World Aids Day from an African perspective
December 1st is an opportunity to celebrate achievement,
remember those we have lost and to renew our commitment in the fight against
HIV/AIDS.
AIDS has claimed thirty million lives, most of them from the global
south. Africa carries the highest burden. Of the 34 million PLHIV in the world,
23.5 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. 15 million
children have been orphaned by the pandemic. Beyond these figures are
human faces, human stories and human sufferings. AIDS is a health and
development crisis for us. It affects whole communities, disrupting systems,
impacting on financial revenues. We all know or hear of children forced to
leave school after a parent has died.
There is hope. With great technological advancements and new research
outcomes, treatment has improved lives significantly, reducing the risks of
both horizontal and vertical transmission. Promising vaccine trials and new prevention
systems are being developed. Recent figures from UNAIDS show the world has
moved a long way, but amidst that optimism we Africans need to remember a lot
still needs to be done. Many of our brothers and sisters living with the
disease are still waiting for treatment, and the stigma associated with AIDS is
a serious infingement of human rights, particularly for women in impoverished
areas. Efforts to increase the availability of condoms have been met with
resistance, while many young Africans continue to indulge in high-risk behaviour.
Even if the number of AIDS related deaths has decreased, sub-Saharan Africa
still accounts for 70% of all people dying from AIDS.
For the last 3 years the theme has been zero new infection, zero discrimination and zero
aids related death. But
the main threat to its achievement in Africa is the dependency of our countries
on foreign aid. A common proverb from Burkina goes like this: ‘sleeping on
someone else’s bed comes to sleeping on the floor’. Yes, African countries
have been sleeping on someone’s else bed for two long. Most of our prevention
and treatment programs have been funded externally but there are strong signs
this aid will no longer be available. Africans need to be very concerned about such
a consequence.
As we celebrate World Aids Day, we plead with our governments to
increase their own resources on
AIDS…..but we also say at individual, community and national level we need to
take action. Africa can achieve these zero objectives but it is imperative we continue to educate, inform,
empower and care TOGETHER.
My zero is to work for
a greater access to affordable and quality treatment for all PLHIV. What is
yours?
Benedicte Kouassi
Chair of the Publications and Communications
Committee, NAYD Steering Group
