The picture remains gloomy for Africa because, in the same year, other statistics indicated that 70 per cent of the people living with HIV/ Aids worldwide reside on the continent, the home to 10 per cent of the world’s population.
In Africa, women with HIV/Aids outnumber their men counterparts by 60 per cent to 40 per cent. It is a place where life expectancy has dipped to scary levels, to such an extent that countries are recording declining population growths because of the epidemic.
In a nutshell, the impact and devastation are not just in the enormity of individual casualties, but about the lost lives, shattered communities and an escalating economic crisis.
In Kenya, the Aids scourge was declared a national emergency in 1999. According to government figures, 10.5 per cent of the adult population are infected with HIV. The pandemic has created more than 1 million orphans.
Although recently most African countries received a grant from the Global Fund on Aids to fight Aids, the questions many are asking are: will the money help? Will it make a difference in the lives of those Africans dying of HIV/Aids? With all the conditionalities that accompany grants or monetary assistance, will Africans be able to tackle the HIV/Aids problem in their own way?
The ICASA meeting scheduled for Nairobi in September in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, which brings together African scientists and social and political leaders, could not have come at a better time.
The delegates are expected to share experiences and updates on major advances in understanding the HIV/Aids/STI epidemic from community, social, economic, cultural, political, epidemiological, clinical and basic science standpoints.
The meeting is aimed at providing a forum for a critical analysis of various responses to the epidemic and discuss the extent to which these responses have impacted on its course and status.
This is an opportune forum for the participants to outline and set effective strategies and priorities for dealing with the epidemic from an African point of view. They should not be coerced into accepting methodologies that cannot work for their countries.
Initiatives that have worked in other countries do not necessarily reflect the African situation. The continent has diverse cultures and norms and unless these issues are considered, the fight against the scourge might not succeed.
Africa has a long way to go, including mounting a credible effort to mitigate the epidemic, including building human capacity to respond to HIV/Aids, addressing gender inequality and economic deprivation, protecting public services, fostering democratic governance, strengthening political commitment and mobilising resources to fight the epidemic.
The major focus in most campaigns has been the issue of abstinence, being faithful to one partner and using condoms for those that cannot abstain. However, it is crucial to bear in mind that with the large number of people already infected, governments should lobby for access to affordable medicines.
The laws governing the importation of generic antiretroviral drugs should not be restrictive and their registration should significantly broaden the choice of available medicines and provide better access to care for Aids patients.
According to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the only responsible action in the face of Aids is to treat patients in danger of dying. MSF believes that it is high time to speed up treatment in Africa, especially with ARVs.
In rich countries, these drugs are available to all the patients who need them, and their success has significantly prolonged the lives of these patients and lowered the number of deaths.
However, the opposite is true in many African countries. One of the main obstacles to ARV treatment is the prices of the medicines. Generic drugs are equal-quality and cheaper because they are versions of medicines that are produced by a manufacturer other than the patent-holder.
The least expensive triple-therapy ARV costs $209 per year per patient, compared to $727 for band name drugs. Not only is access to drugs at affordable prices important, but the treatment has also to be made accessible to all those that need it.
There is need for a national treatment plan to be put in place, including technical training on ARV treatment, a clear national drug policy with good quality control and an efficient drug regulatory authority, as well as an ARV procurement and distribution policy.
Another key issue is to raise awareness about the seriousness of this silent emergency among all ministry of health staff. Finally, a mechanism of coordination between all actors (NGOs, donors and other international institutions) should be improved.
Affordable antiretroviral therapy provides a motivation for HIV-positive people to be aware of their status. Treatment can also help to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/Aids. With treatment possibilities, HIV is no longer necessarily a death sentence.
Aids treatment also helps to keep families intact and economically stable, thereby protecting the most vulnerable (women and children) and minimising at-risk populations such as orphans and commercial sex workers.
In Kenya, an estimated 8,000 patients are currently under ARV treatment, while over 220,000 need treatment (only 3 per cent of those in need are on treatment). This treatment is mostly given by private and mission hospitals and NGOs. No public hospital is yet to give any treatment.