Kaisernetwork.org (Washington, DC)
14 November 2008
Politics and Policy
Bush Receives Humanitarian Award for HIV/AIDS, Health Efforts in Africa
[Nov 14, 2008]
President Bush on Wednesday received the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award in recognition of his administration's efforts to advance HIV/AIDS, health and development efforts in Africa, the AP/Washington Post reports. The award -- which is given each year to leaders who make humanitarian commitments to Africa -- was presented to Bush by the U.S.-based not-for-profit group Africare at an event in Washington, D.C. (Simmons, AP/Washington Post, 11/12).
During the event, Bush spoke about his administration's initiatives to address HIV/AIDS, malaria and other health issues. Bush said he is particularly proud of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which was reauthorized earlier this year (Wolfson, VOA News, 11/13). According to the White House, PEPFAR has supported HIV/AIDS care for more than 6.6 million people worldwide and has helped prevent nearly 200,000 cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Bush called his administration's commitments to Africa a "labor of love," adding that "one of the most uplifting" experiences of his presidency was witnessing Africa's progress in addressing disease, education and hunger. Bush said the U.S. does "not believe in paternalism" but rather supports partnership with Africa "because we believe in the potential of the people on the continent," who have the "talent and ambition and resolve to overcome" challenges. Bush added that U.S. aid to Africa is important because "it is in our national security interest that we defeat hopelessness. It is in our economic interest that we help economies grow. And it is in our moral interest that when we find hunger and suffering, the [U.S.] responds in a robust and effective way" (AP/Washington Post, 11/12).
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Global Challenges
Chilean Lawmakers Call for Investigation of HIV/AIDS Situation
[Nov 14, 2008]
Chile's new health minister, Alvaro Erazo, on Thursday said that at least 512 people nationwide have not been informed by the public health system that they tested HIV-positive and that an additional 1,364 people have not been told by private sector services that they carry the virus, the New York Times reports. Erazo -- who was providing lawmakers with a report on the situation -- said that in about half of the cases, there was no evidence that health care workers had attempted to contact people who had tested HIV-positive. Erazo added, "There is no justification for that." According to Erazo, some of the notification problems resulted from a lack of coordination between the National AIDS Commission and the Ministry of Health. He added that epidemiological security "was not functioning" (Bonnefoy/Barrionuevo, New York Times, 11/14).
Chilean lawmakers on Wednesday called for an investigation into the growing situation in which the government has failed to notify people who tested HIV-positive, Reuters reports (Gardner, Reuters, 11/12). Chile's President Michelle Bachelet last month accepted the resignation of former Health Minister Maria Soledad Barria following an incident at a hospital in the city of Iquique in which Hospital officials did not notify people who had tested positive for the virus (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/30).
According to Cecilla Sepulveda, dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Chile, an estimated 40,000 people in the country are not aware of their HIV-positive status. The government has said that it is making a concerted effort to inform people who have tested HIV-positive of their status, and Erazo said that it will be done in as confidential a manner as possible. The Central Metropolitan Health Service in the capital of Santiago on Thursday announced that it will start an investigation into why 107 people in its jurisdiction were not notified of their HIV-positive status. According to the Times, results are expected in two weeks (New York Times, 11/14).
In reaction to the announcement, some lawmakers are urging the government to declare a health emergency. Juan Lobos, president of the health commission in the Lower House of Congress, said a "much deeper investigation into the health system" is needed. Lobos also called on all health service directors to submit resignations to Erazo.
Government Minister Francisco Vidal said Erazo is working to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future. Vidal also said that Bachelet's administration has dismissed suggestions of a potential epidemic and is dealing with the situation.
According to Reuters, HIV/AIDS advocates have been "outraged" with the situation. Two groups -- Vivo Positivo and Asosida -- issued a joint statement that said, "Failing to adequately inform patients of the positive results of their HIV tests is not just a problem of management or human error but clearly goes against the law." The statement also said the failure to notify patients was the "worst sanitary crisis the country has faced in recent years" and a "flagrant violation of human rights and the right to life" (Reuters, 11/12).
The AP/Google.com reports that some experts blame an increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Chile on "conservative sexual mores that have prevented sexual education in Chile's schools and hindered public health campaigns," including two television networks' refusal to air advertisements in a government campaign to promote condom use (AP/Google.com, 11/13).
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Migrants in Southeast Asia Highly Vulnerable to HIV, Report Says
[Nov 14, 2008]
Millions of migrant workers in Southeast Asia are vulnerable to HIV because they do not have access to health services and legal or social protection, according to a report released Thursday by the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, AFP/Yahoo! Singapore News reports. According to the report, more than 1.5 million people are living with HIV in Southeast Asia, most of whom are of working age. In addition, the report found that HIV/AIDS risk behaviors are higher among migrants compared with the general population.
For the first time, the report included data on current migration patterns and HIV rates in ASEAN's 10 member countries. It found that although some countries -- such as Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam -- have created pre-departure HIV/AIDS training for outgoing, documented migrant workers, many of the training sessions are ineffective. "While migrants and their sexual partners are included as a vulnerable group in the national strategic plans of ASEAN countries, comprehensive programs to address their needs have yet to be developed, funded and implemented," UNAIDS Regional Director Prasada Rao said.
According to the report, HIV prevalence has been recorded at up to 9% among migrant fisherman in Thailand, while 35% and 30% of recorded HIV cases in the Philippines and Laos, respectively, occur among returning migrant workers. "Migrant workers are a vital force to national economies in Southeast Asia, yet when it comes to protecting their rights and ensuring HIV prevention and treatment, they are often among the forgotten," United Nations Development Programme Regional Director Ajay Chhibber said (AFP/Yahoo! Singapore News, 11/13).
The report is available online (.pdf).
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HIV/AIDS Advocates in Philippines Call for Passage of Reproductive Health Bill
[Nov 14, 2008]
In hopes of developing a national policy on reproductive health to help curb the spread of HIV in the Philippines, the Girls, Women and HIV/AIDS Network recently called for the passage of a reproductive health bill in the House of Representatives, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports. During the last general assembly meeting on Oct. 26, GWHAN told lawmakers that it is their "responsibility as pioneers and leaders of the HIV advocacy to register their support for the passage of the reproductive health bill and to stand behind organized groups and networks advocating its immediate passage." The general assembly is expected to continue deliberation of the bill.
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