Set ambitious targets - civil society tell African leaders
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Africa Civil Society Coalition on HIV/AIDS Press Release
Abuja - The goal of universal access to HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria
services in Africa by 2010 will not be reached if African lead- ers
backtrack on targets set in the Abuja Declaration of 2001.
This is the concern raised by civil society organizations cur- rently
participating in the Africa Union Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, TB and
malaria which ends tomorrow in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
At the meeting of experts yesterday, delegations from various African
countries and development partners reviewed targets on voluntary
counselling and testing (VCT), access to parent to child transmission
treatment services (PMTCT) and number of peo- ple living with AIDS on
antiretroviral treatment, among others, towards universal access by
2010. "Universal access means 100% access. We cannot settle for low
targets if we are serious about accelerating actions to control the
three endemic diseases in Africa," said Dr Tidiane Tall, who represented
civil society at the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Session today.
The call for ambitious targets was also echoed by the UNAIDS Ex- ecutive
Director, Peter Piot. "Every HIV positive woman in Af- rica needs to be
assured that she can protect her child from HIV infection. A target of
100 per cent access to antiretrovirals for pregnant women is the only
acceptable figure," said Sisonke Msimang of the Open Society Initiative
for Southern Africa. The civil society coalition has urged leaders to
target 7 million people in Africa on HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010 instead
of the proposed 4 million. "The recommended target of 4 million is a
severe underestimate. Various institutions estimate that up to
12 million people in Africa will need antiretrovirals by 2010.
This translates into seven million people on treatment by 2010",
Veronica Omunga of NAP+.
The coalition also called for a target of reaching 80 per cent of people
in Africa with voluntary counselling and testing ser- vices instead of
the 50 per cent proposed by experts. "If we are serious about prevention
and treatment, VCT is a must. The 50 per cent target is unacceptable
when inception rates are ap- proximately 6000 a day," added Omunga.
For more information please contact
Gichinga Ndirangu
Tel. +27-824141011 or
Ronald Kayanja
Tel. +234-8066797023
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Dr. Mohga Kamal Smith
Health policy advisor
Oxfam House
John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY, UK
Tel: +44-1865-472-290
Mobile +44-777-6255-884
mailto:mksmith@Oxfam.org.uk
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/imin