Are we facing an AIDS epidemic? 5 questions and answers

The world is "probably as vulnerable as ever to the loss of control of the HIV epidemic". The American expert in charge of AIDS and diplomat Mark Dybul said this Sunday in Amsterdam. There will be a conference on AIDS until Friday. Dybul speaks of an alarming number of new infections in particularly affected countries.

How serious is the crisis?

In 2017, 1.8 million people became infected with HIV. That's 18% less than in 2010.

Overall, the number of HIV infections is therefore decreasing. But if you take a closer look, this is not the case everywhere in the world. In more than 50 countries, more people were infected with HIV in 2017 than in previous years. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the number of new infections has increased by 30%. Still in the Middle East and North Africa, 12% more people have been infected with HIV.

The situation is therefore far from being calm. According to Unaids, the UN's HIV / AIDS program, 5,000 people are infected with HIV every day. Girls and young women are particularly at risk. Three out of four new infections in Africa are attributable to girls aged 15-19. They are infected because they do not have access to education and contraceptives.

The original goal of Unaids was to stop the spread of the HI virus by 2030. But this goal has come a long way. According to politicians, scientists and activists of the World Conference on AIDS, the fight against HIV has been neglected in recent years. If that does not change soon, there will be a creeping epidemic in the next few years, experts say.

How did this happen?

The reasons for missing the target are mostly financial. According to Unaids boss Michel Sidibé, there will be a huge funding gap in 2020. Donations and public funds are coming back.

There are about seven billion dollars left to support the fight against AIDS. "If we do not pay now, we will have to spend more and more later," warned Sidibé.

Which countries are concerned?

Eastern Europe and Central Asia are particularly disturbing. Some EU Member States, including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, are also affected. In some parts of Russia, the HIV epidemic has developed considerably.

The policy and social stigmatization of HIV-positive people in affected countries is a major problem. For example, access to opioid replacement therapies or new injections for drug users is extremely limited in Russia. The growing ostracism of homosexuals also contributes to the fact that virtually no HIV education is conducted.

Unaids also reports successes. For example, HIV infections in Eastern and Southern Africa have decreased by about 30% since 2010.

What is the situation in Switzerland?

About 20,000 people in Switzerland live with the HIV virus. According to Daniel Seiler, managing director of Aids-Hilfe Schweiz, the situation is stable. "Our prevention work in recent years shows success. There are no alarming signs, "says Seiler.According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), newly reported HIV cases have fallen by nearly 20% last year

Education continues to be extremely important, says Seiler: "For this encouraging trend to continue, prevention efforts and thus funding for public authorities and individuals must be maintained."

Do anti-AIDS campaigns makes a difference

Global and national AIDS campaigns have made a difference, and today, only half as many people die of AIDS as fifteen years ago. is not curable, with the help of drugs, people living with HIV have an expectation of life and quality approximately normal.

21 million people take such drugs. It's 35 times more than at the beginning of the 21st century.

One of the main concerns of the American AIDS expert, Mark Dybul, is that countries are paying less attention to the fight against HIV and AIDS than in previous years. And if that's the case, then more and more life-saving medicines come to the fore. For example, there is a lack of money for condom distribution efforts as it is spent on HIV treatment

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