BRC Press Release on Launch of World Disasters Report on HIV/AIDS

33 million living with HIV - world not living up to promise on AIDS

Aid agencies, the UN and governments must work harder and faster, says Red Cross

Failure to halt the global pandemic of HIV and its impact on communities has lead to the virus being identified as a ‘world disaster’ in an independent report released by the Red Cross today.

According to UNAIDS statistics, almost seven thousand people contract HIV every day, which is the equivalent of four people becoming newly infected every minute. Without a major change in the epidemic’s trajectory, AIDS will claim millions more lives. Since 1981, more than 25 million people have died of AIDS, and some 33 million are currently living with HIV.

The figures show the global response to HIV and AIDS has failed to keep pace with the spread of infection, despite the UN’s Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin reversing the trend by 2015.

“Eight years ago the world community agreed to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. Just over halfway towards that target, HIV continues to decimate communities, robbing families of breadwinners and leaving tens of thousands of children orphaned” said Matthias Schmale, Director of British Red Cross International Division.

...“A concerted effort to tackle stigma and discrimination that HIV positive people are subjected to continues to be essential. In our own MORI poll, the British Red Cross discovered that 1 in 7 young people in the UK would not be willing to remain friends with someone who was HIV positive, and the figure for South Africa was 1 in 5. We must invest in long-term programmes that support HIV positive people and educate their communities. This will in turn encourage more people to come forward for testing, and help build community resilience.”

The British Red Cross has been supporting such a project run by the South African Red Cross in the province of KwaZulu Natal, where HIV is rife and one fifth of children have been orphaned by the virus.

“This year’s World Disasters Report is the first to focus on one condition and with good reason. For sub-Saharan African societies that are torn apart by HIV and for numerous marginalized groups worldwide, who are left to cope with death, disease and destitution, HIV is undoubtedly a disaster,” said Matthias Schmale. “The humanitarian community must rise to the challenge of HIV, next to the further challenges thrown up by climate change, migration, and the culture of violence that is prevalent in many societies.”

The Report not only analyses the enormous economic, social and intellectual toll of HIV and AIDS but also details the vast challenges the epidemic presents to governments, humanitarian organizations and local communities. HIV must be integrated as a cross-cutting issue in all forms of humanitarian assistance, including health care, nutrition, social programmes and security, whether in emergency operations, or in long-term developmental programmes. HIV, the Report contends, should not be set aside because other priorities seem to be more important.

“The scale of the problem may seem overwhelming, but inaction is not an option” said Matthias Schmale. “Through initiatives such as the South African Red Cross project in KwaZulu Natal, and the International Federation of the Red Cross HIV Global Alliance, we can tackle the rate of infection, expand support and care, and stigma and discrimination can be reduced globally.”