December 1 World AIDS Day
About thirty years ago, the world got its first inkling
of impending catastrophe when 5 young gay men in Los Angeles were struck down
by the illness that became known as HIV / AIDS.
Today, the disease has a truly global impact,
claiming about 18 lakh lives annually - the equivalent of wiping out the population
of Washington, DC, 3 times every year.
Primarily Transmitted Through Sexual Contact.
Of course, there have been remarkable scientific
breakthroughs since 1981. Scientists established that a previously unknown
retrovirus was the cause of AIDS, and determined that the virus was primarily
transmitted through sexual contact.
They created tests that can establish a person’s
HIV status or gauge the disease’s progression. They designed antiretroviral
drugs that have made it possible for HIV infection to be a survivable chronic
condition.
Alongside these advances, policymakers,
human-rights advocates, and people living with HIV / AIDS have fought hard to
reduce stigma & discrimination. And an unprecedented amount of funds has
been invested in HIV treatment and prevention.
Total resources for HIV programs in low and middle-income countries were an
incredible 50 times higher than they were just 12 years earlier.
But, despite this significant progress, the toll of
HIV / AIDS remains excruciating. There are 24 lakh new infections annually and
3.4 crore people living with HIV / AIDS who require treatment to stay alive.
There is a widespread misperception in the developed world that we have already
won the battle against HIV / AIDS. In
reality, the crisis has merely become less visible.
Sub-Saharan Africa has 10 % of the world’s
population, but is home to 70 % of those living with HIV / AIDS. Across Africa,
the disease is estimated to have reduced average national growth rates by 2% to
4% points a year.
Researchers led by Mr.Bernhard Schwartländer,
Director of evidence, strategy, and results, UNAIDS, calculated that annual
spending of at least $ 2,200 Crore will be needed by 2015 to achieve universal
access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support.
UNAIDS and the Kaiser Family Foundation estimate
that in 2010 donors gave $6.9 billion for HIV prevention, care, treatment, and
support . As a result of the global financial crisis and donor fatigue,
Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United States,
and the European Commission have all reduced their spending.
The lamentable reality is that securing $ 2200
Crore in annual funding by 2015 will be practically impossible.
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