Reproductive health funding will help fight aids (Nov)
30 November 2005
More funding for reproductive health services will help combat the
scourge of AIDS, according to Sustainable Population Australia inc (SPA).
On the eve of World Aids Day, SPA National president Ms Jenny Goldie says
couples need better access to condoms and other safe, affordable measures
that have the dual role of stopping unwanted pregnancies and of spreading
HIV/AIDS.
“The seven most seriously AIDS-affected countries are all in sub-Saharan
Africa,” says Ms Goldie. “They are amongst the poorest countries of the
world and have had only limited success in the past 30 years of improving
contraceptive access.
“Yet lowering fertility can reduce poverty especially when combined with
social and economic policies,” she says. “If people are lifted out of
poverty, they may then be able to afford the antiretroviral drugs that
keep people alive in richer countries.”
According to the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, women and girls
increasingly bear the HIV burden because of the high-risk behaviour of
their partners. Forty five percent of those afflicted by AIDS are women
and, by 2003, 15 million children had been orphaned by the disease.
“Global funding for HIV/AIDS tripled between 2001 and 2004 to $6.1
billion, allowing much better access to AIDS education and prevention and
care services. Nevertheless, much more needs to be committed so access to
drugs is affordable for all,” says Ms Goldie.
“Spending on HIV/AIDS is essential and must be increased, but it must be
part of a comprehensive reproductive health care package. Education about
HIV/AIDS must incorporate information about how couples can control their
own fertility.”
Further information: Jenny Goldie 0401 921 453