Gay Mitchell
Question:205 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Africa; and his views on an article (details supplied). [17477/03]
Written Answers. - Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Sexually transmitted diseases are among the most common causes of illness in the world and have far-reaching health, social and economic consequences. They affect both industrialised and developing countries. The increasing mobility of populations and weakening of tradit ional customs seem to be increasing the prevalence of people having sexual relations with multiple partners. Apart from their specific symptoms, STDs also increase the risk of HIV infection. As the world enters the third decade of the HIV-AIDS epidemic, the evidence of its impact is undeniable. By far the worst-affected region, sub-Saharan Africa is now home to 29.4 million people living with HIV-AIDS. Approximately 3.5 million new infections occurred there in 2002, while the epidemic claimed the lives of an estimated 2.4 million Africans in the past year.
The transmission of HIV occurs in a number of ways, including heterosexual transmission, unsafe injections, blood transfusions and from HIV positive mothers to their unborn children, as pointed out in the Sunday Business Post article of 15 June 2003. However, it is widely acknowledged by leading experts, including the World Health Organisation, that heterosexual transmission accounts for most of the HIV infections in the developing world. Efforts to halt the spread of HIV-AIDS need to take a comprehensive approach incorporating components to prevent the spread of the virus and to mitigate its impact. Strategies to halt the spread of HIV need to focus on promoting behaviour change and access to condoms. High risk groups – injecting drug users and commercial sex workers – need to be the target of specific interventions.
Women, in particular, are at a high risk of HIV infection for biological and sociological reasons. Unequal gender relations need to be considered in all programmes established to prevent the spread of HIV, including condom use and distribution, behavioural change communication strategies and awareness-raising of HIV. The provision of health care for HIV infected people needs to address weaknesses in health systems in developing countries including the lack of qualified health workers, inadequate infrastructure, and poor laboratory facilities. Administering anti-retroviral drugs requires qualified health staff as strict regimens need to be followed in order to ensure their efficacy. The provision of care and support for those infected and affected by HIV is also required alongside prevention and treatment programmes in order to address the needs of those living with HIV.
Ireland Aid is contributing to the global response to prevent the spread of HIV and mitigate its impact on developing countries. The Government's global response to HIV-AIDS, which is guided by the HIV-AIDS strategy for the Ireland Aid programme 2000, involves advocacy for a sustained and resourced response to HIV-AIDS; strengthening leadership at all levels; and improving co-ordination of resources and planning across Departments. At country level Ireland Aid's support focuses on developing the capacity of partner Governments and national AIDS councils to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS and to mitigate the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. The funding provided through the Ireland Aid programme is made available to a range of organisations at global, regional and country levels.
Funding resources for HIV-AIDS interventions have increased over the past five years to €50 million today. This funding is directed at HIV-AIDS activities primarily focused on Africa and implemented through international organisations, NGOs, regional initiatives and in programme countries. A number of activities have been supported in 2003 including the global fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria; AIDS vaccine research initiative; and prevention, care and support activities. In addition to these health is one of the key sectors supported by Ireland Aid. Ireland's support for health is guided by an explicit policy framework, outlined in the Ireland Aid guidelines for health, April 2000. This framework has facilitated the growth in health sector expenditure by Ireland Aid and the support of programmes that strongly reflect the principles of national ownership and the strengthening of health systems at country level. In addition some funds are directed at priority programmes such as malaria, TB or reproductive health, which merit additional support because of their contribution to addressing the major burden of disease.