AIDS: We’re winning, but don’t throw caution to the winds

This year’s commemoration of the International Aids Day came with significant milestones: The epidemic claimed fewer lives in 2015; fewer people are newly infected with HIV; and the number of countries on the verge of eliminating new HIV infections among children is growing.

The new developments are perhaps the most encouraging ever since the condition was first diagnosed on the African continent in the early 1980s. The events that took place on December 1 were therefore a departure from previous years – an appreciation of what the World Health Organisation (WHO) and world leaders have achieved in their efforts to end the epidemic.

The fruits being seen arise from a commitment made last year by world leaders, who agreed to work towards ending the Aids pandemic by 2030 as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In furtherance of this objective, member states adopted in June a progressive, new actionable Political Declaration on Ending Aids that contains a set of specific, time-bound targets that must be reached by 2020.

While these developments are commendable, the statistics remain shocking. For instance, out of the 37 million people living with HIV in the world today, only 18.2 million are receiving antiretroviral treatment. In 2015 alone, some 1.1 million people died of Aids-related complications, raising the figure for deaths from Aids to 35 million. In the same year, 2.1 million people became newly infected, translating into a whopping 78 million infections ever since the virus was isolated.

Such staggering statistics bring home the impact and devastation of HIV/Aids; the long-lasting effects on economies and citizens is another story altogether.

One cannot overemphasize the harsh economic and social consequences of HIV/Aids, which are most deeply felt by women. The devastating impact of HIV/Aids has long-lasting negative effects on poor and marginalised persons in any society. Fighting HIV/Aids therefore is not an option; it is a priority if the region is to improve the lives of its citizens.

While the gains to the fight against HIV/Aids are immense, a lot of mystery and superstition continue to hamper the fight against the disease. It is unfortunate that in this day and age, some people still believe that HIV is spread through witchcraft and that one can get cured of HIV through sleeping with a virgin. Indeed, there are myriad superstitions that surround HIV/Aids.

It is unfortunate that Sub-Saharan Africa leads in HIV prevalence across the world. Efforts to control and reverse the spread of the Aids epidemic across the region must therefore be heightened lest the gains achieved lead to complacency.

The key to wiping out Aids now lies in demystifying the disease and tailoring treatment options to the lives of patients in tandem with the communities in which they live. Developing scientific knowledge to widen the scope of HIV prevention and treatment options has become key to ending the pandemic.

Going by the theme of World Aids Day 2016, the global community must strengthen HIV prevention through comprehensive protective measures.

For example, condoms provide an effective way of curbing the spread of HIV since their reliability is up to 98 per cent, but sadly the effectiveness of this method is diminished because they are either used incorrectly or inconsistently.  It is crucial for the East African Community and other stakeholders to promote proper condom use among citizens if the war against HIV is to be successfully won.

Although male circumcision has been identified as an effective means of reducing the risk of heterosexually-acquired HIV infections in men – effectively reducing infections by about 60 per cent – this fact has been misused. It is crucial for health personnel to insist that male circumcision provides only partial protection and is therefore only one element in a comprehensive HIV prevention package.

Ministries of health must also promote voluntary medical male circumcision and overcome cultural resistance by communities where this ritual has not been the norm.

It is also paramount for the health personnel to promote prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV through pre-exposure prophylaxis, testing and viral suppression.

The region must promote a comprehensive HIV prevention package through providing HIV testing and counselling services, treating sexually transmitted infections, promoting safer sex practices as well as providing and encouraging the use of male and female condoms.

It is crucial for the EAC partner states to promote HIV diagnosis, too, which has been identified as a major obstacle to implementing the vision that everyone with HIV should be offered antiretroviral therapy.

The health ministries should ensure that self-testing kits are cheap and readily available across the region. Promoting self-testing, where people can use oral fluids or blood-finger-pricks to discover their status, should be encouraged. 

Corruption in the health sector, being a major obstacle to the fight against the scourge, must also be dealt with firmly.