Threat of global AIDS epidemic not yet over. Rejoinder from UNAIDS/WHO

[Guest guest]

Threat of global AIDS epidemic not yet over. Rejoinder from UNAIDS/WHO

Re: /message/8889

Correction to AIDS Story in The Independent, 8 June 2008

New York, 11 June 2008. We wish to clarify misinterpretations

concerning WHO and UNAIDS' positions on the status of the AIDS

epidemic in recent media articles.

The story in the Independent on Sunday titled: " Threat of world AIDS

pandemic among heterosexuals is over, report admits " contained a few

seriously misleading statements that have led to inferences and

conclusions that bear no relation to the highly complex realities of

the HIV epidemic.

First and foremost, the global HIV epidemic is by no means over. At

the end of 2007, an estimated 33.2 million people were living with

HIV. Some 2.5 million people became newly infected that year, and 2.1

million died of AIDS. AIDS remains the leading cause of death in

Africa.

Worldwide, HIV is still largely driven by heterosexual transmission.

The majority of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa occur through

heterosexual transmission.

We have also seen a number of generalized epidemics outside of

Africa, such as in Haiti and Papua New Guinea.

Heterosexual transmission continues to drive the epidemic among sex

workers, their clients, and their clients' partners.

In addition, prisoners, injecting drug users, as well as men who have

sex with men, may also engage in heterosexual relationships. In sub-

Saharan Africa almost 60% of adults living with HIV were women, 48%

in the Caribbean.

HIV prevention and treatment efforts are showing results. Building on

these successes will require improved outreach to populations most at

risk with evidence-informed approaches based on local HIV

epidemiology — an approach we call " knowing your epidemic. "

In all settings, a supportive environment is required, free from

stigma and discrimination, legal barriers or other obstacles that

prevent access to services. AIDS awareness campaigns and school-based

efforts are essential to promote sexual and reproductive health,

ensuring young people have the knowledge and ability to protect

themselves against sexually transmitted diseases, and teenage

pregnancy.

UNAIDS and WHO remain focused on strengthening monitoring of the

epidemic to refine responses further and to recognize changes in

transmission patterns should they occur.

To recap: AIDS remains the leading infectious disease challenge in

global health. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible and misleading.

Dr M. De Cock

Director

Department of HIV/AIDS

WHO, World Health Organization

Dr De Lay

Director

Department of Evidence, Monitoring and Policy

UNAIDS, Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS

Contact

Leidl | WHO Geneva | Tel: +41 22 791 5876, Mobile: +41 79

619 8525 | leidlp@...

Sophie Barton-Knott | UNAIDS Geneva | Tel: +41 22 791 1697 |

bartonknotts@...

http://data.unaids.org/pub/PressStatement/2008/20080611_notetomedia_en.pdf