AIDS Epidemic Poses Serious Threat to Stability in Europe: UNAIDS
and WHO Call on Governments to Turn Policy Into Action

UNAIDS Press Release - September 16, 2004

http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2004/UN040902.html
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Vilnius, Lithuania - With more than 1.8 million people living
with HIV in Europe and Central Asia, the epidemic poses a serious
threat to the region's social and economic stability, according
to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and
the World Health Organization (WHO). UNAIDS and WHO therefore
urge European governments to turn strategy into integrated HIV
prevention and treatment programmes to save the lives of
thousands of people.

"Countries of the newly enlarged European Union now have a prime
opportunity to convert their commitment into concrete action and
programmes against AIDS. Building effective partnerships is key
to make a significant and sustainable contribution towards
proactively addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe," said Dr
Jack Chow, WHO's Assistant Director-General, HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, ahead of the opening of a European
Ministerial conference on AIDS hosted by the Government of
Lithuania and the European Commission. The conference, entitled
"Europe and HIV/AIDS: New Challenges, New Opportunities", is
being held from 16-17 September 2004 in Vilnius.

In Western Europe, deaths from AIDS have declined due to the
availability of HIV treatment. Alarmingly, AIDS infection rates
have continued to rise because of waning government commitments
to prevention efforts and treatment complacency. The number of
people living with HIV rose from 540,000 in 2001 to 580,000 by
end 2003. Some of the highest infection rates in the world are in
Eastern Europe, primarily in Estonia, Latvia, the Russian
Federation and Ukraine where the epidemic continues to spread
unchecked. HIV infections in Russia have jumped from 530,000 in
2001 to 860,000 just two years later. HIV threatens to spread
relentlessly in neighbouring countries, including Belarus,
Moldova, and Central Asian countries.

"Given that 80% of those infected in Eastern Europe are young
people, there is an urgent need for a massive and comprehensive
response to reduce the vulnerability of young people and empower
them to become active partners in the fight against AIDS," said
Lars O. Kallings, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for
HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe, who is participating in the
conference. "If no action is taken, we will be faced with a
larger AIDS epidemic that risks crippling the region's social and
economic development and undermining national security."

Prevention is key to halting the growing AIDS epidemic. People
need to be educated about the possible impact of risky behavior
and have access to condoms, needle exchange programs and
substitution therapy. Targeted awareness-raising campaigns should
be carried out to inform people about how to protect themselves
from HIV. As injecting drug use is the primary driver of HIV
transmission in Eastern Europe, information, counseling and
treatment should be made readily accessible to drug users to
reduce the risk of HIV.

Countering stigma and discrimination is equally essential. Fear,
ignorance, prejudice, outdated laws (including the
criminalization of drug users), and lack of information about HIV
prevention and transmission all fuel the epidemic. The specific
needs and challenges faced by vulnerable groups, notably drug
users, sexual minorities, migrant populations, sex workers, and
prisoners must be addressed comprehensively.

In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, about 15,000 people currently
receive antiretroviral therapy out of 120,000 who need it. The
high cost of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs is a persistent barrier
to accessing antiretrovirals in Eastern Europe. Safe quality
drugs must be made available to the increasing number of those
who need them at affordable prices.

Cooperation among EU Member States has been critical to
containing earlier waves of the epidemic. EU funding for projects
led by public health experts and non-governmental organizations
has enabled national actors to address the specific challenges
faced by vulnerable groups. Thanks in part to Global Fund
funding, countries like Moldova, Ukraine and Albania have started
treatment in the past six months. More national and European
investment is urgently needed in the region. "We would like to
support the European Union for their renewed efforts to fight
AIDS in Europe, particularly its commitment to assist the
most-affected countries in its neighbourhood," said Henning
Mikkelsen, UNAIDS' Europe Regional Coordinator, speaking at a
press conference in advance of the Ministerial conference.

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