HIV rising in Asia-Pacific, investment needed

HIV notifications in the Asia Pacific are rising for the first time in a decade, according to concerning new data presented this morning at the International AIDS Society Conference in Montreal, prompting calls for Australia to step up its contribution to the global HIV response. As the UNAIDS report In Danger outlines, the global HIV effort is stalling. Globally, new HIV infections fell just 3.6 per cent to 1.5 million between 2020 and 2021, the smallest annual drop since 2017. New cases exceeded global targets by more than one million. While the report shows robust declines in new HIV notifications in the Caribbean, and western and central Africa, it notes there were an estimated 260,000 new infections in Asia and the Pacific, the first increase in a decade. Pacific Friends of Global Health chair, Professor Brendan Crabb, said the report was a wake up call. “While we have all been focused on COVID, HIV/AIDS has sadly bounced back. We need to get on top of this and drive new infections back down,” Professor Crabb said. “There is no steady state for epidemics. They either expand or contract. So we need to get this epidemic moving back in the right direction.” Professor Crabb said the forthcoming replenishment of the Global Fund – the world’s main mechanism for funding HIV prevention and treatment – was the perfect opportunity for Australia to play its part by pledging an additional $450 million. “If we fail to step up our investments in fighting HIV we risk surrendering decades of hard-won progress. This will have a profound human impact, devastating the livelihoods and health of hundreds of thousands of people in our region. “All the tools necessary to end HIV transmission exist. We just need the political and financial commitment. “For every US dollar invested by the Australian Government, the Global Fund partnership has invested approximately 13 dollars in our region. “The Global Fund is a well-established mechanism with a proven track record and credibility to support countries and communities to prevent, detect and respond to HIV. Global Fund investments are also designed to ‘float all boats’ by strengthening health systems where they are weakest. This improves the delivery of HIV, COVID-19, malaria, TB and other crucial services simultaneously.” The Global Fund invests US$4 billion a year to defeat HIV, TB and malaria and ensure a healthier, safer, equitable future for all. Since its establishment in 2002, 44 million lives have been saved through the Global Fund partnership, with 21.9 million people accessing antiretroviral therapy for HIV in 2020 due to Global Fund-supported projects.