An AIDS activist at a rally against homophobia and discrimination in Mexico City. The city is hosting the 17th International AIDS Conference.
Last year 2.7 million more people became infected with the virus, bringing the global total to 33 million. Africa in particular has been devastated by the epidemic, it is home to 25 million of those with HIV/AIDS. Experts warn that the continuing rates of infection are devastating testimony to a quarter-century of attempts to encourage prevention such as the use of condoms, clean needle exchanges for drug users and other behavioral changes.
"We are in a desperate race against time in pursuit of prevention that works," Stephen Lewis, former UN special envoy to AIDS in Africa, told the conference on Tuesday.
There have, however, been some glimmers of hope in Mexico. Canadian researchers say that they have uncovered evidence that suggests that antiretroviral drugs can be used for prevention. The theory is that by slashing HIV levels in the blood and semen, the drugs could reduce the risk of exposure to infection during intercourse.
Another piece of research, based on trials in eastern and southern Africa, shows that male circumcision can also help prevent the spread of HIV.
Another focus of the conference has been the rights of those already infected with HIV. US President George W. Bush has been praised for his decision to repeal a rule that had prevented HIV-positive people from entering the US without special waivers. In his opening address to the conference, United Nations Secretary General Ban-ki Moon said that such restrictions "should fill us with shame."
On Wednesday the German press takes a look at a number of thorny issues relating to HIV/AIDS.
The business daily Handelsblatt writes:
"Almost 30 years after the outbreak the AIDS epidemic has stabilized at a high level. At the beginning of the year, around 33 million people were infected with the virus, according to UN figures. Research has managed to turn the terminal illness into a chronic one, so that if someone adapts their lifestyle they can grow old with the disease."
"For Africa, however, AIDS is still an unbelievably dismal problem. While, for example, in Thailand the epidemic was stifled at birth when brothel owners were threatened with closure if prostitutes working there did not use condoms, in Africa little has changed. It shows that the problem cannot be solved with money alone. Already more money is spent today on fighting AIDS than on illnesses like malaria and dysentery, which cause a lot more deaths. AIDS, however, has roots deep in the cultural practices which makes fighting against it particularly difficult. The most important starting point would be to increase young women's control over their own sexuality, which is prevented by the patriarchal social structures."
"The biggest problem in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa is that it is not unusual to have a string of sexual partners at the same time. This leads to interwoven networks that makes it much easier to transmit HIV."
"It is particularly fatal that in many parts of Africa it is normal for older men to have much younger girlfriends …. That spreads the virus very quickly between the generations -- and hits young dependent women particularly hard. Black women between the ages of 16 and 24 have seen by far the highest growth rates of infection."
"The fact that the political and religious leadership in Africa has completely failed only aggravates the situation. A prime example is South African President Thabo Mbeki who has spread lies about the AIDS epidemic and its treatment for years -- thus being indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of South Africans."
"The biggest danger is that medical developments will reduce public awareness of the danger. AIDS is still an incurable disease: In the face of the growing carelessness, this is a message that cannot be emphasized enough."
The center-right Frankurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:
"Now is not the time to give up hope is the slogan at the 17th International AIDS Conference …. One in every two dollars that is spent on development aid is used in the fight against AIDS. And these billions seem to be finally having an effect: For the first time less people are becoming infected with HIV and less are dying from AIDS. Nevertheless there is little good news to report. There is no cure for the disease in sight. The vaccine researchers cannot report any breakthrough and neither can those scientists working on micro-biocides to protect women from HIV. At the same time prevention is failing in those very countries where it was such a success for years. The rate of all sexually transmitted diseases is increasing in industrial nations, a clear signal that condoms are being used less often."
"No other leader has been spoken about in Mexico City as much as George W. Bush. It is the American president of all people who has made himself the leading AIDS do-gooder, even overshadowing Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. Bush is serious: The United States is to spend $40 billion over the next five years on fighting AIDS. The president has just lifted the 20-year-old ban on allowing HIV-positive people to enter the country. Russia has already indicated that it is now also reconsidering its entry policy."
The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"HIV has lost much of its threat for many Germans. While 15 years ago two thirds of those polled said they thought AIDS was a dangerous disease, last year that had gone down to just one third. That is rational. Germans know how they can protect themselves from the virus. A large proportion of sexually active people do so. Last year 209 million condoms were sold in Germany, more than ever before. The disease is still not curable, of course, but it is possible for those infected with HIV to live until they are 60 or 70 years old, with the right treatment. One could think that for Germany AIDS would soon only be an issue within the context of development aid. However, that argument overlooks a serious problem: People may not die quickly from HIV but for many the diagnosis means social death."
"In Mexico thousands of people demonstrated for more rights for those with AIDS. They were not just fighting for more access to therapies, but also against discrimination. In Latin America ostracism of those infected is particularly prevalent. But in Germany too a life with HIV is also a life with discrimination. In particular on the labor market …where it is more difficult for those with HIV to find a job."
"A life without work means for those with HIV very often a life lived in poverty -- leading to even more social exclusion."
"Those with AIDS should be treated the same as those with other chronic diseases. They deserve help and sympathy when looking for work. It is high time that the irrational fear of those with the disease is diminished just as much as the fear of the disease itself."
-- Siobhán Dowling, 12:25 p.m. CET
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