HIV/AIDS - Progress or Stalled? What Next?
I can get a bit confused by the mood around HIV/AIDS progress. A few questions follow below (click "please review") for your consideration. In general the people and organisations who either monitor and report progress and/or develop and oversee the main strategies, talk in positive tones - good progress being made. But when stories are heard from countries about the ongoing struggle to make even a minor improvement in the HIV/AIDS situation in particular communities/provinces/states or across the whole country, it can be difficult to spot the good news.
Today the Lancet HIV/AIDS magasine published an article "Estimates of global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980–2015: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015" that helps explain this dynamic but also poses a rather tricky problem on which I would welcome you sharing your analysis and thoughts. When AIDS is viewed related to mortality, all looks good - big decreases in people dying from AIDS related causes: HIV/AIDS mortality has been declining at a steady pace, from a peak of 1·8 million deaths … in 2005, to 1·2 million deaths … in 2015. But for the past 10 years, related to new infections, a much bleaker picture is painted: "Annual incidence has stayed relatively constant at about 2·6 million per year (range 2·5–2·8 million) since 2005". So, deaths down due to ARVs, but annual new infection levels have remained constant since 2005 - for 10 years!
Really!
Begs some big questions including
(a) How is that possible?
(b) What have we been doing wrong?
(c) What should we do much better?
Thanks for sharing your analysis and ideas in support of everyone's work on vitally important HIV/AIDS issues.
Comments
HIV/AIDS - Progress or Stalled? What Next?
It is true even inthis part of the world. Little effort is put in enabling communities through their grassroot organisations fight HIV/AIDS in the best way they know. Communities know factors that are precipatating new infections within their villages and also have the solutions on how bwest to address new infections. Much is happening in big hotels and flights across countries by international organisations and big national organisations. Infact there are some people who hardly sit in their office but are always in flights and hotels "fighting HIV/AIDS. Fat salaries, big offices, sleaky cars and exchange of documents online defines them. Very little happens on the ground and few considers funding and supporting young community organisations as an important avenue in fighting the scourge. In my view, much can happen if the real fight happens where communities live. Unfortunately, much of the HIV funding is going to paying hotel bills, salaries, buying sleaky cars and clearing airline fees for top notch "experts" flying across the globe. The answer to the crisi lies in the communities. I wish someday, this fact gets to the policy makers.
David Nderitu,
Imarisha CBO
HIV/AIDS - Progress or Stalled? What Next?
(a) How is that possible?
Very possible because, thanks to ARV's which have reversed a 'death sentence' to 'no sentence' at all, its become business as usual. Yet, in this business as usual, prevalence is not reducing and sadly, we are moving to another category of rise of infections - 15-24 age group that is careless about sex because there is prophiaxes to use etc. ABC has almost been thrown out of the window and its no longer mentioned as a prevention. In this age group, there is competition on who is 'hottest' around, 'most popular' etc. And this is where we need to focus now. The mature know the consequences and how to avoid them but this group needs special attention.
(b) What have we been doing wrong?
Not moving with the times. The risk of contracting HIV currently is in a critical group which is the generation of tomorrow - 15-24. At the rate the prevalence is rising in this group, we could see a reversal of everything that has been done towards Zero. There is fatigue in this group and we are not reaching out to them with what appeals to them - on social media, and messages that appeal to their category etc
(c) What should we do much better?
The fatigue mentioned above is not only in this young group but the media too. In data collection for a PhD study based on Stigma in Print Media Reporting on HIV & AIDS on two newspapers that I am doing, some of the sentiments from the editors in the interviews are: tell us - how do we tell the message differently so that people can read it? The editors say they need help from those working in the HIV & AIDS arena to create more creative messages that have not been seen before and will be more attractive from what has been there all these years. So, the honors is on us in this field to re-create our messages, our programs to reach a wider audience. Meanwhile, if researchers can speed up getting that cure - that will be another good enventuality.
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