THE ELECTRONIC BULLETIN OF THE SWISS PLATFORM FOR HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

June 2010

While the whole world discusses the FIFA World Cup and speculated who might beat whom and who will finally win, the South African AIDS Organisation ‘Treatment Action Campaign’ comes up with a slightly other kind of ranking list comparing how different countries deal with HIV.

Brazil is in the lead! Brazil has an HIV-prevalence of 0,6 per cent. 80 per cent of the HIV-positive Brazilians who need treatment do have access to antiretroviral therapies. 70 per cent of the HIV-positive pregnant women have good chances to give birth to a healthy child as they receive retroviral therapy all through pregnancy, birth and lactation.

Botswana scores as well. Despite, or much rather, just because Botswana has a very high prevalence of 23,9 per cent, 79 per cent of the HIV-positive people who need treatment do have access to adequate therapy. Even 95 per cent of the HIV-positive pregnant women are treated in order to avoid the transmission of the HI-virus to the child.

Yet, the World Cup host country South Africa drops off slightly when it comes to accessing access to antiretroviral treatment: With an HIV-prevalence of 18,1 per cent, only 28 per cent of the people living with HIV and AIDS have access to the necessary treatment and care. On a more positive note, 79 per cent is coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission. (Equal Treatment, June 2010, p. 8-9)

The challenges remain – also after the last World Cup game has been plaid. Despite the fact that South Africa today owns the largest state-run antiretroviral therapy programme people are still turned away from clinics because there are not enough doctors or nursing staff or drugs. There is still a lot to do in order for HIV-positive people to live a life to the fullest.

Helena Zweifel Executive Director Medicus Mundi Switzerland Coordinator aidsfocus.ch

“Treasure memories” is the name of the exhibition booth of aidsfocus.ch in the Global village during the International AIDS Conference taking place in Vienna 18 – 24 July 2010. The exhibition booth at the global village offers a great opportunity to open the forum for networking, sharing and joint learning focused on memory work, but open for other issues related to HIV and AIDS. The re-newed toolkit “Treasure Memories” by aidsfocus.ch and terre des hommes schweiz is enriched with a solution focused approach to memory work and will be launched at AIDS 2010.

http://www.aids2010.org

Geneva, 23 June 2010 - UNAIDS governing body, the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) is holding its 26th Board meeting from 22-24 June 2010 in Geneva. UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé addressed the Board on 23 June giving an overview of progress in last six months by the Secretariat, partners and Cosponsors. The UNAIDS Annual Report 2009 was also shared with the Board members. In his speech, Mr Sidibé laid out a “reinvigorated mission” for the Joint Programme. Mr Sidibé also identified five challenges for UNAIDS and described approaches for a more focussed UNAIDS, acting more strategically, increased flexibility and responsiveness, a more efficient Secretariat and more accountability.

http://www.unaids.org

Geneva, 18 June 2010 – UNAIDS welcomes the announcement of the first round priorities for new Global Health Initiative (GHI) of the United States Government. This six-year US$ 63 billion initiative seeks to improve health outcomes and strengthen health systems to deliver comprehensive life saving health programmes including HIV services especially for women, babies and children in over 80 countries. “By strengthening health systems and integrating HIV services, quality care can be provided to people living with HIV,” said Mr Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director.

http://www.unaids.org

Johannesburg, 18 June, 2010 - On 17 June 2010, about 2,000 people representing 16 organisations marched to the United States (US) consulate in Sandton, Johannesburg, to demand that the US leads the way in funding universal access to antiretroviral treatment. “… we continue to be concerned about US funding of health interventions targeting AIDS, TB and malaria, particularly PEPFAR. … we are informed that PEPFAR’s contribution to the GFATM has been reduced from $1.05 billion in 2010 to $1 billion in 2011….” (TAC)

http://www.tac.org.za

Johannesburg, 18 June 2010 - A South African study suggests that nurses are able to manage patients on antiretroviral (ARV) therapy as effectively as doctors, supporting the case for “task-shifting” in HIV treatment. The study, published in the Lancet on 16 June, divided 812 HIV patients into two groups - one of which received ARV therapy from doctors, the other from nurses. After 120 weeks, the patients managed by nurses were no more likely to have been lost to follow-up, to have failed treatment or to have died than those under a doctor’s care. (PlusNews)

http://www.plusnews.org

Geneva, 17 June 2010 - A landmark labour standard was adopted by governments, employers and workers at the annual conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The standard aims to strengthen the global response to HIV in the workplace. Building on the ILO 2001 Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS, the new labour standard will reinforce and extend anti-discrimination policies in the world of work.

http://www.unaids.org

New York, 9 June 2010 - At the 64th session of the General Assembly held on 9 June in New York, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon introduced the 2010 report on the progress made in the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV. Expressing concern over governments cutting back on their response to AIDS to give more to other development efforts, the Secretary-General said, "The cost [of replenishment] may be great. But the cost of inaction will be even greater."

http://www.unaids.org

1. May 2010 - The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has launched a new campaign BORN HIV FREE to mobilize public support for its work and contribute to the global effort for a world where no child is born with HIV by 2015. At the core of the campaign, originated and supported by Global Fund Ambassador, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is a series of creative films intended to inspire people to sign up online in support of The Global Fund’s mission.

http://www.unaids.org

Backtracking by international donors in funding HIV/AIDS risks undermining years of positive achievements and will cause many more unnecessary deaths, warns Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the new report. It builds on analyses made in eight sub-Saharan countries to illustrate how major international funding institutions such as PEPFAR, the World Bank, UNITAID, and donors to the Global Fund have decided to cap, reduce or withdraw their spending on HIV treatment and antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) over the past year and a half. (Mai 2010)

http://www.msf.org

The Magazine of the Treatment Action Campaign ‘Equal Treatment’ is dedicated to covering health and HIV matters. The current issue looks at the new guidelines and the ARV tender. It examines what can be done to ensure that more childfriendly medicines become available. It also discusses drug resistance and the possibility that more people will need to switch to more expensive second and subsequent line treatments. It weighs up how countries compare when it comes to dealing with HIV, and also brings a timeline showing how access to treatment has changed through the time.

http://www.tac.org.za
http://www.tac.org.za

The 26th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) is taking place from 22-24 June 2010 in Geneva with the focus of the thematic session on “Linking Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services with HIV/AIDS interventions in practice”. Issues related to gender and youth education are also discussed under this theme. Concept note and background paper by UNAIDS (en, fr):

http://www.unaids.org

The HIV epidemic continues to place a great burden on children, and the importance that treatment and care for children are integrated into the broader context of family-support schemes is becoming increasingly recognized. In this month’s supplement, the Journal of the International AIDS Society has brought together a wide range of articles by leading researchers in the field discussing the rationale for family-centred services and some of the available evidence for the effectiveness of doing so. (June 2010)

http://www.jiasociety.org

Wien | The International AIDS Conference is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess where we are, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt, and collectively chart a course forward. "Rights Here, Right Now", the theme of the conference, emphasizes the central importance of protecting and promoting human rights, including the rights of women and girls, as a prerequisite to a successful response to HIV. Vienna, 18 to 23 July 2010.

http://www.aids2010.org

Biel | HIV and AIDS are a sad reality in a number of countries involved in International Cooperation (IC). It affects not only every aspect of the lives of the people concerned, but also considerably impacts the life and work of IC expatriate personnel. This seminar has the objective of working with participants so that they can better manage this challenge. The participants will explore various levels of impact which the epidemic of HIV / AIDS can have on the life and the work of expatriate personnel and consider various social and professional situations linked to HIV / AIDS that they may need to address.

http://www.cinfo.ch
http://www.cinfo.ch

Partners: Afro-European Medical and Research Network, AIDS & Child, Bethlehem Mission Immensee, Caritas Switzerland, cinfo, CO-OPERAID, Déclaration de Berne, Doctors without Borders, Esperanza Medicines Foundation, FEPA, Fédération Genevoise de Coopération, Gemeinschaft St. Anna-Schwestern, HEKS, IAMANEH Switzerland, INTERTEAM, Kindernothilfe Schweiz, Kwa Wazee, medico international Switzerland, mediCuba-Suisse, missio, REPSSI, SolidarMed, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Aids Federation, missio, mission 21, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, Swiss MIVA, Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Tear Fund, Terre des hommes Foundation, terre des hommes schweiz, and World Vision Switzerland.

http://www.aidsfocus.c