UNAIDS is unlocking crucial conversations on #AIDS + #HIV that demand our attention. Vinay Saldanha breaks down the current UNAIDS report on the state of HIV/AIDS in 2023.
VINAY
Every day should be World AIDS Day.
KARL
Hello there. Welcome to plus talk on plus Life, where we’re all about turning positive into a plus the world. Just recognized World AIDS Day last week. And that means there’s a new UN AIDS report, world AIDS Day report. Out. Joining me is Vinay Saldanha. Here is the director of unaids US Liaison Office, Washington DC I always have to look at my notes for that Vinay ’cause it’s a long title.
VINAY
Hello Karl. Great to see you and thanks. Thanks for you and the whole team at Plus Life for always covering HIV issues and giving visibility to HIV every day and not just on World aids.
KARL
Well, we appreciate that. Lots to get into. Before we get into the meat of the report, let’s hear some of the numbers. Where are we at with people living with HIV, how many newly infected and how accessing meds, all of that?
VINAY
Sure. So despite the many challenges in the world that we face today with war, with humanitarian crises, with economic crises, the global HIV response is really a shining example of how progress can still be maintained even under the most challenging of circumstances. So at the end of 2022, we unaids estimates that we have 39 million people living globally with HIV and we have a record number, almost 30 million out of those 39 million people who are aware of their HIV status and are on life-saving antiretroviral treatment. So this is huge progress that continues, but AIDS is not over. Last year, 2022, we still had 1.3 million new HIV infections and 650,000 people lost their lives due to AIDS related illnesses. So progress is still being made. Those numbers of new infections and AIDS related deaths are the lowest numbers ever, but they’re still not enough to say that the end of AIDS is within our grasp.
KARL
So the, the theme this year was let communities lead. What does this report tell us? How is it going when it comes to community?
VINAY
Well, I mean the, the principle of Let communities lead is really at the foundation of the global HIV response, the deeper principle that people living with HIV and communities need to be not just consulted, but need to be at the table and in leadership roles in everything that we do. In HIV is a founding principle of how UN AIDS works, how the United Nations responds to the HIV pandemic and how successful HIV responses look all around the world.
KARL
The executive director of Unaids said, I’m quoting here. Communities across the world have shown that they are ready, willing, and able to lead the way, but they need the barriers obstructing their work to be pulled down. What are those barriers? Vinay? There’s
VINAY
A number of barriers. First of all, many of the communities that are disproportionately affected by HIV are so-called key populations that are disproportionately facing barriers to access lifesaving services. So if you are a gay man or a member of the L-G-B-T-I-Q community, or you are a person who used drugs, or if you are a sex worker, very often you’re criminalized for who you are or who you love. And those criminal, those criminal laws actually create life-threatening barriers for people most at risk for HIV infection to come forward, feel comfortable and confident in not only accessing lifesaving services, but leading the response, the HIV response for their communities and for their countries in how to close the gaps and make sure that everyone benefits from these life-Saving Services. So a very practical one is to end the criminal laws.
KARL
Yeah. And by the way, also here in this country, you, you people might watch this and think, oh, whoa, that would never happen in the United States. We’re so, but, but no, there’s still a lot of those laws are on the books in this country too.
VINAY
And, and as shocking as it might sound at the end of 2023, we still have laws both here in the United States and around the world that criminalize even people living with HIV for. So-called Putting at Risk their partner for HIV Transmission. The
KARL
Report shows that investing in community-led HIV programs is delivering transformational benefits. Just give me an example, a couple of examples of what those benefits are, what we’re actually seeing, where when the funding is going, where it into the community and, and as you said, the people with HIV have a voice at and a seat at the table. What is the transformation we’re seeing?
VINAY
Sure. Well, we’re seeing really practical transformations that can be measured in the number of infections averted and the number of people with HIV who are staying alive because they’re accessing life-saving antiretroviral treatment. And a perfect example of that is the Life-Saving Program supported by the American government called pepfar. And PEPFAR is actually celebrating and commemorating its 20th anniversary this year. And it’s really been the backbone of the global HIV response for the last 20 years in 55 PEPFAR supported countries around the world. You see that communities also get consistent amounts of funding, both from pepfar, from the Global fund and from unaids and from local governments. And as a result, these countries are actually furthest along in their HIV responses. They’ve got the highest rates of the so-called Cascade, the 95 95 95 cascade. But they’ve also got really amazing inspiring examples of how communities are in leadership roles funded, equipped, and recognized for being uniquely, uniquely well positioned to actually lead on the HIV response. That’s not to say that there’s not a role for government, that there’s not a role for international partners. Of course there is, but we always have to put the views, the rights, and the voices of people living with HIV in affected communities at the forefront of the HIV response. That’s the only way we’re going to end aids.
KARL
Well, and as someone living with HIVI say amen to that. You know, I think a lot of people watching this Vinay might think, well, this all sounds a bit above my pay grade. This all sounds like, you know, he’s mentioning government and PEPFAR and, and Africa. This is government stuff. But how can everyday people sitting at home watching this or you know, on the bus or wherever they’re watching plus life, how can they get involved and really make sure that communities are leading? How can they be part of the solution?
VINAY
Well, first of all, even consider that everyday should be World AIDS Day right now. This is not something that you just put on the Red Ribbon because it’s the 1st of December that we should be supporting local HIV community programs and initiatives in our own communities where we live at the neighborhood level, at the city level, at the state level, at the national level, whenever we can, whether you’re living with HIV or you simply know someone who is living with HIV or affected with a by by the HIV epidemic, there is also an invaluable contribution that everyone can make simply by addressing stigma and discrimination as a global HIV response. We can spend billions of dollars on HIV programs and mobilize hundreds of thousands of community healthcare workers and outreach workers and build amazing clinics and put together the best services. But if we’re looking with a little skepticism or judgment about people that might be at risk for HIV or living with HIV and trying to judge them for who they are or who they love, or how they were infected with HIV, then we’re actually part of the problem rather than part of the solution. So, putting a little bit more non-judgmental focus on a stigma free and discrimi discrimination free environment to everything we do in everyday life, not just vis-a-vis HIV, is actually a really invaluable contribution that any of us can make to, to ending aids and actually making sure that we respect and celebrate the leadership role of communities.
KARL
Thank you so much, Vinay. That is gonna do it for this episode of Plus Talk. If you want more information, you can visit the website plus life media.com or follow us on social media. We are at Plus Life Media across all platforms. Until next time, be nice to one another. We’ll see you soon. Bye-Bye.