PHA-Exch> Threat of global AIDS epidemic over. Rejoinder from UNAIDS/WHO

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>
crossposted from: "[health-vn discussion group]" health-vn at cairo.anu.edu.au



Threat of global AIDS epidemic not yet over. Rejoinder from UNAIDS/WHO

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/1269
<http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/1269>

Correction to AIDS Story in The Independent, 8 June 2008

New York, 11 June 2008. We wish to clarify misinterpretations concerning
WHO and UNAIDS' positions on the status of the AIDS epidemic in recent
media articles.

The story in the Independent on Sunday titled: "Threat of world AIDS
pandemic among heterosexuals is over, report admits" contained a few
seriously misleading statements that have led to inferences and
conclusions that bear no relation to the highly complex realities of the
HIV epidemic.

First and foremost, the global HIV epidemic is by no means over. At
the end of 2007, an estimated 33.2 million people were living with
HIV. Some 2.5 million people became newly infected that year, and 2.1
million died of AIDS. AIDS remains the leading cause of death in
Africa.

Worldwide, HIV is still largely driven by heterosexual transmission.
The majority of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa occur through
heterosexual transmission.

We have also seen a number of generalized epidemics outside of
Africa, such as in Haiti and Papua New Guinea.

Heterosexual transmission continues to drive the epidemic among sex
workers, their clients, and their clients' partners.

In addition, prisoners, injecting drug users, as well as men who have
sex with men, may also engage in heterosexual relationships. In sub-
Saharan Africa almost 60% of adults living with HIV were women, 48%
in the Caribbean.

HIV prevention and treatment efforts are showing results. Building on
these successes will require improved outreach to populations most at
risk with evidence-informed approaches based on local HIV
epidemiology — an approach we call "knowing your epidemic."

In all settings, a supportive environment is required, free from
stigma and discrimination, legal barriers or other obstacles that
prevent access to services. AIDS awareness campaigns and school-based
efforts are essential to promote sexual and reproductive health,
ensuring young people have the knowledge and ability to protect
themselves against sexually transmitted diseases, and teenage
pregnancy.

UNAIDS and WHO remain focused on strengthening monitoring of the
epidemic to refine responses further and to recognize changes in
transmission patterns should they occur.

To recap: AIDS remains the leading infectious disease challenge in
global health. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible and misleading.

Dr Kevin M. De Cock
Director
Department of HIV/AIDS
WHO, World Health Organization

Dr Paul De Lay
Director
Department of Evidence, Monitoring and Policy
UNAIDS, Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS
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