World AIDS Day

There is much to celebrate in the recent UNAIDS and World Health Organisation ‘AIDS Epidemic Update’, not least that the HIV infection rate is finally in decline after reaching its peak in the 1990s. This shows what a difference increased funding and efforts in tackling the pandemic have achieved but it cannot be used as an excuse for complacency, there is still a long way to go to tackle HIV/AIDS.

In southern Africa the pandemic has plateaued, but it has done so at extraordinary levels. Nine of the countries with the highest HIV/AIDS rates are located in the region, along with one third of the world’s population who are HIV positive. This naturally has a devastating effect on individuals, families, communities and the region’s socio-economic stability.

Ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, committed to cut new HIV infections by 50% and increase the extension of the antiretroviral programme to 80% of those who need it, both by 2011. Access to antiretroviral can make a real difference. In Botswana, for example, where antiretroviral coverage now exceeds 80%, there has been a significant decline in AIDS related deaths from 15,000 in 2003 to 7,400 in 2007.

Unfortunately, these are exceptions, across the region only 48% of those who need access to antiretroviral drugs have them; a result somewhat removed from the Millennium Development Goal that universal access to HIV treatment, prevention and support should be realised by 2010.

Within the Millennium Development Goal on HIV/AIDS was a promise to halve infant infections by 2010. Vertical transmission of HIV (often known as mother-to-child transmission) has virtually been eliminated in richer countries, simply down to the ability of wealthier nations to provide HIV positive women with decent healthcare. However, the situation is completely different in southern Africa, where the vast majority of women with HIV who become pregnant do not have access to the testing, counselling, prevention and treatment they need.

According to Nelson Mandela tackling vertical transmission of HIV is ‘beyond argument or doubt’ fundamental in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, like so many programmes that deal specifically with HIV positive women, the international response to vertical transmission has lacked the priority, urgency and funds required to make a difference.

Efforts by the British government in pushing for a patent pool as well as a Currency Transaction Levy have the potential to make a real difference in the fight against vertical transmission as does the recent adoption of a UN women’s agency. However, if this issue is to be properly addressed then it will require a global response.

This World AIDS Day ACTSA is calling on the UN to fully implement its own strategy for preventing HIV infection in infants and young children that it adopted in 2003 and has so far done little to move it forwards.

Vertical transmission should be one of the easiest interventions in the fight against AIDS but instead we have seen countless, needless deaths of both mothers and their children. There are only a few short months until we reach the deadline at the end of 2010 to provide universal access and halve infant infections. We have managed to virtually eliminate vertical transmission in richer countries, the time has come to do the same for southern Africa.

World AIDS Day always provides an important opportunity for reflection. As we look back over the last quarter of a century, the speed at which AIDS has spread across the world is astonishing and horrifying. As people of conscience and concern, we are called to act, to halt and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS at home and abroad.

I am proud of Labour’s history of international leadership in this area. Through our presidencies of the G8 and EU in 2005, the UK led the way in galvanising international commitment, increasing funding, and achieving better results in the global response to HIV and AIDS.

According to the latest UN report, the rate of new HIV infections has been reduced, with the most progress seen in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2004, 20 times more people have access to life-saving treatment. Since 2003 the price of first line AIDS drugs has halved. And there are now more than 4 million people on anti-retroviral treatment, compared to just 100,000 people who received treatment back in 2001.

This is important progress. However, with more than 33 million people around the world living with HIV and most prevention strategies available to fewer than one in five people who need them, the scale of the challenge remains vast. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region most impacted, where AIDS is its leading cause of death and 14 million children across the region have been orphaned by AIDS.

In government, Labour has shown international leadership, outlining practical steps to improve the situation in countries across the world and emphasising the need to tackle the causes not just the symptoms. The work of my Department for International Development also emphasises the need to support the most vulnerable, especially women and children.

This policy leadership is also backed by financial support. Labour has made the UK the second largest contributor to fighting HIV and AIDS globally, having commited £6bn to strengthen health systems and services in developing countries. This investment is in addition to the UK’s £1bn commitment to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Labour’s investment will help meet the urgent shortfall of health workers in the worst-hit African countries and will enable developing countries to improve antenatal care to prevent HIV from being passed on to babies in the womb.

Tackling diseases overseas requires continued investment. And to show we are committed to keeping our promises, Labour will enshrine in law our promise to meet the UN target of 0.7% of national income for overseas development assistance by 2013.

The truly terrible spread of AIDS shows just how interconnected our lives are. It has reached every corner of the globe, bringing destruction to lives and communities on all continents. In response to the challenge we can’t walk by on the other side. On World AIDS Day we recommit to ensuring that the goal of universal access to prevention, treatment and care is achieved.