Archive for November, 2009

The Rose Project welcomes the latest statistics on the epidemic which indicate a decline in new infections over the past eight years, whilst emphasizing the need to expand comprehensive treatment and prevention services, to continue the positive trend.

UNAIDS and the World Health Organization released its annual AIDS Epidemic Update on 24th November, indicating that 33.4 million people were living with HIV in 2008, up slightly from 2007. The higher figure is credited to increased availability to treatment allowing more people to live longer. Overall, the data indicates that new infections have dropped 17 percent over the past eight years.

Despite areas of progress, worrying gaps exist. The report indicates that children still account for 2.1 million of people living with HIV. This is a human rights issue. It’s a human right that a child can grow up to become an adult and yet half of children with HIV die before their second birthday. The reason:  they live in poor countries where access to adequate care is limited.

400,000, children each year are still being newly infected, as a result of mother to child HIV transmission in pregnancy. This is preventable. If you place a HIV positive expectant woman on treatment during her pregnancy, the risk of the virus being transmitted to her infant is almost eliminated. However, the majority of pregnant women to not know their HIV status - they need to have access to testing and where HIV positive – the treatment

The Rose Project is funding major project in Lilongwe the capital of Malawi to prevent mother to child HIV transmission in pregnancy. The project entails the provision of HIV testing at the forty antenatal clinics surrounding the capital city and where necessary, treatment for the women. To date 4,000 HIV positive expectant women have been placed on treatment.

This annually released report demonstrates that AIDS remains a global health priority that needs concerted effort. It’s complexity also means we have to address the root causes of vulnerability, encourage responsible behavior, and promote universal access to health care and treatment for all in need. Universal access is not about geography, it’s about humanity.

Statement by Michel Sidibe Ex Director of UNAIDS, on occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 25 November 2009.

‘UNAIDS is fully committed to stop violence against women and girls. The response to HIV provides an opportunity to reduce intimate partner and sexual violence and develop comprehensive responses to gender-based violence and HIV prevention within and beyond the health sector.

There is strong evidence of the links between gender-based violence and HIV. According to a 2006 report by United Nations Secretary-General, one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, usually by someone known to her.

“We need to scale up effective programmes which promote gender equality at country level and invest more in building-up the evidence base,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Policies and programmes addressing gender inequality and gender-based violence will help achieve our universal targets for prevention, treatment and care. Investment in responses is an essential part of HIV programming.”

The Rose Project would like to sincerely thank Caroline and Philip Wiehe for hosting a coffee morning on the 20th November. We would also like to thank their daughter Stephanie for the hard work she put into making this a success. Stephanie has been a supporter of The Rose Project since the beginning and is responsible for bringing aid to many people in East Africa.  In excess of €2,000 was raised and will fund the training of a midwife for the new maternity hospital.

Mary