Issue in Focus: There is Hope How Several Countries Are Successfully Combating HIV/AIDS
Uganda, Thailand, Senegal, Poland and Cambodia have achieved some success in preventing HIV/AIDS through education and outreach, voluntary counseling and testing, strong political and religious leadership, and condom promotion and distribution as well as working with high-risk populations.Uganda
In recent years, one of the most successful battles against HIV has been waged in Uganda, where various sectors of Ugandan society have united in the campaign against HIV. Infection rates have been cut in half through a combination of education, extensive testing and counseling as well as condom promotion. Religious leaders and community development organizations have been encouraged to tackle this life-threatening issue. In the urban areas of Uganda, the incidence of HIV infections among pregnant women has fallen for eight years consecutively. In 1992, almost 30 percent of pregnant women tested positive for HIV. In 2000, that number had dropped to 11 percent. Programs reaching out to sex workers have also been successful. Efforts have focused on promoting safer sex behaviors through condom marketing and distribution, radio and television advertising, and the use of peer educators, including people living with AIDS.
Senegal
Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. At one end of the spectrum, there are countries like Botswana with HIV infection rates exceeding 30 percent. At the other end of the spectrum there is Senegal, with an infection rate of just 1.8 percent. Senegal's HIV infection rate has been stabilized at a relatively low level through sex education and condom promotion. At the onset of the epidemic, the government set up a system to screen blood transfusions. It also dropped taxes on condoms, making them more affordable and allowing for wider use. In predominately Muslim Senegal, religious leaders have contributed to the campaign by regularly delivering sermons about HIV/AIDS. Registered sex workers must be tested regularly and are treated for STIs when necessary. Prevention interventions for commercial sex workers promoted condom use with clients and focused on reaching the users of commercial sex services as well. To reach youth, sexual health education has been made part of the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools.
Thailand
As a result of the "100% Condom Campaign," which emphasizes education and prevention and encourages condom use, the government of Thailand has cut levels of infection among commercial sex workers and their clients. It has addressed the problem of HIV/AIDS among pregnant women by integrating HIV education, and testing and counseling into its nationwide network of family planning and maternal and child health facilities. Interventions have included workshops for women on negotiating condom use with their partners, self-help groups and life-skill education. Providers travel to villages to educate community members about HIV. Community members have been enlisted to help ensure that local media campaigns reflect local cultural values and identities. Buddhist monks and traditional healers have also enlisted in HIV prevention efforts to provide information and moral support.
Poland
Rates of HIV-infection are growing most rapidly in Eastern Europe. Already, 1 percent of people in the Ukraine are HIV-positive. In Estonia, the past three years have seen the number of reported cases jump ten-fold. However, Poland was one of the first Eastern European countries to acknowledge the epidemic and launch a full-scale response to it. Poland contained the spread of the disease among intravenous drug-users and prevented it from spreading to the general population by discouraging the sharing of needles and communicating information on needle sterilization methods and other means of reducing risk. In Poland, there are currently 13,000 people living with HIV and an adult prevalence rate of 0.07 percent.
Cambodia
Cambodia has been one of the hardest hit countries in Asia, where, among adults, HIV prevalence is around 4 percent. However, Cambodia began an aggressive and large-scale campaign in the mid-90's to encourage condom use and behavior change among men - specifically discouraging high-risks behaviors like unprotected sex with commercial sex workers. The results have been encouraging. Overall, the HIV infection rate has fallen from 3.9 percent in 1997 to 2.8 percent in 2000. There has also been a decline in the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women, from 3.2 percent to 2.3 percent over the same three-year period.
Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.
