Melanie Lofgren
11/29/09
9:32 a.m.
According to a report released by the WHO and UNAIDS, HIV infections have dropped since 2001 by 17%. The infections have dropped significantly in East Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa. The report also outlines HIV preventions. Now that life-saving treatments and antiretroviral therapy are available today, 2.9 lives have been saved since 1996. In Botswana there is 80% coverage available and it has reduced AIDS related deaths by 50%. Mr Sidibé states, "Already research models are showing that HIV may have a significant impact on maternal mortality. Half of all maternal deaths in Botswana and South Africa are due to HIV. This tells us that we must work for a unified health approach bringing maternal and child health and HIV programs as well as tuberculosis programs together to work to achieve their common goal." The report also claims that methods of infection are shifting and prevention programs are not able to keep up with these changes. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia the common method of infection was injecting drugs but has now changed to sexual infections by drug using partners. In parts of Asia the common method of infection was through sex work and injecting drugs but has now shifted to increasingly affecting heterosexual couples. In the report they have come up with an idea to connect these 33.4 million people around the world living with HIV: AIDSspace.com. This is a social network similar to Facebook or Myspace and hopes to bring a common people together to share key policies on HIV, case studies, reports, conference posters and even job opportunities.
The most interesting thing I found in this article was the new website, AIDSspace.com. I think it is a very good idea and will hopefully help connect those who are feeling lost, alone, and depressed with this terrible infection. I think we really need to work on the maternal mortality, so that children are not left orphaned and the disease is not passed along to them from their mother.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/hiv_aids_20091124/en/index.html
2 comments:
I think that it is wonderful the number of HIV infections are being reduced. I think that a lot more awareness should be made about it though.
I actually read another article today about this same new website dealing with aids. I think that it could be a good idea to help bring more awareness about the disease.
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