Rising HIV rates in DC is Cause for Concern

DC released its latest HIV/AIDS numbers this month, and they’re high enough to cause alarm among the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, ABC 7 reports. This group came to Capitol Hill to support a bill called HR 1964. The bill would provide funding for massive testing, treatment and education for people with AIDS. In Washington, D.C. 81 percent of the people who have AIDS are black.

A Black Leaders Support HIV/AIDS Bill As DC Releases Latest Numbers

The good news is that more people are living longer with HIV and taking precautions not to spread the disease, and more people are getting tested. But the rising number of people in DC living with HIV, 3 percent of the adult population, is considered an epidemic by the CDC.

Kenya acts to stem cross-border HIV spread

Read the full article here.

Kenyans march in a procession in Eldoret town to mark the World Aids Day on December 1, 2009. Kenya’s fight against the spread of HIV/Aids among people crossing into its borders is on course, a new report by a regional body says. Photo/JARED NYATAYA

Food Assistance to be Provided to Tanzania

“Tanzania is among seven African countries that will benefit from a donation of more than 100,000 tons of agricultural commodities valued at US$170 million from the AmeriAcan people under the Food for Education program this year, the US Embassy here said Monday,” says an Afrique en ligne article.

Food assistance provides a healthy meal and may be the only meal that children receive each day. It will benefit 244,315 children. The program is administered by the USDA and donates agricultural products and technical assistance.

“Overall support from the American people to Tanzania’s agriculture sector impr oves productivity, access to credit, and food processing capacity to help Tanzania overcome regional and seasonal food insecurity and boost family incomes, especially among women smallholder farmers,” quotes the article.

‘Given Tanzania’s enormous agricultural potential, this assistance supports Tanzania’s goals of achieving food self-sufficiency, improving the business climate for agriculture, and eventually becoming a major food exporter to the region and the world,’ the embassy statement added.

Tuberculosis Accounts for 1/3 of AIDS Deaths Worldwide

That’s why the study highlighted in this article, which demonstrates that a new vaccine reduced the rate of tuberculosis in HIV-positive people by 39%, is so important in both fighting tuberculosis and AIDS. Usually HIV-positive individuals cannot get a TB vaccine because the bacteria could re-activate in a weak immune system (for a similar article from last year, read here or here).

“Development of a new vaccine against tuberculosis is a major international health priority, especially for patients with HIV infection,” Ford von Reyn, director of the DarDar International Programs for the Section on Infectious Disease and International Health at Dartmouth Medical School, said.

Healtcare Reform and HIV/AIDS

Is AIDSTanzania going to go political and talk about the pros/cons of the healthcare reform storm that is sweeping the nation? No. But it is worth thinking about how the healthcare bill will affect those at risk for HIV and those already living with HIV/AIDS. For example, read the following quote from the AlterNet.org article: “Forty-five percent of people with HIV/AIDS in the United States have incomes under $10,000 a year, and 50 percent lack regular medical coverage.” That is a staggering statistic.

With all of the talk about who really benefits from the bill, who doesn’t benefit, and what this will do to our disenfranchised citizens, it is worth thinking about those who are some of the most disenfranchised of all – those living with HIV/AIDS and who are already struggling to get access to affordable, non-discriminatory, and beneficial healthcare. Also, any type of freeze to domestic spending on health and human service programs will hurt both those who are HIV-positive and those who are at risk.

No matter what your political position, something to think about.

Domestic Action to Fight AIDS Among Women Lacking

March is Women’s History Month. On March 10th, according to AlterNet.org, America “celebrated” Women and Girls’ HIV Awareness Day. But apparently there wasn’t anything to celebrate, since our country has made relatively little progress in awareness or policy around the high HIV rate for women, particularly African-American women and girls. The article laments that our international AIDS relief plans address the gendered issues around HIV prevention and treatment, while our own domestic policy largely ignores the epidemic.

AIDSTanzania is accepting applications for Spring 2010!!

Check out the Application Tab to download the new application! Applications are due by midnight on February 26, 2010 and there will be an info session at 9:00 PM on February 22 in Blair 221. Hope to see you all there!!

Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover visits HIV/AIDS programs in Tanzania

Danny Glover, UNICEF Ambassador and famous actor, traveled to Tanzania in July 2009 to support HIV testing efforts, counseling for PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission) and the fight against stigma in the country. Mr. Glover’s brother is HIV positive, and Mr. Glover sees the need for youth support clinics, testing, and a reduction in stigma. He also supports PMTCT efforts and the ongoing support for pregnant women who are HIV positive, including the involvement of their husbands or boyfriends.

During his visit to Tanzania, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover talks with a mother who has brought a child to a clinic and is waiting to be attended by a nurse.

Mr. Glover met with youth from the Zanzibar Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS and talked with people from the Zanzibar Youth Education Development and Environment Support Association, who provide a range of support services. Mr. Glover said that HIV stigma is “one of the most damaging” factors at work in Tanzania. We feel that this is true across the world, and we couldn’t agree more.

Read the full article here.

UNICEF and HIV/AIDS

UNICEF’s “Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS” campaign has a good website to learn more about children at risk for and with HIV. It provides a link to the Children and AIDS: Fourth Stocktaking Report 2009 Summary, and lists out UNICEF’s 4 Ps. They are 1) preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, 2) providing pediatric treatment, 3) preventing infection among adolescents and young people, and 4) protecting and supporting children affected by HIV and AIDS.

Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS focuses on four areas that contribute towards the achievement of an AIDS- free generation. These Four Ps are based on global commitments made in the Millennium Development Goals and focus on the needs of children and their families.

Check it out if you’d like to learn more about what UNICEF is doing to fight HIV and protect children.

UNICEF and ZAPHA+ work to reduce stigma in Zanzibar

Though HIV prevalence is not as high in Zanzibar as in other areas of Tanzania, stigma there is rampant. This UNICEF article, quoting the 2007-2008 Tanzania HIV and Malaria Indicator Survey, indicates that “51 per cent of women and 41 per cent of men would keep it a secret that a family member is infected with the HIV virus.”

During a group exercise in the Young Journalists workshop in Unguja, Zanzibar, the participants discuss different scenarios of HIV stigmatization.

UNICEF and ZAPHA+ (Zanzibar Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS) work to combat this stigma and encourage people to get tested. ZAPHA+ provides workshops and counseling for young people living with HIV to help reduce stigma in their communities and help them cope with emotional and health issues. Children living with HIV are empowered to tell their own stories and build strategies to change attitudes.

The model of storytelling was effective this week during a 7-day Young Journalists Workshop at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) Children’s Panorama, where 24 children who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS had an opportunity to share their experiences and wrote a newsletter that was sent to other schoolchildren in Unguja and Pemba.