ELECTORNIC BULLETIN OF THE SWISS PLATFORM ON HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

August 2013

Dear Reader,

In the year 2011, approximately half of all new cases of HIV infection worldwide affected children and youth under 25. What an alarmingly high number! Yet, there should be no more HIV- positive children today, because – with the appropriate treatment – it is possible to reduce the risk of mother-to-child-transmission of the virus at birth or during breastfeeding to almost zero. Hence, due to global efforts the number of newly infected children dropped from 550‘000 in the year 2001 to 330‘000 in 2011 worldwide.

But the fact remains that today an estimated 3,3 million children under 14 and 5 million young people between 15 and 24 are living with HIV. When reaching puberty, many children do not know why they have to go to the clinic for check-ups so often and why they have to take several pills a day. It is a quite difficult task to tell and inform them about their HIV status requiring a great deal of sensitivity – that many shy away from. “Parents, caregivers, and health workers who avoid telling children about their HIV status can do a lot of harm, unwittingly”, sayd Juliane Kippenberg, human rights expert working for Human Rights Watch. “They can shatter a child’s emotional and physical health and carry stigma about HIV to the next generation.”

There are virtually no child- and youth-friendly counselling and testing services. Only 28% of all children worldwide requiring treatment have access to a therapy; in 25 African countries, the rate is even less than 25%. As the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t consider poor children to be a highly profitable market, there are only a few age-appropriate anti-retroviral drugs. Looking at research, the voices and special needs of HIV-positive children are almost non-existent.

The partner organisations of the aidsfocus.ch platform have initiated many approaches together with their partners in the respective countries. Among others, they undertake endeavours to talk about AIDS and sexuality, to integrate youth-friendly information and sexual health education into the school curriculum, to set up appropriate child- and youth-friendly counselling and testing services as well as to offer age-appropriate treatment options and psycho-social support boosting their self-esteem and empowering them to live a healthy, positive life. Their commitment for and with HIV-positive children represents a strategically important contribution to realising our vision of a future without AIDS.

Helena Zweifel Ececutive Director of Medicus Mundi Switzerland Coordinator of aidsfocus.ch http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Harare, 22 July 2013 - With two new projects, Newlands Clinic is seeking to provide better support for HIV-positive children and adolescents. The “Early Intervention Programme” is aimed at babies and toddlers who have motor and cognitive developmental delays associated with HIV. The second project is aimed at providing psychosocial support to help young people going through the difficult phase of puberty. Children and adolescents make up around a quarter of the patients at Newlands Clinic. Many of them are AIDS orphans and live in abject poverty. Added to this, they are weakened by the HIV infection since the virus damages all organ systems. The two new projects are designed to provide specific support in these cases. (22 July 2013)

http://www.swissaidscare.ch

“The adverse effects of the HIV and AIDS pandemic which has witnessed a growing number of households being left orphaned and child headed… The work of Humuliza has over the years given impetus to the winds of change blowing over our rural landscape through the availing of platforms where young people meet to exchange and debate on critical issues regarding child centred community development... The constant dialogue amongst ourselves and with community leaders has over the years pushed our interests, concerns, rights and expectations higher up the community agenda...” (by Thabisani Ncube, terre des hommes schweiz, MMS Bulletin 129, August 2013)

http://www.medicusmundi.ch

Since the start of the global AIDS response, HIV-positive children and adolescents have consistently been omitted from the research agenda and thus have not been included in the implementation of effective interventions. Children and adolescents face unique barriers to uptake of prevention, testing, and treatment. Children have to access testing through an adult caregiver, and in many countries legal barriers make it difficult for adolescents to get tests on their own. Fewer than one in three HIV-exposed infants benefits from early infant diagnosis. (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, August 2013)

http://www.thelancet.com

For the first time, this report presents data on HIV infections among young people and highlights the risks adolescents face as they transition to adulthood. Every day, an estimated 2500 young people are newly infected with HIV. Early adolescence is a window of opportunity to intervene, before most youth become sexually active and harmful gender and social norms that elevate the risk of HIV infection are established. Certain high-risk behaviours – such as early sexual debut, pregnancy and drug use – are all signs of things going wrong in the environment of the young adolescent, and may be associated with violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. (June 2011)

http://www.unicef.org

Children have the right to age-appropriate information about their HIV status and should not be the last to find out that they are HIV-positive. Human Rights Watch research in Kenya shows the disastrous effects of poor disclosure policies. Children who do not know they are HIV-positive may be less likely to take their medication regularly, which can lead to drug resistance and death. Children who belatedly find out that they are HIV-infected may be more likely to internalize stigma and feel betrayed by those who hide their status. If adults withhold such important information for years, children may sense a problem and live in great anxiety. (2010)

http://www.hrw.org

Lilongwe, 19 August 2013 - Several leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), speaking at the organisation's weekend summit in Lilongwe, called on member states to adopt the principle of universal testing for HIV, rather than leaving it up to each citizen to decide whether to take an HIV test or not. Robert Mugabe and Joseph Kabila, and the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, argued that the AIDS pandemic is such a serious public health threat, that it is no longer an option to allow people to decide for themselves whether they will be tested, and whether they will be treated if they turn out to be HIV-positive.

http://allafrica.com

1. August 2013 - The International Journal of MCH and AIDS (IJMA), a global health journal provides a platform through which researchers, as well as program and policy makers, can learn about the various factors that contribute to the health and well-being of mothers, infants and children, and the entire family and how the HIV/AIDS is decimating the gains in those sectors. The journal focuses on empirical findings from around the world. Papers from developing as well as developed countries, exploring international, national, and local levels are welcome.

http://www.mchandaids.org

Geneva, 13 August 2013 - UNAIDS is seeking examples of initiatives, programmes or processes for adolescents and youth that effectively prevent new HIV infections, increase demand for and access to HIV treatment, care and support services for adolescents and youth living with HIV, create enabling social and legal environments for adolescents and youth in the HIV response, and engage youth in decision-making on programmes and policies that affect their lives. UNAIDS will use these submissions to inform the Thematic Segment on HIV, adolescents and youth at the 33rd Meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), 17-19 December 2013. DEADLINE: 31 August 2013

http://www.aidsfocus.ch
http://www.unaids.org

1. August 2013 - A five year research project that looked into the cost, quality, health benefits and stigma reduction with integrated HIV and sexual and reproductive health service delivery in Africa shows that there are benefits to integration. The Integra Initiative supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has built a solid evidence base to inform effective global approaches. The research findings demonstrate that there are benefits to using integrated models of service delivery. For example there is evidence to support integration of HIV counselling and testing into mainstream family planning and maternal health services.

http://ippf.org

Geneva, 5 August 2013 - The Medicines Patent Pool and Roche signed an agreement to increase access in developing countries to valganciclovir, a key easy-to-take oral medicine to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV), a viral infection that can cause blindness in people living with HIV. The agreement will significantly improve access to Roche’s valganciclovir for people living with HIV in 138 developing countries by making it up to 90% cheaper than current prices. As a second step, the Medicines Patent Pool and Roche will also enter into licensing and technology transfer negotiations to encourage the development of internationally approved quality generic versions of valganciclovir.

http://www.medicinespatentpool.org

London, 18 July 2013 - “In failing to act we remain in collusion with the perpetrators of violence” This was the message that brought together 45 members of the UK Consortium. The meeting discussed the issue of gender based violence (GBV) and HIV. Eight speakers shared knowledge and experiences of the link between GBV and HIV as well as programming that seeks to challenge and overcome violence. A fact sheet on violence against women and HIV was also released. It explores how violence against women and girls increases vulnerability to HIV, and interventions to address violence.

http://aidsconsortium.org.uk
http://www.aidsfocus.ch

1. juillet 2013 - Eric Lembembe était directeur exécutif de la Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS) (Fondation camerounaise pour le sida) et fervent militant pour les droits des personnes lesbiennes, gays, bisexuelles, transgenres et intersexuées (LGBTI). L’assassinat d’Eric Lembembe a eu lieu après une série d’agressions contre les défenseur-ses des droits humains militants de la cause LGBTI au Cameroun. En mars 2013, Human Rights Watch a publié un rapport conjoint sur les exactions perpétrées contre les personnes accusées de conduite homosexuelle au Cameroun.

http://www.frontlinedefenders.org

Nominations for the 2014 David Kato Vision & Voice Award are now open. The award celebrates the life of Ugandan human rights activist David Kato, who was found murdered in Kampala in 2011. The award is offered once a year to an inspirational individual who demonstrates courage and outstanding leadership in advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights. The award provides the recipient with a one-time grant of $10,000 to support their work. All nominations must the submitted by 20 September 2013.

http://www.visionandvoiceaward.com

Bangkok, 5 July 2013 - Southeast Asia is slowly embracing harm reduction in an effort to curb illicit drug use and HIV/AIDS, but huge obstacles remain, experts say. Almost all countries in the region now have some form of harm reduction, a strategy to prevent dangers associated with drug use. However, many programmes lack government funding, are ill-equipped to meet demand, or fail to comply with UN standards. At the same time, national drug policies encourage law enforcement to criminalize drug users, with police known to receive cash bonuses for drug-related arrests, say experts. (IRIN Analysis)

http://www.irinnews.org

The new framework launched by the United Nations seeks to give 15 million people with HIV/AIDS access to antiretroviral treatment by the year 2015. The framework offers countries and partners practical and innovative ways to increase the number of people accessing antiretroviral medicines that will enable those living with HIV to live healthier lives, as well as help prevent new infections. The new strategy outlines three pillars essential to reaching the 2015 target which consist of: increasing demand for HIV testing and treatment services; mobilizing resources and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of spending, and ensuring more people have access to antiretroviral therapy. (13 July 2013)

http://www.un.org
http://www.unaids.org

More information about groups vulnerable to HIV infection during emergencies - “most at-risk populations” (MARPs) - is needed to improve humanitarian HIV programming. In tense situations where everyone is watching everyone else to see what other people get their hands on, social stigma and stratification are intensified and MARPs may experience heightened versions of whatever forces were marginalizing them to begin with. As unmarried men without children, MSM have not been considered a priority for food aid, shelter or any other kind of assistance in several emergency programmes that typically identify women and children as the most vulnerable. (IRIN, August 2013)

http://www.irinnews.org

A report launched at the Special Summit of the African Union on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria highlights increased, targeted health spending as an essential foundation to greater economic growth and development in Africa. The report reviews progress made since the 2001 Abuja Declaration — in which leaders pledged to mobilize domestic and international resources for health and remove barriers to the AIDS response — highlights five main recommendations: unifying leadership, generating innovative financing, making smarter investments in health, strengthening human resources and ensuring no one is left behind. (July 2013)

http://www.unaids.org
http://www.unaids.org

Basel, 13 August 2013 - Like many other actors in global health, the Medicus Mundi International Network (MMI) is overwhelmed by the attention given to the concept of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the last two years, mainly by the World Health Organization and related to the debate on health in the post-2015 development agenda. The MMI Network followed this debate with great interest, as the “UHC hype” brought health systems strengthening back to the top of the global health agenda. The discussion paper presents key elements of the concept of UHC and reflects them based on our own ambition of Health for All.

http://www.medicusmundi.org

Bern| MMS Round Table: Seit geraumer Zeit und jüngst mit dem Weltgesundheitsbericht engagiert sich die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) für Universal Health Coverage als umfassendes Konzept, um die Gesundheitsversorgung und deren Finanzierung weltweit sicher zu stellen. Es wird bereits überschwänglich als Konzept gelobt, das den Basisgesundheitsansatz von Alma Ata weiterführen, respektive überwinden könne. Am MMS Round Table machen sich die TeilnehmerInnen mit dem Universal Health Coverage Konzept vertraut und setzen sich kritisch damit auseinander.

http://www.medicusmundi.ch

Bâle | Comment la politique de la santé doit-elle être façonnée au niveau mondial pour assurer la santé même des populations les plus pauvres des pays en voie de développement ? C'est entre autres l’un des points qui est discuté dans le cadre du débat international sur les nouveaux objectifs de développement pour la période d'après 2015. L'organisation mondiale de la santé fait de la propagande pour la couverture sanitaire universelle en tant que moyen pour rendre la santé accessible et finançable pour tous. Les participants et participantes de la conférence vont discuter d'un œil critique du nouvel agenda de politique de développement.

http://www.medicusmundi.ch

Partner organisations: AIDS & Child, Caritas Switzerland, CO-OPERAID, Déclaration de Berne, FEPA, Fédération Genevoise de Coopération, Gemeinschaft St. Anna-Schwestern, IAMANEH Switzerland, Kindernothilfe Schweiz, Kwa Wazee, medico international Switzerland, mediCuba-Suisse, missio, mission21, SolidarMed, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Aids Federation, Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, Swiss Catholic Women’s League, Swiss MIVA, Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), Tear Fund, Terre des hommes Foundation, terre des hommes schweiz, and World Vision Switzerland.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch