiones materno-infantiles desde 2001.
Y es, al escarbar en las cifras, donde se ven algunos de los trucos de
Onusida. En un año, 2009, donde ha habido cambio de director y en el que hay
problemas para financiar los programas, la manera de presentar los datos
juega su papel. A diferencia de otros años, el organismo ya no da una
previsión para este año; repite los de 2008. De esta manera por lo menos
intentan evitar que las fluctuaciones de los datos se deban a nuevos
sistemas de cálculo, y no a que de verdad haya nuevas tendencias en el
transcurrir de la epidemia.
Lo que no se puede negar a los informes de Onusida es que, a pesar de que
durante 10 años han manejado siempre la misma información, siempre son
capaces de buscar un enfoque nuevo. Una de las aportaciones del trabajo de
este año es una reflexión que parece destinada a acallar algunas críticas.
Se trata de quienes opinan que el sida -con su estigma asociado de
enfermedad transmitida por comportamientos que se podrían evitar o
pecaminosos- se lleva demasiada atención y fondos. El informe destaca que
los programas de atención a los infectados funcionan mejor cuando se
integran en políticas sanitarias globales, y viceversa: se puede aprovechar
que los infectados acuden a centros sanitarios para detectar otras
enfermedades infecciosas, como la tuberculosis.
También se señalan las carencias de los programas de prevención. En Europa
Oriental, ya no basta con atender a los usuarios de drogas inyectadas.
Empieza a haber un problema también con sus parejas. En África, la
prevención de la transmisión por vía heterosexual ha dejado fuera no solo a
quienes tienen relaciones homosexuales (que en muchos países son incluso
perseguidos legalmente, lo que impide que accedan a los sistemas
sanitarios), sino que también dejan fuera a las viudas, divorciadas, parejas
estables o, simplemente, ante la progresiva disminución de la edad de los
afectados, a los mayores d 25 años, que se encuentran con que los grupos de
autoapoyo -una de las claves de un continente donde el trabajo comunitario
es clave- son un conjunto de adolescentes con los que tienen muy poco en
común, aparte del virus.
El informe no incluye ninguna mención a España, donde se supone que hay unas
150.000 personas con el virus (tampoco aquí hay un registro estatal con el
número de infectados), de las que alrededor de un 30% ni siquiera lo sabe
(una cifra que en 2007, referida a la población infectada por prácticas
homosexuales sin protección, alcanzaba el 50%).
*========================*
* *
*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*
* *
*========================*
*Nuevas infecciones de SIDA bajaron un 17% en siete años: ONU**
**Milenio, Mexico*
24/11/2009
Pekín.- La cantidad de nuevas infecciones del síndrome de inmunodeficiencia
adquerida (sida) en el mundo bajó un 17 por ciento entre 2001 y 2008, según
un nuevo informe de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) y la
Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) presentado hoy en Shanghai.
"La buena noticia es que el retroceso que estamos observando se debe, al
menos en parte, a la prevención", afirmó Michel Sidibé, director ejecutivo
del Programa Conjunto de Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/Sida (ONUSIDA).
El informe también señala que el número de muertes a causa del virus VIH
cayó más de un diez por ciento en los cinco últimos años, al tiempo que
aumentó la cantidad de personas que tienen acceso a los medicamentos contra
el sida. Gracias a ellos se evitó la muerte de unas 2,9 millones de personas
desde 1998, subraya el informe.
DPA
*3*
*Afecta virus de SIDA a 33.4 millones de personas en el mundo**
**El Financiero, Mexico*
24/11/2009
Ginebra 24 de noviembre.- La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y el
programa conjunto de Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/SIDA (ONUSIDA) revelaron
hoy en su informe anual que al menos 33.4 millones de personas en el mundo
están infectados por este virus.
Según las nuevas estimaciones publicadas por ONUSIDA y la OMS, en la
actualidad existen 33.4 millones de infectados, frente a los 33 millones que
se contabilizaron en 2007.
El texto sobre la evolución de la epidemia atribuye el aumento al hecho de
que los infectados viven cada vez más, gracias a la mayor disponibilidad de
los tratamientos.
Además, el número de nuevos casos se redujo 17 por ciento en los últimos
ocho años.
El año pasado, 2.7 millones de personas contrajeron el virus y dos millones
murieron a causa de enfermedades relacionadas, mientras que 430 mil bebés
nacieron ya infectados por el VIH, elevando a 2.1 millones la cifra de
seropositivos menores de 15 años de edad.
Sin embargo, a pesar de estas cifras, el número de defunciones relacionadas
al Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida (Sida) ha disminuido más del 10
por ciento en los últimos cinco años, confirmó ONUSIDA.
La directora general de la OMS, Margaret Chan, dijo que "las inversiones
internacionales y nacionales para el tratamiento contra el Virus de
Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH) han dado resultados concretos y
cuantificables.
ONUSIDA puntualizó que desde el inicio de la epidemia al menos 60 millones
de personas fueron infectadas con el VIH y 25 millones de ellas perdieron la
vida por causas relacionadas con el virus.
Africa subsahariana es la región más afectada del mundo y alberga el 67 por
ciento de todas las personas que viven con el VIH.
En América Latina, dos millones de personas viven con el VIH, de las cuales
170 mil se registraron tan sólo en 2008, así como 77 mil defunciones
relacionadas a la enfermedad en el mismo año. (Con información de
Notimex/APB)
*4*
*Prevalencia de la epidemia de Sida en AL se mantiene estable**
**Diario Libre,com*
24/11/2009
GINEBRA, Suiza.- La prevalencia de la epidemia de sida en América Latina se
mantiene estable a pesar de que ha habido un incremento de casos en los
últimos ocho años, según el último informe mundial sobre el estado de la
enfermedad publicado hoy por la agencia de Naciones Unidas para el Sida
(ONUSIDA).
En 2001, en la región vivían 1.6 millones de personas con el virus del sida,
mientras en el 2008 esta cifra ha aumentado a 2 millones.
El total estimado de nuevas infecciones por VIH en 2008 fue de 170 mil
personas, mientras que en el 2001 el número de nuevas infecciones se situó
150 mil.
No obstante, los especialistas de ONUSIDA, consideran que lo importante es
que la prevalencia de la enfermedad en Latinoamérica sigue siendo del 0.6
por ciento, por lo afirman que la epidemia se mantiene estable.
"La región se caracteriza principalmente por una epidemia de bajo nivel y
concentrada", dice el informe.
En general en el mundo, la tendencia en los últimos ocho años indica que las
nuevas infecciones por el VIH han disminuido el 17 por ciento, gracias al
retroceso del 15 por ciento en África subsahariana.
Según revela el informe, aproximadamente, 77 mil personas fallecieron el año
pasado a causa de enfermedades relacionadas con el sida, mientras que en el
2001 fueron 66 mil.
Asimismo, en el 2008, se infectaron con el virus seis mil 900 menores,
mientras que en el 2001 fueron seis mil 200.
Una de las características de Latinoamérica, es que la epidemia se concentra
fuertemente entre hombres que tienen relaciones sexuales con hombres, es por
ello que el virus es más prevalente entre los varones que entre las mujeres.
El informe señala el ejemplo de Perú, donde el número notificado de casos de
sida entre varones en 2008 fue casi tres veces más alto que el número
registrado entre mujeres.
De hecho, según el texto, la probabilidad de contraer el virus entre los
hombres que tienen sexo con hombres es de una de tres.
No obstante, uno de los mayores riesgos destacados por el informe es la
posibilidad de nuevas infecciones entre las mujeres, dado que según una
encuesta efectuada en cinco países centroamericanos uno de cada cinco de los
hombres que tienen relaciones homosexuales informó haberlas tenido también
con mujeres.
El resto de grupos donde la prevalencia del sida sigue siendo alto es el de
los profesionales del sexo, y el de los usuarios de drogas.
Se estima que el 29 por ciento de los más de 2 millones de latinoamericanos
usuarios de drogas inyectables está infectado por el VIH.
Las epidemias entre este grupo de riesgo en la región tienden a concentrarse
en el cono sur de América del Sur y en el norte de México, a lo largo de la
frontera con Estados Unidos.
En relación a la prostitución, el informe señala que "los nuevos datos
sugieren que es posible que los programas de prevención del VIH estén
teniendo un efecto en los profesionales del sexo en América Latina".
Encuestas recientes realizadas a prostitutas en Chile, El Salvador, Honduras
y Guatemala revelan el uso sistemático del preservativo con los clientes, lo
que ocasiona un descenso de las infecciones por el VIH.
La buena noticia es que la cobertura del tratamiento antirretrovírico en
América Latina es superior al promedio mundial (un 54 por ciento de los
afectados), y en general es más alto en América del Sur que en América
Central.
Sin embargo, el informe lamenta que a pesar de que los grupos de riesgo
están muy definidos, pocos programas de prevención se centran directamente
en ellos. (EFE)
*5*
*Aids: 25 milhões de mortos, redução das infecções em oito anos**
**Pernambuco.com, Brazil*
24/11/2009
Um total de 25 milhões de pessoas morreram vítimas da Aids desde o
surgimento da doença e 60 milhões foram infectadas, mas o número de novos
contágios caiu 17% nos últimos oito anos, informa um relatório divulgado
nesta terça-feira pela OnuAIDS.
"Desde o início da epidemia, quase 60 milhões de pessoas foram infectadas
pelo HIV e 25 milhões de pessoas morreram por razões vinculadas ao HIV",
afirma o relatório anual do organismo da ONU, elaborado em colaboração com a
Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS).
"A tendência em oito anos indica uma redução de 17% das novas infecções
desde 2001. A maioria dos progressos é observada na África subsaariana",
completa o documento.
"A boa notícia é que temos provas de que as reduções que observamos se
devem, ao menos parcialmente, à prevenção", comemora o diretor executivo da
UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé.
"A doença entrou em uma fase mais endêmica, mais estável", afirmou à
imprensa em Genebra Paul de Lay, diretor executivo adjunto.
A África subsaariana continua sendo a região do mundo mais afetada, com 67%
do conjunto de pessoas que vivem com o HIV e 72% das mortes vinculadas à
Aids em 2008, segundo os dados da UNAIDS.
A Suazilândia permaneceu em 2007 o país mais infectado do planeta, com um
índice de prevalência (proporção de pessoas que sofrem a doença em relação
ao total da população em estudo) do HIV, com 26% da população adulta.
No entanto, desde 2001 o número de novas infecções na África subsaariana
caiu 15%, o que representou quase 400.000 infecções a menos em 2008.
"Graças à eficácia das terapias antirretrovirais, as pessoas infectadas
vivem mais tempo e há mais pessoas que nunca infectadas pelo HIV - 33,4
milhões de portadores do HIV no mundo", destaca o estudo.
Assim, o número de mortes provocadas pela Aids caiu mais de 10% nos últimos
cinco anos. Segundo as estatísticas da UNAIDS e da OMS, quase três milhões
de vidas foram salvas desde que um tratamento eficaz ficou disponível em
1996.
Além disso, a terapia teve um "impacto considerável na prevenção de novas
infecções nas crianças", impedindo 200.000 infecções de mãe para filho desde
2001.
Mas os modos de transmissão da enfermidade evoluíram em algumas regiões do
mundo, sem uma adaptação das campanhas prevenção, lamenta a UNAIDS, que
ressalta que poucas campanhas são direcionadas a pessoas com mais de 25 anos
e aos casados ou envolvidos em relações estáveis.
"Por exemplo, a epidemia na Europa oriental e na Ásia central, que se
caracterizava antes pelo consumo de drogas injetáveis, se propaga agora aos
casais com pessoas que injetam drogas", explica a agência da ONU.
"Em algumas partes da Ásia, a epidemia - que antes era alimentada por uma
transmissão do vírus pela prostituição e o consumo de drogas injetáveis -
afeta cada vez mais os casais heterossexuais", afirma o organismo..
*6*
*Sai hoje relatório sobre epidemia global de aids**
**JB Online, Brazil*
24/11/2009
Agência Brasil
BRASÍLIA - O Programa das Nações Unidas para HIV e AIDS lança hoje, em todo
o mundo, o Relatório Sobre a Epidemia Global de Aids 2009. No Brasil, o
lançamento ocorre às 10h no auditório da Secretaria Especial de Políticas
para as Mulheres.
Na ocasião, haverá entrevista coletiva da ministra Nilcea Freire e do
coordenador do Unaids no país, Pedro Chequer, que apresentarão os principais
resultados do estudo.
O relatório traz números relacionados aos óbitos e novas infecções. Também
aborda questões como o acesso dos jovens à informação básica sobre o HIV, a
prevenção da transmissão vertical, a relação entre a tuberculose e a aids, o
número de pessoas infectadas que não tem conhecimento do seu estado
soropositivo e a feminização da doença.
*========================*
*NORTH AMERICA*
*========================*
*UN: HIV outbreak peaked in 1996 **
**Associated Press*
24/11/2009
*Story carried by Washington Post, Canadian Press, Wall Street Journal,
WZTV-Nashville*
By MARIA CHENG
GENEVA -- The number of people worldwide infected with the virus that causes
AIDS - about 33 million - has remained virtually unchanged for the last two
years, United Nations experts said Tuesday.
Officials say the global epidemic probably peaked in 1996 and that the
disease looks stable in most regions, except for Africa. Last year, HIV
infections in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 72 percent of all 2.7 million
new HIV cases worldwide.
Daniel Halperin, an AIDS expert at Harvard University, said it was good news
the rate of new infections was dropping and that access to AIDS drugs was
helping to cut the death rate. Earlier this year, the U.N. announced there
are now 4 million people on lifesaving AIDS drugs worldwide, a 10-fold
increase in five years.
In the report by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, the experts
estimate there are now about 33.4 million people worldwide with HIV. In
2007, the figure was about 33.2 million. The numbers are based on a
mathematical model and come with a margin of error of several million
people.
With the U.N.'s confirmation HIV is now declining in most countries, some
experts said the report should change the spending habits of international
donors. Globally, HIV causes about 4 percent of all deaths, but gets about
23 cents of every public health dollar.
"We shouldn't let this single disease continue to distort overall global
funding, especially when bigger killers like pneumonia and diarrhea in
developing countries are far easier and cheaper to treat," said Philip
Stevens, of International Policy Network, a London-based think tank.
In the report, U.N. officials wrote that "AIDS continues to be a major
public health priority" and called for more funds to support their effort.
Officials said the drugs have saved nearly 3 million lives.
People with HIV who start the drugs must continue indefinitely, so the cost
of treating HIV will continue to rise, even as the epidemic fades. Prices
could skyrocket if resistance develops and more expensive regimens are
needed.
Whether previous U.N. initiatives are responsible for the epidemic's
downturn is uncertain. Some experts said the drop in HIV may simply be a
result of the virus burning itself out, rather than the result of any health
interventions.
Ties Boerma, a WHO statistics expert, said countries whose HIV prevalence
declined dramatically, like Zimbabwe, were not always those that got the
most AIDS money.
The report also noted that where treatment is available, rates of HIV are
either stable or rising.
Elizabeth Pisani, an epidemiologist who once worked for UNAIDS, said when
people with HIV don't take their drugs exactly as prescribed, they have
periods where they become infectious, giving the virus a chance to spread.
Most people without treatment die before infecting many others.
"In theory, treatment may have an important preventative effect, but in
practice, it can actually make things worse," Pisani said. "We obviously
can't stop treatment, but we need to do a lot more on prevention."
Stevens said the fact that AIDS peaked more than a decade ago suggests it is
now time for the global community to prioritize other health problems.
Outside of the worst-affected countries such as South Africa, respiratory
infections, heart disease and malaria are bigger killers.
"Against this backdrop, it is unjust that AIDS should commandeer such a
disproportionate level of funding," Stevens said.
----
On the Net:
http://www.unaids.org
http://www.who.int
© 2009 The Associated Press
*========================*
*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*
*========================*
UNAIDS Executive Director visit to China opens with focus on civil society
*UNAIDS*
23/11/2009
UNAIDS Executive Secretary Michel Sidibé arrived in Shanghai this week on
the first leg of a two-city visit to China. During the visit, Michel Sidibé
will visit Shanghai and Beijing, launch the 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update and
meet with many key partners from Chinese government and civil society.
Michel Sidibé began his visit by attending a prize giving ceremony organised
by the China office of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition,
an organization that works to improve treatment conditions for people living
with HIV at the local, regional and international levels.
During the ceremony, prizes were awarded to civil society figures, medical
workers, government officials and organizations that have made exceptional
contributions to the response to AIDS in China, in the fields of community
mobilization, treatment and care, and policy implementation.
Dr Cai Weiping, a doctor renowned for his work with people living with HIV,
was awarded a prize for his contributions to treatment and care. Accepting
the prize, Dr Cai said “I have received many awards in 26 years of being a
practising physician, but this is the first prize I’ve ever received from
the community, or from my patients. The best recognition that a doctor can
receive is not from the government or from a hospital, but from his
patients.”
Michel Sidibé highlighted the importance of the dedication shown by prize
recipients: “I think what we are talking about today is restoring dignity,”
Michel noted, “When I was listening to the people who have been working
hard, giving voice to the voiceless, I feel like it is not just about
receiving an award, it’s about saving lives, it’s about giving social
justice, it’s about redistributing opportunity.”
After presenting awards at the ceremony, Michel Sidibé met for lunch with
workers and volunteers from local Shanghai civil society organizations.
Joining the lunch were representatives from organizations working with a
range of key populations, including sex workers, men who have sex with men
and transgender people.
Over lunch, Michel Sidibé heard about the issues and difficulties faced by
these populations and the organizations which work to support them.
Participants felt that civil society could make a far greater contribution
to the response to AIDS, both in Shanghai and in China as a whole. Many felt
that the Chinese government needed to work more closely with
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society partners to
provide services and gain access to key populations such as sex workers and
drug users. These key populations are often highly reluctant to seek
services or accept help from government bodies, particularly due to the fact
that they are often criminalised, and therefore remain cut off from vital
prevention, treatment and care services.
Michel Sidibé discussed these issues and expressed his agreement, stressing
the critical importance of NGO involvement in national AIDS responses,
including meaningful participation in policy formulation and implementation
of prevention, treatment and care services. Michel commended the
participants for the work they were carrying out. He told them that
“achieving social change and challenging strongly-held attitudes is not an
easy task, and requires time, patience and commitment,” but encouraged them
to continue to strive to achieve these important goals.
*2*
*Business coalitions on AIDS strengthen the private sector response to AIDS
in Asia*
*UNAIDS*
23/11/2009
Business coalitions on AIDS (BCA) have emerged as an effective platform for
the private sector to respond to the HIV epidemic and strengthen their
corporate social responsibility efforts.
In order to take stock of progress made by BCAs in the Asia Pacific region
and to ensure that standards are upheld as services are scaled up by BCAs,
UNAIDS, the Asia Pacific Business Coalition (APBCA) and the Asian Business
Coalition on AIDS (ABCA) organized a regional meeting of BCAs from the
region in Bangkok, Thailand on November 17-18 2009.
"The meeting of business coalitions in the Asia Pacific region has been a
tremendous opportunity for the coalitions to learn from each other and find
ways to enhance the private sector's contribution in the AIDS response,"
said Stephen Grant, Asia Pacific Business Coalition on AIDS Chief Executive
Officer.
Over twenty participants gathered to discuss key issues around the
activities and services offered by BCAs in the region, the challenges and
opportunities they face as well as key partnerships and relationships
developed with national and international stakeholders. Participants also
analyzed the impact and value of BCA, their business models (membership and
funding models), organizational structures and governance, and the advocacy
work they do.
Strengthening the private sector response to AIDS
Although some companies are already addressing HIV in the workplace, others
do not know how or what to do to start mitigating risks. Business coalitions
have emerged to fill this gap and provide the private sector with tools and
processes needed to effectively address HIV in the workplace and surrounding
communities. The comprehensive business responses can be seen in corporate
policies for HIV management. Businesses focus on prevention through peer
education, provision of antiretroviral treatment and support for affected
staff and their dependants.
"People who are at the core of the epidemic include men who are mobile and
who practice sex with multiple partners. Many of them are workers who are
employed by thousands of businesses and industrial establishments across
Asia and the Pacific. Accessing them through well planned workplace
programmes is a good way to counter the epidemic and business coalitions are
well placed to assume leadership in this area," said Prasada Rao, UNAIDS
Regional Director for Asia and Pacific.
Business responses can start within the workplace and respond beyond to form
mature partnerships with business, business associations, and communities as
well as governmental authorities to form a private public partnership, which
will enhance society’s efforts to combat the epidemic.
The workshop was attended by coalitions from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Myanmar, PNG, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, the regional coalitions
(Asia Pacific Business Coalition (APBCA) and the Asian Business Coalition on
AIDS (ABCA) as well as private sector representatives from Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines and Sri Lanka. The Asia Pacific Network of
people living with HIV/AIDS, the Global Fund, ILO, the Burnet Institute (the
leading medical research and public health Institutes in Australia) and the
HIV Alliance also participated.
One of the deliverables of the meeting will be a manual designed to help
BCAs set priorities and next steps. It will guide BCAs on where to seek
technical assistance (and what type) to address hurdles, on how to ensure
they promote sustainable programs in support of the national AIDS response
and target the most vulnerable communities, etc.
The first established Business coalition on AIDS (BCA) was launched in
Thailand in 1993. Today, there are 47 coalitions around the world that have
emerged and four regional business coalitions. In most countries in Asia
Pacific, BCA now exist in various forms and in different stages of
development.
This second regional meeting was a follow up to the 2003 meeting on BCAs
which took place in Bali and brought together 55 participants from 11
countries – Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Philippines, Papua
New Guinea, South Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam
*3*
*Eight-year trend shows new HIV infections down by 17%—most progress seen in
sub-Saharan Africa**
**UNAIDS*
24/11/2009
Geneva / Shanghai, 24 November 2009 – According to new data in the 2009 AIDS
epidemic update, new HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the past
eight years. Since 2001, when the United Nations Declaration of Commitment
on HIV/AIDS was signed, the number of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa
is approximately 15% lower, which is about 400,000 fewer infections in 2008.
In East Asia new HIV infections declined by nearly 25% and in South and
South East Asia by 10% in the same time period. In Eastern Europe, after a
dramatic increase in new infections among injecting drug users, the epidemic
has leveled off considerably. However, in some countries there are signs
that new HIV infections are rising again.
The report, released today by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights that beyond the
peak and natural course of the epidemic—HIV prevention programmes are making
a difference.
“The good news is that we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are
due, at least in part, to HIV prevention,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive
Director of UNAIDS. “However, the findings also show that prevention
programming is often off the mark and that if we do a better job of getting
resources and programmes to where they will make most impact, quicker
progress can be made and more lives saved.”
In this first double issue, the UNAIDS Outlook report further explores how
“modes of transmission” studies are changing the approach of HIV prevention
efforts. The new magazine-style report looks at new ideas and ways to use
the data collected in the companion epidemiological report.
An estimated:
■33.4 million [31.1 million–35.8 million] people are living with HIV
worldwide
■2.7 million [2.4 million–3.0 million] people were newly infected in 2008
■2 million [1.7– 2.4 million] people died of AIDS related illness in 2008
Universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support
Data from the AIDS Epidemic Update also show that at 33.4 million, [31.1
million–35.8 million] there are more people living with HIV than ever before
as people are living longer due to the beneficial effects of antiretroviral
therapy and population growth. However the number of AIDS-related deaths has
declined by over 10% over the past five years as more people gained to
access to the life saving treatment. UNAIDS and WHO estimate that since the
availability of effective treatment in 1996, some 2.9 million lives have
been saved.
"International and national investment in HIV treatment scale-up have
yielded concrete and measurable results,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director
General of WHO. “We cannot let this momentum wane. Now is the time to
redouble our efforts, and save many more lives."
Antiretroviral therapy has also made a significant impact in preventing new
infections in children as more HIV- positive mothers gain access to
treatment preventing them from transmitting the virus to their children.
Around 200 000 new infections among children have been prevented since 2001.
In Botswana, where treatment coverage is 80%, AIDS-related deaths have
fallen by over 50% over the past five years and the number of children newly
orphaned is also coming down as parents are living longer.
AIDS out of isolation
One of the significant findings of the report is that the impact of the AIDS
response is high where HIV prevention and treatment programmes have been
integrated with other health and social welfare services. Early evidence
shows that HIV may be a significant factor in maternal mortality. Research
models using South African data estimate that about 50,000 maternal deaths
were associated with HIV in 2008.
“AIDS isolation must end,” said Mr Sidibé. “Already research models are
showing that HIV may have a significant impact on maternal mortality. Half
of all maternal deaths in Botswana and South Africa are due to HIV. This
tells us that we must work for a unified health approach bringing maternal
and child health and HIV programmes as well as tuberculosis programmes
together to work to achieve their common goal.”
The AIDS epidemic is evolving and HIV prevention programmes are not rapidly
adjusting to the changes
The double report also shows that the face of the epidemic is changing and
that prevention efforts are not keeping pace with this shift. For example
the epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia once characterized by
injecting drug use is now spreading to the sexual partners of people who
inject drugs. Similarly in parts of Asia an epidemic once characterized by
transmission through sex work and injecting drug use is now increasingly
affecting heterosexual couples.
Data show that few HIV prevention programmes exist for people over 25,
married couples or people in stable relationships, widowers and divorcees.
These are the same groups in which HIV prevalence has been found to be high
in many sub-Saharan countries. For example in Swaziland people over the age
of 25 accounted for more than two thirds of adult infections yet very few
HIV prevention programmes are designed for older people.
Funding for HIV prevention has become the smallest percentage of the HIV
budgets of many countries. For example in Swaziland, just 17% of the
country’s total budget for AIDS was spent on prevention despite a national
HIV prevalence rate of 26%. In Ghana, the prevention budget was cut in 2007
by 43% from 2005 levels.
Building capacity: new social networking site for global AIDS community
Building on the need to maximize results and to better connect the 33.4
million people living with HIV and the millions of people who are part of
the AIDS response, UNAIDS has launched AIDSspace.org. This social networking
site is open to the community and is free.
AIDSspace.org aims to expand informal and established networks to include
more people interested in HIV to maximize resources for a stronger AIDS
response. The premise behind AIDSspace is simple: if hundreds of millions of
people can connect on some of the most popular social networking sites (e.g.
Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube) to connect, exchange ideas,
post and share HIV-related content, they can do the same for HIV related
content—including key policies, case studies, multimedia materials,
conference posters, reports and other essential resources. Users can also
find and post jobs and reviews on service providers on AIDSspace.org
*UNAIDS is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations, bringing
together the efforts and resources of the UNAIDS Secretariat and ten UN
system organizations in the AIDS response. The Secretariat headquarters is
in Geneva, Switzerland—with staff on the ground in more than 80 countries.
The Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO,
WHO and the World Bank. Contributing to achieving global commitments to
universal access to comprehensive interventions for HIV prevention,
treatment, care and support is the number one priority for UNAIDS. Visit the
UNAIDS website at www.unaids.org *
* *
*The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating
authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for
providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research
agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy
options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and
assessing health trends. For more information, please visit www.who.int *
* *
*AIDSspace.org is an online community for connecting people, sharing
knowledge, and accessing services for the 33.4 million people living with
HIV and the millions who are part of the response. Sign up today at
www.aidsspace.org *
*4*
*UNAIDS Outlook 2010: Fresh perspective on the AIDS epidemic and response**
**UNAIDS*
24/11/2009
It’s clear that the HIV epidemic the world faces today is not the same as
when it peaked in 1996. The number of people living with HIV globally is now
at 33.4 million and although 2.7 million people became newly infected with
HIV in 2008, good news is that this is a decrease by 17% over the last eight
years.
There have been many successes in the AIDS response in recent times
including increases in HIV treatment coverage and prevention of
mother-to-child transmission services, and an indication of decline in HIV
incidence in some regions. However, at the moment globally five people are
becoming infected with HIV for every two people accessing treatment.
It is therefore critical that the way we respond keeps pace with and
overtakes the epidemic if we are to see a real change in people’s lives,
aspirations and futures.
Outlook gives an overview of the epidemic with global and regional
statistics, but also contains analysis offering the UNAIDS interpretation
and eyes the data available in the more detailed AIDS Epidemic Update report
from different angles.
The cover of Outlook features Prudence Mabele, the first black woman in
South Africa to disclose her HIV status publicly in 1992 because she was
“tired of the silence and stigma surrounding HIV,” as she puts it. Seventeen
years down the road, Prudence is the executive director of the Positive
Women’s Network she created in 1996. In Outlook we follow her for day.
UNAIDS Outlook 2010, a new publication launched today, explores new ideas
and ways to use the data collected in the AIDS Epidemic Update companion
report.
The publication also poses a number of bold questions that call for a
response: How can we use our knowledge of the HIV epidemic and response for
more effective programming at country level? How do we become smarter about
HIV prevention to make a real difference? What is the anatomy of a bad law
from a human rights perspective?
Features include “Where does the Money for AIDS go?” exploring fund flows in
the AIDS response and “Being the Change” digging deeper into issues on young
people, sexuality and how behaviors are changing, mixed with captivating
images and storytelling narratives to show the plight of individuals.
Tying the Outlook together is an intimate interview with UNAIDS Executive
Director, Mr Michel Sidibé who as he approaches the end of his first year in
office as UNAIDS head sees real change and is inspired by the perseverance
of the human spirit every day. In this one-on-one with the reader, Mr Sidibé
renews his commitment to push himself, UNAIDS and the world to deliver in
the AIDS response.
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