27 November 2012
According to a recent UN report, we are seeing more than a 50% drop in new HIV infections across 25 lower and middle income countries; more than half of them in Africa.
Saturday 1 December marks World AIDS Day. While great progress has been achieved challenges still remain. More than 8 million people have access to antiretroviral therapy and around 34 million people are living with HIV - more than ever before, due to the life prolonging effects of antiretroviral therapy. The dynamics of the HIV epidemic are changing and the global response to HIV must reflect these changes.
The UK remains totally committed to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. We support the vision of getting to zero - zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
DFID takes a comprehensive HIV response based on evidence and 'know your epidemic and know your response'. We focus on 'combination prevention' including: Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), TB prevention and diagnosis, family planning, harm reduction, and male circumcision; and to improve our understanding of how we change behaviour, how this impacts on HIV and how we address underlying harmful gender norms, gender based violence and poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa, we will help to prevent 500,000 new HIV infections among women through a combination of these interventions, including by promoting correct and consistent use of male and female condoms which reduces risk of HIV infection by 95%.
Our drive to empower women to take action for their sexual and reproductive health will also protect them from HIV - unintended pregnancy among women living with HIV in some settings is estimated to be between 51-90%, and 10% of maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are attributable to HIV.
Sustained progress in tackling HIV
Recent advances in research makes it increasingly evident that treatment as prevention can be beneficial. This makes it an exciting time for the HIV response. The UK is committed to scaling up diagnosis, treatment, care and support, and is supporting international efforts, to get 15 million people on treatment by 2015 and remains the second biggest international donor on HIV prevention treatment care and support. Our focus on care and support will include cash transfers to families in at least 5 high-prevalence countries reaching at least 120,000 people affected by HIV to support their nutrition and other essential needs.
Over the past three years, the UK has spent nearly £1 billion on HIV. Our support to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), will enable 37,000 HIV-positive women to prevent transmission to their babies and will also enable 268,000 people to access life-saving treatment.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative, with UK support, has managed to lower the cost of one life-saving first-line AIDS drug. The cost savings from the UK’s investment alone with enable an additional 500,000 people to access treatment.
The UK is committed to improving the health of poor people in developing countries - especially marginalised and vulnerable groups, including women and girls - to protect themselves from HIV and gain access to the treatment, care and support they need.
How UK aid is working to tackle HIV and AIDS