21st World AIDS Day

21^st World AIDS Day

Ashley Mwanza

This year marks the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day. I have taken time off studying for my final exams to reflect on this day. For the past 21 years, people all over the world have used this day to educate, learn, remember and think about and put the focus of the global community for just one day on HIV and AIDS. Tuesday 1^st December 2009 is no exception. First observed in 1988, World AIDS Day was initiated by health ministers from around the world who called for a spirit of social tolerance and a greater awareness of HIV/AIDS on an international scale.

Amongst erstwhile things, World AIDS Day focuses on eradicating prejudice and fear surrounding the disease. Many myths exist about the transmission and infection of AIDS, and organizations worldwide are working to further educate the public about ways of dealing with the disease. It is of great importance that those affected by AIDS are empowered to speak out without fear of discrimination, and that those who are faced with AIDS can seek medical care without having to worry about public perception.

The global theme for 2009 and 2010 World AIDS Day is "Universal Access and Human Rights" chosen by The World AIDS Campaign. This theme encourages us to deepen understanding, develop partnerships and challenge discriminatory laws, policies and practices that stand in the way of access for all to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

The entire world finds itself in the vice-like grip of the most devastating disease ever recorded in the long and enduring history of mankind. Since the first clinical evidence of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was reported twenty years ago, an unprecedented 60 million people worldwide have become infected with the deadly virus. At this very juncture, an estimated 40 million people from every place on planet earth, every ethnic origin, every religious culture, and every stratum of society are living with HIV/AIDS.

Under the worldwide slogan "Universal Access and Human Rights", people will come together at star-studded fundraising events, silent candlelight vigils, noisy parties, memorial services, concerts, art shows and plays or at thought provoking public speeches or will be reminded of HIV/AIDS by volunteers asking for donations in the streets, by TV documentaries, Safer Sex and abstinence ads or people wearing the red ribbon on their lapel. In some places it will just be any usual day and go by unnoticed, how sad.

"By all accounts we are dealing with the greatest health crisis in human history. By all measures, we have failed in our quest to contain and treat this scourge. Why have we failed? In the end, it boils down to one inescapable fact. We have failed to translate our scientific progress into action where it is most needed, in the communities of the developing world. This is a global injustice which cannot be tolerated. It is a travesty of human rights." - Nelson Mandela

Today, AIDS kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease and is the fourth largest overall killer in Africa. In fact, it is said that approximately 5 people die of AIDS every minute around the globe. That's approximately 8000 lives lost each day, the grim reality.

The red ribbon is a symbol of awareness and support for those affected by AIDS. On December 1, show your solidarity in the fight against AIDS by pinning a red ribbon to your clothes. Adapting the words from a speech of then Senator Barack Obama on World AIDS day in 2006, he said that, Corinthians says that we are all of one spirit, and that “if one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” But it also says, “if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.” He went on to say, “on this World AIDS day, it is the stories of overcoming, and not just illness, that the world needs to hear. Yes, the stories of sadness call us to suffer with the sick.” And these sentiments could not have been summed up better by Hlengiwe Leocardia Mchunu (South African) who said (in 2006) “I don't know whether we will win this war, but I'm looking for people who will stand up and face the reality. The time for sitting silently has come to an end.”

According to the UN report issued this month (November) the number of people with AIDS infections is 33 million. But because the world has a larger population in 2009, the rate of total infection decreased. Even better news, the rate of new AIDS infections has fallen by 17%. However, the UN report states that, less than half of the world’s population who need drugs are getting them. The report correctly cited Africa as the hotbed of new AIDS cases in the world. The report continues to argue for more resources in Africa to fight AIDS, something that would undoubtedly help but is only half of the issue on the vast continent.

Hence the numbers nonetheless show the epidemic is overwhelming and that efforts to fight HIV must still be stepped up, said officials at the UN agency. It remains extremely difficult to gather precise data on AIDS and HIV in emerging countries and in the developing world especially Africa. One conflict in Africa that has taken a long time to get appropriate media attention, with regards to its severity, is that of the conflict of ordinary African people against HIV and AIDS. People talk of AIDS in Africa, but Africa is a diverse continent, and different regions have been attempting to tackle AIDS in different ways, some with positive effect, while others seemingly making little progress.

Despite the gloom, I believe we can all make a difference in the response to HIV and AIDS. If the same energy and zeal we have to restore the financial world, tackle terrorism, end the nuclear programs, was turned into fervour, and unity towards the pandemic then we could be placed into learning to respect and live together, most of the world’s problems could be addressed, life would NOT be any less exciting, and we could spend our time enjoying the rich diversity of culture and nature this fine and relatively forgiving (but currently stressed) Mother Earth provides us.

Of course part of that would require world leaders (political and religious) who actually had an interest in improving the welfare of their people, rather than their own self-interests, and another part would require elevating nations to the status of equals around the globe. Forgive the soapbox soliloquy. I just can’t help myself sometimes, but let’s get back to the facts…

This year’s commemoration falls on the backdrop of the global economic crisis. What a sad commentary this is at a time when we as human beings should know better and could fix the problems if we spent as much time worrying about humanity as we did for the sake of bonuses, prestige, of oil, superiority etc. We have a long way to go but surely we can make that change towards a better world for all.

One of the areas of focus are the travel restrictions imposed on HIV-positive people entering a country for the short or long-term. International AIDS Conference organizers and many officials at the event in Mexico city in 2008 condemned these policies as discriminatory and shameful. Participants were left with much to focus on until the next conference, which takes place in Vienna in 2010. The US has moved to lift that ban, will China, Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Yemen etc. move in the same direction? Obama announced the repeal of the travel ban, describing the 22-year-old policy as a “decision rooted in fear rather than fact.”

I support that notion and the UNAIDS International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights state that any restriction on liberty of movement or choice of residence based on suspected or real HIV status alone, including HIV screening of international travellers, is discriminatory. Governments usually give two main reasons for imposing travel restrictions on HIV-positive people: to help control the spread of HIV, and save host countries the cost of HIV-related treatment, but these regulations merely drive the problem of HIV underground. People fear to reveal their status when travelling. It is better to be with someone who feels free to be open about their status than one who is hiding it. That way we can all fight AIDS as partners.

In closing I would like to quote the message from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) for World AIDS Day 2009,

The pandemic gravely compromises development and justice. The global recession and economic downturn have a detrimental impact on our brothers and sisters infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Climbing prices of food and other basic necessities are hampering progress of treatment, because people cannot afford the food essential to support their medication. Further, increased hunger and desperation are making people resort to sex as a means of survival. So any response that attempts to tackle HIV and AIDS in isolation is doomed to fail. ...For the tide to turn, the impact of all contributing factors must be recognised and tackled holistically: wars; fragile or failing states; inequality between men and women; the ravages of climate change and many more. All these make the poor even poorer, more dispossessed, more vulnerable to HIV and, if infected, more likely to develop AIDS.”

Let us not forget that World AIDS day is OUR day. Make no mistake, what we do about HIV/AIDS in the world or what we don’t do, will influence not only our own nations but relations among nations around the world for generations to come. This is a most crucial time for us. When historians write about HIV/AIDS, when they write about this period in time, they will ask – “Where were the leaders of the World?” If we do not want to stand condemned at that time, we must act, we must work together and we must do it now. We are all leaders in one way or the other, let us lead.

God Bless Africa and the World.