Food, nutrition and HIV: whats next?
Food and nutrition security are essential components of an HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategy. This briefing paper outlines the various ways in which food and nutritional security is essential in the HIV and AIDS response. It provides some information on Article 28 in the Declaration of Commitment by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session dedicated to HIV and AIDS (UNGASS) and discusses its implications.
Food and nutritional security can slow the progression of the illness, while adherence to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and its efficacy are significantly influenced by access to adequate food and nutrition. Food is also an important aspect of HIV and AIDS prevention programmes, because a lack of adequate food: forces people, especially women and girls, into high risk situations where they are more likely to be vulnerable to exposure to HIV infection weakens the immune system and generally make a person more susceptible to infections, including HIV increases the likelihood of transmission from mother to baby. (Samuels, F.; Simon, S. / Overseas Development Institute (ODI) , 2006)