This issue...

At a time when HIV is still spreading steadily across the globe, we are also witnessing progress in controlling this deadly disease. Responses to the AIDS epidemic have grown and improved considerably over the last few years. The objective of this E-bulletin is to circulate AIDS-related news, publications, literature and research to affiliated unions and others working in this field. It is a part of our new Global HIV/AIDS project, which is targeting ITF affiliates all over the globe. Get involved! For further information and queries please contact Dr. Syed Asif Altaf, Global HIV/AIDS Project Coordinator, Altaf_Asif@itf.org.uk or the Regional Education Coordinator in your ITF region, ITF Education Department: education@itf.org.uk .

This issue of the E-bulletin will look back at the recently concluded planning workshop in Kolkata, India to design new HIV project in South Asia; a report on HIV treatment and support programme in Sub-Saharan Africa. The issue will also focus on HIV/AIDS situation in Australia where number of new cases is increasing in recent years.

Kolkata host planning workshop to design new HIV/AIDS project in South Asia

When we talk about HIV/AIDS, most of the time our discussion is confined to the HIV situation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to bear the brunt of the global epidemic. Two thirds (63%) of all adults and children with HIV globally live in the region. But countries in the South and South Asia are facing a very fast growing pandemic. Almost 8 million people are living with the virus in this big region. Epidemiologically South Asia is also very important because the rate of HIV infection varies a lot in different countries; in India the total number of positive people is around 3 million, in Nepal the number is 75,000 whereas the total number of positives in other countries like Bangladesh, Srı Lanka and Pakistan is only a few thousand. A porous border interconnects the countries in South Asia where both legal and illegal migration is high. This means infection can travel very quickly from one country to another.

The ITF with funding support from the FNV Mondiaal has been implementing a HIV prevention and support programme for its affiliated unions in India, Bangladesh and Nepal since 2004. Although the project has built a momentum to reduce transport workers’ vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and the unions have also shown interest and enthusiasm to help their members in their fight against HIV/AIDS, still we have a long way to go to keep transport workers safe from the deadly infection. The ITF is now planning to extend the project for 3 more years after the completion of the present phase in December 2007. A planning workshop was organised in Kolkata, India, from 25-27 September 2007, which was attended by 40 union leaders, HIV experts and other stakeholders from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. One of the important issues discussed during the workshop was institutionalising HIV/AIDS education and awareness programme by formulating workplace HIV policies and programmes and by including HIV in the curriculum of the health and safety training of the employees during their induction and refresher training courses. The ITF-affiliated National Federation of Indian Railwaymen and All India Railwaymen’s Federation who represent some 70 per cent of the entire Indian railway workforce will put this issue to the Indian Railways board for approval. The unions hope that with continuous lobbying, the board will agree to include HIV and AIDS in the curriculum.

HIV treatment 'failing' in Africa: A survey report

According to a recent survey report, more than a third of patients on HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa die or discontinue their treatment within two years of starting it. The study found that many were too late taking up anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, while for some it was impractical to travel to distant clinics. The study which looked at antiretroviral programmes for HIV patients in 13 sub-Saharan countries was conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health and published online by the Public Library of Science, found evidence that in cases where patients had to pay for ARVs, some stopped treatment and the success rates vary depending on the programme and country. The researchers found that two years on from the commencement of treatment, only 61.6% of all patients were still receiving medication. The researchers say there are many reasons for the fall-out rate. Many patients were too late in taking up ARVs in the first pace and died within a few months of commencing treatment. Other patients dropped out because of problems with accessing the drugs - they may live some distance for example from the clinic, which provided the medication. There was also evidence, the researchers say, of patients discontinuing treatment because of the cost of the drugs in those cases where patients were charged for their ARVs. Boston University's Dr Christopher Gill says in many cases, taking the ARVs may take a back seat to more pressing daily needs. "Receiving the drug itself is a major investment of a patient's time, so if you live 8 km from the nearest clinic and have to go there once a month and you don't have a ready means of transport it's a huge investment of your own time. And if you're feeling well and you're worried about other things in terms of finding enough to eat or maintaining a job or finding a job I suppose if you were feeling well you might be tempted to see treatment as being a second-order priority.”

HIV cases increasing in Australia, report says

From the start of the epidemic until the end of December 2006, there have been 23,360 diagnoses of HIV and 10,028 diagnoses of AIDS. During this time, Australia has also recorded 6,685 deaths of people with AIDS. But according to a recent report by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases in Australia has increased by about onethird during the past few years. The report found that new HIV diagnoses increased from 763 cases in 2000 to 998 in 2006 after a period of steady decline that began in the 1980s. In addition, the report found that Chlamydia remained the most frequently reported notifiable sexually transmitted infection, with 232 cases per 100,000 people.

HIV transmission in Australia continues to occur primarily through sexual contact between men. Around 64% of people newly diagnosed with HIV infection in the period 2001-2005 were men with a history of homosexual contact; 19% were probably exposed through heterosexual contact; 4% were injecting drug users; and a further 4% were men with a history of both injecting drug use and homosexual contact. In 9% of cases, the route of HIV transmission was categorised as other or undetermined.

The Australian government in May announced that it had included 9.8 million Australian dollars, or about $8 million, in the federal budget for the development of a national HIV prevention and education campaign. The campaign targets at-risk populations, including young people and men who have sex with men. The plan also will provide funding during the next four years to develop a new media campaign, as well as to create resources for doctors, sexual health workers and schools.