World AIDS Day 2009

On World AIDS Day, our friends at Blood:Water Mission—an organization that works to creatively and thoughtfully raise awareness and funds for the HIV/AIDS and water crises (including some fantastic work earlier this year around the Water for the World Act)—unveiled a brand new website.

Check out the site today and read stories from Africa, watch the video on the homepage, even learn how to start your own campaign (including “Water Walks” and the Ride:Well Tour). And don’t forget to share it with others!

UNICEF recently issued their fourth stocktaking report examining the devastating impact that the AIDS epidemic has on children. The report, which focuses a lot on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, underscores the urgency in “establishing early infant diagnosis and preventing HIV transmission to babies.”

You can read the full report here, and watch UNICEF’s video report here:

On World AIDS Day, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) launched its Five-Year Strategy, outlining the direction of the program for its next phase. The strategy takes into account lessons learned in the first five years of the program, increases commitments around service delivery, and further emphasizes sustainability.

Specifically, PEPFAR’s next phase will:

1. Transition from an emergency response to promotion of sustainable country programs.
2. Strengthen partner government capacity to lead the response to this epidemic and other health demands.
3. Expand prevention, care, and treatment in both concentrated and generalized epidemics.
4. Integrate and coordinate HIV/AIDS programs with broader global health and development programs to maximize impact on health systems.
5. Invest in innovation and operations research to evaluate impact, improve service delivery and maximize outcomes.

New program targets were also announced around prevention (support the prevention of 12 million new HIV infections, double the number of at-risk babies born HIV-free), care and support and treatment (provide direct support for more than 4 million people on treatment, support care for more than 12 million people), and sustainability (support training and retention of more than 140,000 new health care workers to strengthen health systems).

Forthcoming annexes will provide further information about specific areas within the strategy.

Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, just participated in a town hall-style session with the Kaiser Family Foundation to discuss PEPFAR’s new five-year strategy earlier today. You can view the webcast here.

Here’s a partner post from Compassion International, another entry in our World AIDS Day blog series. The post below is one of their “Stories of Hope.” Read the rest of these tales here. And don’t forget to check out their brand new AIDS website, too!

It’s early in the morning in Ethiopia, and Bekelesh and Ato sit in the front yard of the home they share with their two daughters. The house is small, with only a bed and a bench made from dry wood in its single room. A curtain hangs around the bed to provide a bit of privacy. Although the house is small, the love that fills it can’t be contained.

When Bekelesh and Ato first married, their only enemy was poverty. As the family grew, their two daughters filled their home with giggles and joy. When they enrolled their oldest daughter, Simagne, in Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, Bekelesh and Ato felt their family would finally have a future.

“It was 12 years ago that we got married,” Ato says. “Back then … we were hale and hearty. We used to look like colorful fish swimming in the warm pond of life and love. Yes, if you have love you feel as if you have everything in this world and the world to come. We used to love each other as we still do, but HIV …,” his voice trails off. In November of 2005, during a voluntary counseling and testing campaign conducted by a local Compassion project, Bekelesh and Ato learned that they were both HIV-positive.

Although a diagnosis of AIDS is always devastating, families in poverty have no chance for medical care — making the disease even more burdensome for them. Without medical intervention, death comes quickly for AIDS victims, and often there is little time to prepare children for the devastating loss of their parents.

But thanks to the support and care they receive through Compassion’s AIDS Initiative, Bekelesh and Ato are living their life instead of contemplating their death. “Living with HIV doesn’t mean dying tomorrow and/or soon afterwards,” Ato says. “You can live a long life as long as you strictly follow the advice you receive from your counselors.”

In the poorest countries in Africa, many parents do not receive lifesaving care and treatment like Ato and Bekelesh have. Although nothing can take away the fears of a parent with a terminal disease, families in the Compassion program know that their children will be cared for even after they are gone. “Now, even if we die, our children will not be left [as poor orphans]. God, using Compassion, will continue to minister to our daughters’ needs, and they will [each] become somebody in the future.”

-Brandy Campbell, Feature Writing Specialist, Compassion International

Here’s a partner post from Friends of the Global Fight for our World AIDS Day series. The photos are courtesy of the Global Fund/Guy Stubbs and John Rae.

Perhaps one of the most exciting milestones that was celebrated this World AIDS Day was the extraordinary progress made in ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV. In 2004, only 10% of women and their unborn children globally were covered by prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services. In 2008, that number had gone up to 45%. This increase in just the past four years is remarkable not only in terms of statistics, but in terms of stories, as well.

Awetash lives in Ethiopia. She is HIV-positive, but thanks to a Global Fund-financed program delivering prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services, Awetash’s three year-old daughter, Tigst, was born HIV-free. In Nigeria, Mulikat—who is HIV-positive—also delivered a son who was free of the disease. Around the world, PMTCT services are becoming increasingly common. The Global Fund alone has provided 790,000 doses of medication to prevent transmission over the past six years, offering health and hope to newborns and their moms across the globe.

What’s truly exciting is that with continued investments in global health, mother-to-child transmission of HIV can be nearly eliminated by 2015. No mother anywhere will have to fear passing on the disease to her baby.

While the Global Fund and others have made tremendous progress in the fight against AIDS, there is much still to be done. PMTCT is a critical first step, but more people still need prevention services. Others await treatment. Fully funding the Global Fund is essential not only to saving lives, but also to helping low- and middle-income countries create healthier and more productive populations.

To learn more about what you can do to support the Global Fund, click here.

-Natasha Bilimoria, President, Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Check out this partner post from World Vision, another entry in our World AIDS Day blog series.

When I served in the Peace Corps in West Africa a few years ago, I saw HIV/AIDS and its effects firsthand. I saw children who were orphaned from the disease, met people who were sick, knew adults and children who died. I saw the devastating impact of AIDS on a community.

Upon returning to the U.S., I began to work with World Vision’s college advocacy network, World Vision ACT:S. We seek to mobilize a generation to respond to injustices, particularly AIDS, malaria, hunger, and child slavery. I see the passion and idealism of college students. I’ve seen how a small group of committed people can mobilize to make a difference.

I’ve also seen how much competes for our attention today, and understandably so. Health care, the war in Afghanistan, the economic crisis, swine flu, climate change… the list goes on. The AIDS crisis can seem like old news. I’m ashamed to admit that I struggle to remain focused sometimes, even after seeing the effects of AIDS day by day for two years while in the Peace Corps.

World AIDS Day is a time to rejuvenate our commitment to respond to AIDS. We’ve made great strides to combat this pandemic, but we must respond to the challenges ahead.

Now more than ever we must rally around those who are affected by HIV/AIDS around the world. This year, we want to draw special attention to mass of invisible victims whose voices are not being heard–the 2 million children under age 15 who are living with HIV. Most of these children contracted the disease while in the womb, during birth, or while breastfeeding.

Mother-to-child transmission is preventable. Let’s join together to help their voices be heard. We’re rallying together this week to call our senators to ask them to keep their promise in the fight against global AIDS.

It’s simple. You just need 10 minutes, an Internet connection, and a phone. Go to our website and click “Make the call.” You’ll get the phone numbers and call script you need. One phone call is worth several hundred petition signatures. Just ten phone calls can make a significant impact.

Watch this video by Princess Kasune Zulu, talking about why we should advocate for AIDS:

This post comes to us from Hilary Shelton, Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau / Vice President for Advocacy:

HIV / AIDS has affected all of us. Being a child in the 60’s and 70’s, I often liken the struggle against HIV /AIDS to the Vietnam War: For almost everyone in my generation, we all knew and probably loved someone who served or tragically lost their lives serving our Nation in Southeast Asia. Likewise, today almost everyone, regardless of where they live or what race or ethnicity they might be, knows at least one person who is struggling with or who has lost their battle with AIDS.

To honor those who have fought or are fighting HIV / AIDS firsthand, we must each do all we can to stop the spread of AIDS, and work towards its eradication. On a personal level, we should be mindful of our behavior and we should get tested. On a larger scale, we should urge all of the governments on the globe, including governments in the Americas, Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, and others to fully use every armament in their arsenal to aggressively fight the battle against the spread of HIV / AIDS and support research to find a cure. Whether it is condom distribution, urging companies to provide free or low-price medicines to those already infected, provide basic education to their population, or the full funding of syringe exchange programs, governments must do more for their people.

Here in the United States, for more than two decades, our country has been fighting the AIDS epidemic with one hand tied behind our back. Finally, in an effort to dramatically improve our government’s response to the HIV / AIDS epidemic, Congress may lift the ban on federal funding for Syringe Exchange Programs, (SEPs). Sadly, it may also impose near-draconian limitations on SEPs that will defeat many of the gains made by the repeal.

The “1,000-foot rule” puts ideology ahead of science and limits local authorities’ ability to create “common sense” effective programs. The CDC, the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization concur that needle-exchange programs reduce the spread of HIV without increasing illegal drug use.

The NAACP is calling on Members of Congress to lift the federal ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange programs and not to impose the unworkable and short-sighted “1000-foot rule”.

As an organization dedicated to social justice and equity, the NAACP is very concerned that HIV/AIDS continues to be a serious health challenge, particularly among African Americans. Although we comprise 12.7% of the U.S. population African Americans are 45% of the 56,300 people who are newly infected with HIV each year, 50% of those living with AIDS and 50% of those who die from AIDS each year. Injection drug use is one of the most common methods of HIV transmission among both Black men and women. Cumulatively, up to 40% of reported AIDS cases among Black males and 47% of reported AIDS cases among Black females are attributed directly to injection drug use or having sex with a partner who is an injection drug user.

If this country is serious about ending the AIDS epidemic, we must use all of the tools available to us. Syringe exchange works, but not with the newly proposed restrictions.

Congress must provide local officials the resources to address their HIV epidemics, strike the ban on federal funding and reject the 1,000-foot rule. We can and must do better.

Today, the Global Health Council hosted a panel discussion on gender, HIV, and why women matter in regard to the disease. In many areas of the world, women and girls are disproportionately affected by the pandemic as they face barriers to prevention, treatment, and care. Three distinguished activists in the fight against HIV/AIDS presented reasons for why such gender inequality exists, and how changes can be made to more effectively treat infected women, mothers, and children.

First to speak was Katherine Fritz of the International Center for Research on Women. Her statements were hopeful, alluding to the encouraging fact that the AIDS death rate has decreased by 17% since 2001. “The tide has turned and we are swimming with the current,” she said in reference to incorporating women’s issues into the greater conversation on AIDS treatment and prevention. While progress has been made, she reminded the audience that many factors, including biological susceptibility, social vulnerability, economic dependency, and a lack of female controlled prevention continue to put women at a disproportionate risk for contracting the virus.

Dr. Lulu Oguda, Senior Medical Officer at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and Heather Boonstra from the Guttmacher Institute contributed to the discussion on HIV and gender by stressing the importance of integration in the medical field, saying that it is imperative that HIV positive, expectant mothers get the treatment they need to prevent transmission of the disease to their children. Unfortunately, many clinics in rural Africa are specialized to deal with only certain aspects of HIV prevention and care. With some clinics providing ART treatments for women and others providing natal and post-natal medication to prevent mother to child infection, it is nearly impossible for an HIV positive, pregnant woman to move from clinic to clinic simply to get the range of treatments she needs, for herself and for her baby.

While providing care for HIV positive women and preventing mother to child transmission continues to present many challenges, it is clear that much that can be done in the future. Treating AIDS as a chronic illness much like diabetes, instead of an emergency issue, will allow patients to take responsibility for their own care. Including comprehensive treatments and integrated services into existing health structures will also make it easier for women to help prevent the transmission of HIV and help the world make strides in eradicating the disease.

Last week, I was lucky enough to chat with Fran Priddy, a senior director of medical affairs at International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). She filled me in on their organization, and all that the work that they’re up to these days—just in time for our World AIDS Day blog series.

Tell me a bit about IAVI?

Our name stands for International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. We were founded about 13 years ago to help accelerate the development of a preventive AIDS vaccine. I think our mission really describes us well: ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. We work on every aspect of HIV vaccine development, from work in the lab developing new AIDS vaccine candidates for testing to work with the communities to then test the AIDS vaccine candidates.

What’s a typical day like there?

It really depends on what your role is and where you are based. If you’re a nurse in India, you could be giving a vaccine to a trial participant. If you’re a nurse in South Africa, you could be drawing the blood of a trial participant to see what kind of immune responses the vaccine elicited. In East Africa, a clinician could be administering an HIV test for someone who wants to participate in an epidemiology study. In New York, a scientist could be studying blood samples from HIV positive people to look for clues on how to control the virus.

How do you decide where to test for the vaccine?

We usually look for partners that have a solid background in research—universities, medical labs—and in places where we know the epidemic is severe. There has to be community acceptance and desire to do the research, too. So far, we’ve worked in places from Zambia and South Africa to East Africa to India.

Have you been on the ground to see IAVI’s work in action?

I see our impact the most when I visit our partners who are conducting studies. Each research center has a Community Advisory Board (CAB). It’s made up of people from all parts of the community—people who have HIV and want to protect their families, people who participated in trials before, the clergy, mothers and fathers. They make sure the community has a voice and that their concerns are heard. It’s a great experience because you really get to see how HIV has affected each one of them. It’s a big commitment—but they want this to work and they want the research to advance.

Did anyone’s story really stick with you?

I met one CAB member who was a young woman—probably in her early twenties—and just a regular member of the community. She was HIV-infected and had a family. (more…)

Yesterday we posted a great column by Susan Smith Ellis, CEO of our sister organization (RED), commemorating World AIDS Day. But there were plenty of other notable people spreading the word about (RED) in the press. Here’s a recap:

June Ambrose: (RED) is Hot (Stylelist)

Maxwell: Walk in AIDS patients’ shoes (CNN.com)

Kelly Rutherford: Caught Caring (Celebrity Baby Blog)

John Legend: The Good News on AIDS (The Daily Beast)

Bruce Mau: Seeing (RED) for Joy and Hope (Advertising Age)

James Frey: Guest Blog: James Frey shares his devastation over losing his son (Strollerderby)