30 years since AIDS Pandemic and still counting

Padmini Murthy, MD, Preventive Medicine, 07:08AM Jun 20, 2011

Greetings everyone
Hope you are enjoying the weather and nature's beauty. Unfortunately
it has been 30 years since the world woke up to the harsh reality and
onslaught of HIV/ AIDs and we are still fighting alosing battle on a
few fronts. In spite of the advances in testing and treatment, millions
around the world are suffering and other bearing the consequences of
this deadly virus and its consequences.




In New York there was a high level meeting from June 8- 10
2011 convened by the United Nations General Assembly to address this
issue.
In her first June post your blogger has included some key facts
including the draft resolution submitted by the President of the General
AssemblyPolitical Declaration on HIV/AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts
toEliminate HIV/AIDS on June 8th 2011 on the floor of the General
Assembly.
"A few things to keep in mind:
Health interventions over the past ten years or so have begun to slow
down the spread of HIV. Global rates of new HIV infections have fallen
by nearly 25% between 2001 and 2009. Technological innovations-like the
ability to (inexpensively) prevent the mother to child transmission of
HIV - have contributed to this success. Also, better treatment options
mean that fewer people are dying from AIDS.
The story of AIDS right now is overwhelmingly positive. It turns out that as a species, we can come together for the global good to fight our common enemies.
UPDATE: Efforts to prevent mother to child HIV transmission just got a nice boost. From the State Department:
U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby pledged an
additional
$75 million for preventing mother-to-child transmission during the 2011
High Level Meeting on AIDS. World leaders gathered in New York at the
June 8-10 event committed to a global action plan that will make
significant strides towards eliminating new HIV infections among
children by 2015 and keeping HIV infected mothers alive.
Nearly every minute, a baby is born with HIV. A child dies of AIDS
every two minutes and one of every five maternal deaths in Africa is
HIV-related.
Neither technical or scientific barriers stand in the way of
eliminating pediatric AIDS worldwide. Pediatric HIV was virtually
eliminated, with fewer than 150 new cases per year, in the United States
and Europe more than a decade ago.
The world has made incredible progress in closing the gap in
developing countries thanks in great part to the commitment of the
American people. In fiscal year 2010, the U.S. President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs focused on preventing
mother-to-child-transmission directly supported services that led to
more than 114,000 children estimated to have been born free of HIV.
The key elements of the global action plan include:
* All women, especially pregnant women, have access to quality
life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services- for themselves and their children.
* The rights of women living with HIV are respected and that
women,
their families and communities are empowered to fully engage in
ensuring their own health- especially the health of their children.
* Adequate resources- human and financial- are available from
both national and international sources in a timely and predictable
manner while acknowledging that success is a shared responsibility.
* HIV, maternal health, newborn and child health, and family
planning programs work together, deliver quality results and lead to
improved health outcomes.
* Communities, in particular women living with HIV, are
enabled and empowered to support women and their families to access the
HIV prevention, treatment and care that they need.
* National and global leaders act in concert to support country
driven efforts and are held accountable for delivering results.
The global action plan includes a detailed timetable for action at
community,
national, regional and global levels to ensure rapid progress towards
elimination of new HIV infections in children by 2015 and keeping HIV
positive mothers alive.
In addition to this week's U.S. contribution for the prevention of
mother-to-child
HIV transmission the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $40
million, Johnson & Johnson added $15 million, and Chevron committed
$20 million." ( Source: Voice of America, June , 2011)
Please see the link below for the UN Resolution on HIV/ AIDs submitted to the GA
Sixty-fifth session Agenda item 10
Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on
HIV/AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS