THE ELECTRONIC BULLETIN OF THE SWISS PLATFORM FOR HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION May 2008

At present, China makes headlines almost every day: the devastating earthquake, the despotic rule in Tibet, its contempt of human rights, the Olympic Games, the sharp economic growth, etc.

And yet, only a few are aware about the propagation of HIV and AIDS in China and the particular situation of those people who live with the virus. The developments in China, however, give grounds to concern. Compared to the previous year, the number of new HIV and AIDS infections increased by 45% in the year 2007. And last year, according to official figures published by the Chinese government, approximately 700'000 people lived with the virus.

For a very long time, China denied the existence of HIV and AIDS and both stigmatised and marginalized the people affected. In earlier times, mainly intravenous drug addicts caught HIV. Today, sexual transmission represents the primary mode of infection. In view of the large internal migration, the increase of the sex industry and the changing sexual behaviour there is an imminent threat that the epidemic will be propagated on large sections of the population.

There is rather contradictory information as to China’s commitment to fight against HIV and Aids. In the recent past, the Chinese government took up vigorous measures in the field of education and prevention as well as promoted the free access to HIV-testing and antiretroviral therapies. UNAIDS has extended China a special award for leadership excellence last year and thus honoured the country for its fight against HIV and Aids.

At the same time, secrecy and oppression seem to be used as common strategy. The human rights organisation „Human Rights Watch“ reports that lawyers, human rights defenders and activists are silenced in the run-up of the Olympic Games. Grass-root organisations which commit themselves in awareness building and sharing of information or which look after the people affected are hindered in their tasks. To prevent any possible discredit of China’s national image, prominent HIV-activists are not allowed to leave the country.

This issue of aidsfocus.news introduces you to some information on HIV and Aids in China. Wishing you a stimulating read I hope that the information shared is of benefit to you.

Helena Zweifel Coordinator aidsfocus.ch

Beijing, 17 April 2008 - The relatives of a group of HIV-positive people on Wednesday in Beijing appealed to police to release the group, which was detained after protesting in front of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

On April 5, Chinese police allegedly beat, shocked and detained 11 HIV-positive protesters from the Shahe province who were hoping to attract Wen's attention about their efforts to be compensated by a hospital where they allegedly contracted HIV through tainted blood in the mid-1990s, according to Beijing-based HIV advocate Wan Yanhai of the Aizhixing Institute. The protesters also were sprayed in the face with a substance that caused them to become unconscious, Wan said. They were then taken to a hospital and detained. (kaisernetwork)

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Beijing, 23 February 2008 - New cases of HIV/Aids in China soared by 45 per cent last year compared with 2006, the Health Ministry in Beijing has revealed. The staggering rise was put down to changing social attitudes and an improvement in data collection. The government had said late last year that 700,000 people were living with the virus, an increase from an earlier estimate of 650,000. The year before, China lowered its estimate to 650,000 from 840,000, despite warnings from international experts that the disease was spreading due to ignorance and because many people were too afraid or too poor to seek help.

http://www.independent.co.uk

1. January 2008 - This report from The Lancet focuses on the spread of HIV in China. Findings show that heterosexual sex has overtaken intravenous drug use as the main route of HIV transmission, with many new cases infected by marriage partners. Factors include the country’s growing sex industry as well as an increase in personal freedoms and promiscuity, the spread of the internet, and growing curiosity about overseas norms of behaviour. (The Lancet, 2008)

http://www.eldis.org

New York/Toronto, September 27, 2007 – The United Nations AIDS Program should support Chinese AIDS activists, who face increased government surveillance and intimidation, in their efforts to openly meet and discuss AIDS, human rights and access to legal services, 27 human rights organizations, foundations and AIDS organizations from around the globe said. In an open letter to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), leading HIV/AIDS experts and advocates are calling attention to the ongoing crackdown on AIDS activists in China and asking the Chinese government to respect human rights and encourage nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to participate fully in the fight against AIDS. (Human Rights Watch)

http://hrw.org

1. July 2007 - UNAIDS acknowledged good progress that has been made in China’s response to AIDS, presenting special awards to China’s Vice Minister of Health, Dr Wang Longde and Professor Zhang Beichuan from Qingdao University, for their leadership on AIDS issues. At an awards ceremony held Beijing, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot congratulated them for their dedication and commitment to helping China get ahead of its AIDS epidemic and establish a sustainable, multi-sectoral response. (UNAIDS)

http://www.unaids.org

New reports from the World Health Organization show the importance of parents for improving adolescent health but also raise questions about how programs address desired parental behaviors. YouthLens No. 25 summarizes the new reports. (May 2008)

The four-page YouthLens research briefs, produced by Family Health International's (FHI) YouthNet program, summarize the latest information on key issues regarding reproductive health and HIV prevention among youth ages 10 to 24. YouthLens is available in English, Spanish, and French.

http://www.fhi.org

China AIDS Info is an independent, non-commercial, non-profit group working to improve access to information about HIV/AIDS in China. We are developing a network of mostly Chinese journalists, translators, NGO-workers, and of course people living with HIV/AIDS to gather, translate, and disseminate the latest information about the AIDS epidemic.

In the near future, we will begin sending out weekly E-mail updates of HIV/AIDS news from China and a quarterly Newsletter of more in-depth analysis. Please check back at this site later, or send an email to information@china-aids.org and indicate your area of interest (e.g. Treatment, Education, etc.) if you would like to subscribe.

http://www.china-aids.org

--------------------------------------------------------------- HIV & AIDS IN CHINA

AVERT: There are currently an estimated 700,000 people living with HIV in China, including about 75,000 AIDS patients. During 2005 around 31,000 people died from AIDS. These large numbers must be considered in the context of China's extremely large population which is estimated at around 1,300 million. Although UNAIDS reports that China’s HIV epidemic remains one of low prevalence overall (0.1%), there are pockets of high infection among specific sub-populations and there is danger of the epidemic spreading further into the general population.

This informative website by AVERT provides a good overview of background and current information:

http://www.avert.org

In the 1990’s, hundreds of thousands of peasants in central China contracted HIV when they sold blood to alleviate their poverty. Unbeknownst to them, the blood collecting stations used highly risky procedures, such as plasma pooling and shared needles. As a result, the peasants fell ill by the masses, resulting in infection rates as high as 60% in some villages.

The most vulnerable victims of the blood-selling disaster are the children in rural central China whose parents are today infected or have died from contracting the virus during the blood-selling disaster. The mission of China Memory Book Project is to help children affected by HIV/AIDS in Central China cope with their experiences while developing a lasting positive self-guidance in life.

http://www.chfaidsorphans.com

Washington, May 14, 2008 – A new World Bank report launched today says African countries must continue to champion HIV prevention efforts to slow and reverse the rate of new HIV infections, and that HIV/AIDS will remain for the foreseeable future an unprecedented economic, social, and human challenge to Sub-Saharan Africa. The region remains the global epicenter of the disease.

http://data.unaids.org

Kolkata, 21 May, 2008 - Commercial sex workers in India now have the option of purchasing life insurance policies, said Smarajit Jana, chief adviser to the group Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee. Sex workers approached the Life Insurance Corporation of India, which agreed to provide insurance coverage. According to Gita Chatterjee of the state-run Life Insurance Corporation, the policy will require a "routine medical check-up for these women since they are at a high risk of HIV/AIDS”. (kaisernetwork)

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Johannesburg, 9 May 2008 - "Eish, with ARVs [antiretrovirals], you get fat and you get old," a patient at Johannesburg Hospital recently told her doctor. "HIV might become the ultimate lifestyle disease," Dr Francois Venter, director of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, told their monthly meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday.

A few years ago, when people infected with HIV in the developing world were wasting away and dying in devastating numbers, her complaint would have been cause for celebration. But as more and more HIV-positive Africans extend their life expectancy with ARVs, their waistlines and risks of contracting serious non-AIDS related illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, are expanding accordingly. (PlusNews)

http://www.plusnews.org

Since the election in December 2007, Kenya has been plunged into chaos and violence. The International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) highlights the voices of HIV positive women and men in the current crisis. It also looks at the ways in which HIV positive girls and women have been coming together to meet the challenges of a positive diagnosis.

“We, the people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya are deeply concerned by the current political impasse resulting from the disputed general elections held on the 27th of December 2007. We have witnessed violence and all sorts of unjust and inhumane behavior in most parts of this country.”

http://www.icw.org

Bangkok, May 09, 2008 - Access to some antiretroviral drugs is increasing in Thailand because of the country's decision to issue compulsory licenses for certain medications, Winai Sawasdiworn, deputy secretary-general of the National Health Security Office, said recently. The Thai government in January 2007 issued a compulsory license to produce a lower-cost version of Abbott Laboratories' antiretroviral Kaletra. The drug company in May 2007 offered to sell Aluvia, an updated version of Kaletra, at a reduced price in Thailand on the condition that the country agree not to allow generic versions of the drug into the market. (kaisernetwork)

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

This paper analyses the degree to which social cash transfer schemes that do not explicitly target HIV and AIDS affected persons or households reach HIV and AIDS affected households. By comparing different schemes in Zambia, Malawi and South Africa, the study identifies the main factors that determine both the share of HIV and AIDS affected households reached, and the impact achieved. (2007)

http://www.eldis.org

In many parts of the world, lack of food security and poor nutrition are worsening the effects of the HIV epidemic. Food insecurity and poor nutrition can hasten the progression of AIDS related illnesses, while the virus itself reduces the capacity of people living with HIV to work to provide food for themselves and their families.

For this reason UNAIDS, in collaboration the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), has developed a policy brief on HIV, food security and nutrition. (May 2008)

http://www.unaids.org

The Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) recently launched a new information portal on Governance & HIV and AIDS. This portal provides access to free, full-text electronic publications and other Internet sources on the mechanisms of interaction through which HIV and AIDS policies and strategies are developed, implemented, monitored and evaluated at different levels involving both public and private parties. It is aimed at researchers, policymakers and practitioners who are involved in HIV and AIDS responses and interventions.

http://portals.kit.nl

This toolkit is written for anyone who wants to facilitate participatory learning activities with young people to equip them with the knowledge, positive attitudes and skills to grow up and enjoy sexual and reproductive health and well-being.

The Sexuality and life-skills toolkit, together with the Feel! Think! Act! interactive drama guide is aimed at sexual and reproductive health and drama practitioners, peer educators and leaders, drama groups, outreach workers, teachers, community workers and others to help young people discuss and learn about sexuality and reproductive health (SRH) issues. (2008)

http://www.aidsalliance.org

This report from UNAIDS highlights the differences between the effects of AIDS on poverty, and the effects of poverty upon the risk of acquiring HIV. HIV and poverty are linked but the report sites recent evidence that indicates that HIV is a disease of inequality, often associated with economic transition, rather than a disease of poverty in itself. The authors state that factors such as gender inequality and weakened social cohesion are important contributors to this equation. (2007)

http://www.eldis.org

Ausserholligen | The course offered by SDC aims to provide information on and skills in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS. It aims to strengthen participants’ motivation and competence to mainstream HIV/AIDS as relevant for their work.

At the end of the day, participants should know what is understood by the comprehensive approach and be able to apply the concept of risk/vulnerability reduction and impact mitigation.

http://www.deza.admin.ch

Zürich | In July 2008 Aids & Child will be organizing a meeting for young people affected by HIV/AIDS. Young people who take part in this meeting will have the chance to get constructive support in coming to terms with their illness and will improve their ability to live with HIV/AIDS. Exchanging ideas with others will strengthen their personal resources and also help them perceive their responsibility in a social context.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Mexico City | The International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2008) is the most important gathering for the release and discussion of scientific, programmatic and policy developments in the global response to HIV/AIDS. As the largest and most diverse international meeting devoted to a global health issue, the conference brings together the movement of people responding to the epidemic to share lessons and together stake out the road ahead. (3-8 August 2008)

The AIDS 2008 theme, Universal Action Now, emphasizes the need for continued urgency in the worldwide response to HIV/AIDS, and for action on the part of all stakeholders.

http://www.aids2008.org

Bern | The Afro-European Medical and Research Network (AEMRN) will be holding their first annual Strategic Planning Symposium on the theme: “Knowledge Management, Resource Mobilisation and sustained HIV/AIDS Research in Low-income Countries - Case of Sub-Saharan Africa”.

The programme include presentation of papers from selected speakers around the World as well as brain storming and plenary sessions on Knowledge Management, Resource Mobilisation and HIV/AIDS Research.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

aidsfocus.ch is a project set up by Medicus Mundi Switzerland. aidsfocus.ch is sponsored and shaped by 33 partner organizations who support the aims and activities of the platform through their financial contributions, expertise and commitment.

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, International Federation of the Blue Cross, 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 Institute, Tear Fund, Terre des hommes Foundation, terre des hommes schweiz, and World Vision Switzerland.