International AIDS Conference, 2008

Taking Action NOW!
By Kristen Hazlett

I find it impossible to begin to reflect on my experiences at the International Aids Conference without first setting the stage with some of the facts surrounding the issues of HIV-AIDS in the world.

• It is estimated that 33 million people were living with HIV in 2007 – this is more than the population of Canada, and this is a mere fraction of the people affected by the disease
• An estimated 20 million people have died from the disease already
• In 2007 there were a reported 2.7 million new HIV infections and a reported 2 million AIDS deaths
• 35% of HIV infections and 38% of AIDS deaths in 2007 occurred in Southern Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 67% of people living with HIV
• Women account for nearly 60% of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa
• Young people aged 15–24 account for an estimated 45% of new HIV infections worldwide.
• An estimated 370 000 children younger than 15 years became infected with HIV in 2007.
• The number of children younger than 15 years living with HIV increased from 1.6 million in 2001 to 2.0 million in 2007.
• Almost 90% of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa

PCC delegates at the International AIDS Conference, 2008. Back: (left to right): Kristen Hazlett (Toronto/Calgary , Adam Hall (Calgary), Meshack Kuwula (from PWS&D partner Africa Inland Church of Tanzania), John Plater (friend of PCC delegation), Front: (left to right) Fiona MacKenzie (Edmonton), Karen Plater (PCC national office), Stephanie Symington (Calgary) and Michelle Verwey (Victoria) (Photo Credit: Karen Plater, PCC)

These statistics are admittedly overwhelming. They paint a picture of an issue that has no simple solutions and can be paralysing. It can be easy for us in North America to shut out the reality of what the disease is doing to our world because we are rarely confronted with the enormity of the epidemic. However it is important to note that in North America the prevalence of new infections is rising, especially among youth ages 15-25. In Canada the overall rates are not officially rising but they are not falling. To win against AIDS the world needs an effective treatment response but we also need to stop the incidence of new HIV infections in order to stop the spread of the virus.

HIV underlines the inequalities that have become inherent in our world. Poverty is one of the major causes of transmission because it leaves people more vulnerable to the disease, especially women and children.

The spread of HIV has been difficult to stop because it is spread through our most intimate relationships and intimate contacts with other people. This has led to stigmatisation of the disease and discrimination against those people who are living with it.

This is unacceptable. People living in conflict situations, displaced people and marginalised populations such as homosexuals, transgendered people, intravenous drug users and sex workers all have an increased vulnerability to the disease. It may be difficult, even uncomfortable sometimes, to discuss the ways of preventing the spread of the disease, such as the use of condoms or needle exchange programs, but it is necessary in order to heal our world.

UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon addresses IAC delegates

The theme of the Ecumenical Pre-Conference was “Faith in Action NOW!”. As people of faith we need to take action, focusing not on the overwhelming scale of the epidemic in the world, but on the singular actions we can take as individuals. During his ministry Jesus spent his time with the poor, downtrodden, diseased and marginalised people who were living in his world – he spent his time in relationship with them, not pitying them but loving them without judgment. As Christians we are supposed to be examples of Christ’s love to his people. We should be caring for the poor, desperate and marginalised populations of the world, it is what is required of us. We should be seeking to emulate Jesus’ example, we should be loving the people of our world without judgment, we should be empathetic and as people of faith we should be fighting for justice in the face of an overwhelming unfairness that is leading the deaths of fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives and friends worldwide. These people, affected so intensely by HIV may seem removed from us due to geography, but they are part of our family, part of our Christian body, and their suffering is our suffering and requires action from us.

The theme of the XVII International AIDS Conference was “Universal Action NOW”. The same call for action, with particular focus being placed on the need for Universal Access, as set out in one of the Millennium Development Goals. The goal was to have Universal Access to HIV treatment available by 2010. This goal seems a long way off but, according to experts, is possible if we all take action now. Through my time at the conference I came to understand that Universal Access in more than just treatment was necessary. There needs to be Universal Access to Public Health. Universal Access to Accurate, Comprehensive and Evidence Based HIV education. Including information about all available methods of prevention.
Universal Access to Prevention including condoms and clean needles.
Universal Access to Justice and Legal Services for those in regions where HIV transmission is now being criminalized. None of these necessary components will be possible if there is not Universal Action NOW from every part of the world.

In closing, I would like to share with you one of the most personal aspects of what this conference has meant to me. I am diabetic. I have been living with Type 1 diabetes for the last 19 years, I have access to the treatment I require – namely at least 4 insulin injections daily, and medical care. If I take care of myself there is no reason I cannot live a long, mostly normal life. This is not the case of those who are diagnosed with the same disease in developing countries. Their life expectancy, without access to insulin, is around 12 months – the same as the life expectancy in the developed world before the discovery of insulin in the 1920s. This has always been an uncomfortable truth in my life. With the development of public health systems and facilities in response to the AIDS pandemic, clinics are now being opened which can treat not only HIV but also diabetes, cancer and other medical conditions. If we continue on this necessary path, the response to the AIDS crisis will be more than just a bandaid fix on this enormous medical problem. It will mean lasting, sustainable change in the worst affected areas of the world.