Patricia Kisare reflects on global progress in treating HIV/AIDS for Third Way Cafe:
According to the United Nations AIDS agency, the global annual
rate of new HIV cases dropped by 25 percent over the last ten years, and some6.6 million people were on treatment at the end of 2010. But another 9 million people who qualify for treatment are unable to get it due to lack of funding.
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Posted by Patricia Kisare
Early Saturday February 19 the House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 1)
MCC/Melissa Engle
that would cut federal spending by $61 billion. The cuts come mainly in programs dedicated to assistance for vulnerable populations in the U.S. and internationally.
You can let your Senators know that this approach to the budget is neither responsible nor just.
Together, these two areas of the budget represent just 15 percent of U.S. spending. Although the same legislation requests a defense budget 3 percent lower than the President’s 2011 request, it is still $8 billion higher than 2010 levels. Defense spending represents over 50 percent of U.S. discretionary (not mandatory) spending.
The math is questionable: how can we address the deficit without addressing the most expensive portion of the budget? Even beyond military spending, H.R. 1 fails to adequately address a number of root causes of the nation’s deficit.
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Posted by Christina Warner
Investments in global HIV/AIDS programs save lives. The new report (2010) by the United Nations’ programme on HIV/AIDS shows that the number of new infections and death from Aids are declining. Whilst progress has been made, the report also reveals that there is a sharp increase in new infections and Aids related deaths in other parts of the globe (i.e. Eastern Europe and central Asia) where the rates were lower. This mixed progress underlines the need for continued global efforts to fund HIV/AIDS programs.
Click here to read the full report.
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Posted by Patricia Kisare
Women and girls are not victims, they are the driving force that brings about social transformation.
- Michael Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director discussing women and HIV/AIDS
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Posted by Mary Stata
Melissa Engle/MCC
Today is World AIDS Day. Today 5,500 people will die of AIDS. Today 8,200 will become infected with HIV. While it is important to recognize recent achievements in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including declining HIV related deaths worldwide, significant challenges remain.
The Obama Administration is currently developing their budget proposal for the next fiscal year. It is critical for HIV/AIDS policy to address the particular needs of women and girls, strengthen health systems, and provide reliable and flexible assistance that will help meet long term goals.
PEPFAR and the Global Fund are still not fully funded. Failing to robustly fund these vital programs threatens to wipe away the gains and progress of the past few years. December 1 is an opportunity to lift our voices and urge decision makers in Washington to keep their promises.
This is the fourth and final installment in a series of weekly blog posts leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1. Click here to learn more about MCC’s HIV/AIDS programming and here to learn more about HIV/AIDS policy.
Leave a Comment » | HIV/AIDS | Tagged: Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria, PEPFAR, women, World AIDS Day | Permalink
Posted by Mary Stata
Melissa Engle/MCC
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report that revealed AIDS to be the leading cause of death and disease for women and girls worldwide. According to an AP article, a WHO analyst stated that
Women enjoy a biological advantage because they tend to live six to eight years longer than men. But in many parts of the world they suffer serious disadvantages because of poverty, poorer access to health care and cultural norms that put a priority on the well-being of men.
Addressing the particular issues and vulnerabilities that women face – including gender based violence, economic disempowerment, lack of education, etc – is crucial in developing HIV/AIDS policies, budgets, programming, and performance monitoring and evaluation.
This is the third in a series of weekly blog posts leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1. Click here to learn more about MCC’s HIV/AIDS programming and here to learn more about HIV/AIDS policy.
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Posted by Mary Stata
Matthew Lester/MCC
Prevention and treatment often dominate conversations about HIV/AIDS. While these are critical ingredients to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, it is also necessary to address the need for strengthening health systems. Before a person can benefit from education about prevention or receive anti-retroviral treatment, a health care workforce must be in place.
Low-income countries currently face a severe shortage of health workers. Sub-Saharan Africa, where the bulk of MCC’s HIV/AIDS programming operates, is currently experiencing a shortage of 1.5 million health workers. In Africa, according to the WHO, 3% of the world’s health workers struggle to combat 24% of the global disease burden with less than 1% of the world’s health expenditures. A World Bank official has described the “desperate shortage” of health workers as the “most difficult challenge” in implementing HIV/AIDS treatment programs.
Last year’s reauthorization of PEPFAR, set the target of training and supporting the retention of at least 140,000 new health professionals. USAID has pledged to increase the number of community health workers by at least 100,000 by 2013 for maternal and child health programs.
These plans to increase the number of health care workers are essential to strengthening health systems and thereby improving prevention and treatment for HIV/AIDS.
This is the second in a series of weekly blog posts leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1. Click here to learn more about MCC’s HIV/AIDS programming and here to learn more about HIV/AIDS policy.
Leave a Comment » | HIV/AIDS | Tagged: health care workers, PEPFAR, World AIDS Day | Permalink
Posted by Mary Stata
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