“Don’t set back. Don’t punish our successes nor put an end to our hope,” this was the impassioned plea from a leading African health expert who spoke at the ongoing 16th International conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (4-8 December 2011).
Dr Cheick T. Tall, Executive Director of the African Council on AIDS Service Organizations (AfriCASO), said the world “has never so close to winning the war on AIDS”.
Yet on the verge of this victory, Dr Tall said many HIV experts feel world leaders are “asking for different things as opposed to doing things differently” to finally overcome the HIV epidemic, which 30 years in has left untold destruction to global economy, health and humanity particularly in Africa.
Despite its challenge, a combination of human effort has seen reduced new infections, reduced incidences and deaths due to AIDS-related illnesses. These achievements have been brought about by improved access to ARVs and making people aware about HIV prevention and treatment, among other strategies.
Dr Peter Piot, former head of the UNAIDS, said the world is at “a critical point” in the HIV response. But 30 years of responding to HIV has shown important lessons including the diversity of the epidemic in Africa, the possibility of providing ARVs on a large scale, the suitability of new tools and the possibility of domestic financing for HIV/AIDS programs.
According to UNIADS, in 2000 there were few people on treatment, but by the end of last year, six million worldwide were receiving treatment.
In 2009, UNAIDS revealed eight countries achieved universal access to treatment thanks to the reduced cost of medication.
These successes came as a result of the creation and strengthening of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and other initiatives like the President Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief.
But John Idoko, head of Nigerian Agency for the Control of AIDS, said although progress has been made, the gains made are “fragile and insufficient”.
“There is still waning political commitment and country ownership of AIDS is still questionable across Africa,” he said, adding that nothing demonstrates this more than the fact that funding for the HIV response in Africa is facing ever dwindling external sources.
Mr Idoko said despite such moves such as the cancellation and suspension of rounds of funding from the Global Fund and failure by the developed nations to honor pledges, few African governments have bothered to move towards achieving the Abuja target of 2001, which pledged to allocate 15% of annual budgets to funding health programs.
Of the 53 countries in Africa, only Rwanda, Botswana, Niger, Malawi, Zambia and Burkina Faso have done so.
Throwing the gauntlet to African leaders Dr Piot said it is time for Africa to take responsibility. “Africa today is not the Africa of 30 years ago,” he said, adding that international solidarity is still needed despite the financial crisis.
“This is not the time for the world to turn its back on Africa saying the problem of the Global Fund is Africa’s problem. The two must be solved if the world intends to sustain victory over AIDS,” said Dr Piot.