Washington, DC — As we mark the World AIDS Day and ponder the fate of 40 million people worldwide living with the disease, it is an opportune time to reflect on the lessons learnt so far in the ongoing remedial efforts in Africa, the epicenter of AIDS epidemic.
Although the international community is now sharply focused on the war against terror, we believe that international efforts to contain AIDS in Africa should be on course. It is important as part of continued international action against AIDS to review lessons from current remedial activities in Africa. Lessons learned today can serve as a guide for better strategies in the future.
Lessons Learned
1. A global response, led by the Western democracies is needed in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations estimates that the fight against HIV/AIDS globally will require $7 billion to $10 billion per year. Resources needed to fight AIDS globally and in Africa requires the active involvement and generous support of rich nations, including the United States. It is our belief that the war on terrorism should not preclude active and adequate support for HIV/AIDS remedial efforts in Africa. The Bush Administration and other Western leaders should continue their support for the fight against AIDS in Africa. The proposed Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria is an important instrument for action in Africa.
2. African governments are crucial in the battle against AIDS.
We are happy to note that African nations have taken up the leadership challenge, especially after the April 2001 regional conference in Abuja, Nigeria. The United Nations identifies lack of leadership as the Achilles heel of any serious response to AIDS. African governments are now committed to significant and steady funding for HIV/AIDS programs.
3. Civil societies in the West and Africa are critical stakeholders.
In the last few years, organizations in North America and Europe advocating for an effective constituency for Africa have demonstrated the capacity of powerful ideas and organizational skills to influence public policy regarding HIV/AIDS. African-based civil societies are also in the forefront for a just and equitable approach to remedial actions against the epidemic.
4. Treatment and prevention programs are needed simultaneously in anti-AIDS efforts.
The United Nations agency coordinating the HIV/AIDS response (UNAIDS) estimates that nine out of every ten infected Africans are unaware of their status. Treatment options are now widely recognized as a powerful incentive for getting tested. Africans living with HIV/AIDS like their counterparts in the West should have access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy. Additionally, in the absence of a vaccine and cure, the prevention of new HIV infection should be the gold standard of any serious remedial effort. As shown in this country, Europe, Senegal and Uganda, individuals can alter their behaviors and reduce their risk status following a comprehensive, culturally appropriate information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns.
5. Poverty, Tuberculosis and other sexually transmitted diseases create a fertile environment for HIV transmission.
These conditions are endemic in Africa. As noted by UNAIDS, the epidemic feeds on existing social and economic problems in high-risk communities. Both TB and sexually transmitted diseases create ideal conditions for HIV transmission. Remedial action against HIV/AIDS in Africa will require concerted effort to curb the effects of these conditions.
6. Gender inequities in Africa represent a significant threat to AIDS remedial efforts.
Africa is the only continent where more women are living with HIV/AIDS compared to men. African women should be front and center in the fight against HIV/AIDS. African governments and civil society organizations should address gender inequities that inhibit the capacity of women in Africa to respond to HIV/AIDS at family, community, and national levels.
7. Public/Private partnerships are needed to address the various ramifications of the epidemic.
In Africa, the best and brightest are mostly affected by the epidemic with serious economic and social consequences. In addition, many of the African nations with high rates of infections have limited resources. Business organizations in Africa now have to grapple with the insidious effects of AIDS. In the southern region of Africa, the most affected in the continent, businesses are now forced to hire two or more persons for the same job as a safeguard against AIDS. Public/Private partnerships in Africa are now critical in designing and implementing IEC campaigns, improving access to anti-retroviral therapy for company employees and family members and sharing expertise in strategic planning and logistics as nations gear up their response to the epidemic.
8. AIDS orphans represent a major threat to the long-term survival of communities in Africa.
The rising incidence of children who have lost their parents or mothers may become the ultimate legacy of the AIDS crisis in Africa. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that by 2010, at least 40 million AIDS orphans will live in Africa if the present state of infection and death continues unabated. Unless specific and direct efforts are taken to safeguard these orphans, Africa may suffer enormous social, economic and cultural consequences as these children grow up without extended family support and care.
9. Steady advances in science have assisted remedial efforts.
Advances in drug regimens are prolonging lives in the West. We look forward to a similar situation in Africa. The science of vaccine production is steadily improving. Findings from epidemiological and ethnographic studies are already influencing the design and implementation of IEC campaigns. There is a growing list of collaborative scientific relationships between Western based establishments and their African counterparts.
10. Yes, you and me can make a difference.
The motto of this year's World AIDS Day is "I Care ... Do You?" As noted by the UNAIDS in its recent publication, "Together We Can," individuals, communities, institutions, and governments can make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. What is needed is a unity of purpose, clarity of mission, willingness to dialogue, pooling of resources and the capacity to mobilize for action. The fight against HIV/AIDS is likely to be won one person and one community at a time. Making a difference will also require identifying best practices and replicating them wherever necessary.
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We are gratified with the growing involvement of today's young people in the design and implementation of HIV/AIDS policies and programs around the world. The active participation of young people is a positive sign that remedial actions against HIV/AIDS in Africa will likely continue until the threat of epidemic significantly abates.
For a disease that infects almost 600 people every hour worldwide and kills more than 60 children during the same time period, time indeed is of the essence. It is even more urgent in Africa where more than 28 million people live with HIV/AIDS. In Africa, we must channel our creative energies into action to save lives and secure future generations.
Honorable Ronald Dellums is the Chairman of the Constituency for Africa and served in the U.S. Congress for 27 years.
Honorable Jack Kemp is the Vice-Chairman of the Constituency for Africa and a former candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States.
Dr. Chinua Akukwe is a member of the Board of Directors of the Constituency for Africa and a former Vice Chairman of the National Council for International Health (NCIH) now known as the Global Health Council, Washington, DC.
Melvin Foote is the President/CEO of the Constituency for Africa.
