World AIDS Day

The international community must take immediate action on vertical transmission of HIV

There is much to celebrate in the recent UNAIDS and World Health Organisation ‘AIDS Epidemic Update’, not least that the HIV infection rate is finally in decline after reaching its peak in the 1990s. This shows what a difference increased funding and efforts in tackling the pandemic have achieved but it cannot be used as an excuse for complacency, there is still a long way to go to tackle HIV/AIDS.

In southern Africa the pandemic has plateaued, but it has done so at extraordinary levels. Nine of the countries with the highest HIV/AIDS rates are located in the region, along with one third of the world’s population who are HIV positive. This naturally has a devastating effect on individuals, families, communities and the region’s socio-economic stability.

Ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, committed to cut new HIV infections by 50% and increase the extension of the antiretroviral programme to 80% of those who need it, both by 2011. Access to antiretroviral can make a real difference. In Botswana, for example, where antiretroviral coverage now exceeds 80%, there has been a significant decline in AIDS related deaths from 15,000 in 2003 to 7,400 in 2007. 

Unfortunately, these are exceptions, across the region only 48% of those who need access to antiretroviral drugs have them; a result somewhat removed from the Millennium Development Goal that universal access to HIV treatment, prevention and support should be realised by 2010.

Within the Millennium Development Goal on HIV/AIDS was a promise to halve infant infections by 2010. Vertical transmission of HIV (often known as mother-to-child transmission) has virtually been eliminated in richer countries, simply down to the ability of wealthier nations to provide HIV positive women with decent healthcare. However, the situation is completely different in southern Africa, where the vast majority of women with HIV who become pregnant do not have access to the testing, counselling, prevention and treatment they need.

According to Nelson Mandela tackling vertical transmission of HIV is ‘beyond argument or doubt’ fundamental in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, like so many programmes that deal specifically with HIV positive women, the international response to vertical transmission has lacked the priority, urgency and funds required to make a difference.

Efforts by the British government in pushing for a patent pool as well as a Currency Transaction Levy have the potential to make a real difference in the fight against vertical transmission as does the recent adoption of a UN women’s agency. However, if this issue is to be properly addressed then it will require a global response.

This World AIDS Day ACTSA is calling on the UN to fully implement its own strategy for preventing HIV infection in infants and young children that it adopted in 2003 and has so far done little to move it forwards.

Vertical transmission should be one of the easiest interventions in the fight against AIDS but instead we have seen countless, needless deaths of both mothers and their children. There are only a few short months until we reach the deadline at the end of 2010 to provide universal access and halve infant infections. We have managed to virtually eliminate vertical transmission in richer countries, the time has come to do the same for southern Africa.

Mark Beacon is campaigns manager for ACTSA. ACTSA is the successor
organisation to the Anti Apartheid Movement, we campaign for justice,
rights and development in solidarity with the people of southern
Africa. To find out more about ACTSA’s campaign to eradicate vertical
transmission see here.

01 Dec 2009 11:33

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