World AIDS Day 2020
Dr Tariq Jagnarine
Family Medicine, Endocrinology/ Diabetes
Every year, on December 1, the world commemorates World AIDS Day. People around the world unite to show support for people living with and affected by HIV and to remember those who lost their lives to AIDS. In 2020, the world’s attention has been focused by the COVID-19 pandemic on health and how pandemics affect lives and livelihoods. COVID-19 is showing once again how health is interlinked with other critical issues, such as reducing inequality, human rights, gender equality, social protection and economic growth. With this in mind, this year the theme of World AIDS Day is “Global solidarity, shared responsibility”.
This year, 2020 marks 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported in the western hemisphere, a pandemic that has led to nearly 700,000 lives lost and still no cure four decades later. World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988. Each year, organisations and individuals across the world bring attention to the HIV epidemic, endeavour to increase HIV awareness and knowledge, speak out against HIV stigma, and call for an increased response to move toward ending the HIV epidemic.
FACTS
* In 2019, the estimated number of people living with HIV in Guyana amounted to 8700, up from 8200 HIV-positive patients in the previous year. Estimated HIV prevalence 1.7%
* 38 million people globally are living with HIV, of these, 36.2 million are adults and 1.8 million are children (<15 years old).
* 25.4 million people are accessing antiretroviral therapy. 12.6 million people are still waiting.
* 1.7 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2019 a 10% decrease since 2010.
* AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 60% since the peak in 2004. In 2019, around 690,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide, compared to 1.1 million in 2010.
* 75.7 million people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic (end 2019).
* 32.7 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic (end 2019).
* HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is one of the world’s most serious public health challenges
CHALLENGES
Despite advances in our scientific understanding of HIV and its prevention and treatment as well as years of significant effort by the global health community and leading government and civil society organisations, too many people with HIV or at risk for HIV still do not have access to prevention, care, and treatment, and there is still no cure. Further, the HIV epidemic not only affects the health of individuals, it also influences households, communities, and the development and economic growth of nations. Many of the countries hardest hit by HIV also suffer from other infectious diseases, food insecurity, and other serious problems.
Despite these challenges, there have been successes and promising signs. New global efforts have been mounted to address the epidemic, particularly in the last decade. The number of people with new HIV infections has declined over the years. In addition, the number of people with HIV receiving treatment in resource-poor countries has dramatically increased in the past decade and dramatic progress has been made in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and keeping mothers alive.
However, despite the availability of a widening array of effective HIV prevention tools and methods and a massive scale-up of HIV treatment in recent years, UNAIDS cautions there has been unequal progress in reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to treatment, and ending AIDS-related deaths, with too many vulnerable people and populations left behind. Stigma and discrimination, together with other social inequalities and exclusion, are proving to be key barriers.
In 2020, the world’s attention has been focused by the COVID-19 pandemic on health and how pandemics affect lives and livelihoods. COVID-19 is showing once again how health is interlinked with other critical issues, such as reducing inequality, human rights, gender equality, social protection and economic growth. COVID-19 has demonstrated that, during a pandemic, no one is safe until everyone is safe. Leaving people behind is not an option if we are to succeed. Eliminating stigma and discrimination, putting people at the centre and grounding our responses in human rights and gender-responsive approaches are crucial to ending the colliding pandemics of HIV and COVID-19.
In Guyana, according to the UNAIDS 2017 report, 68 per cent of people living with HIV know their status. Of those, 84 per cent are on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Moreover, of those, 82 per cent have achieved viral suppression. While we should celebrate the achievements in treatment coverage and viral suppression, it is estimated that there are over 2600 people in Guyana who have not yet been diagnosed. Hence, global solidarity and shared responsibility require us to view global health responses, including the AIDS response, in a new way. It requires the world to come together and better the 90-90-90 metric, which aims for 90 percent of those infected with HIV to know their status, 90 percent of those diagnosed to be on ART, and 90 percent of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression.
Intensify HIV prevention in the communities where HIV is most heavily concentrated such as Sex workers, Transgender people, Prisoners and refugees. Expand Testing centres beyond working hours. Identify areas of greatest impact and use various combination of social awareness approaches to highlight the impact of HIV/AIDS.
Let us all keep promoting more awareness to help eradicate HIV/AIDS despite the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
