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 Andrew Little (left), director of Positive Futures, with Justice Edwin Cameron photo: robert taylor |
Rich western countries are not doing enough to fight the worldwide HIV and Aids epidemic, South African Judge Edwin Cameron declared on World Aids Day.
Delivering the third Diana, Princess of Wales lecture on Aids at London’s City Hall, Justice Cameron said the lack of action from western countries cannot be justified.
Fifty-year-old Justice Cameron, who is openly HIV positive himself and a leading Aids activist, challenged rich western governments to do more.
“It is in our means to avoid catastrophe,” he said, “and it threatens the moral premises under which political power exists.”
Calling on the west to put its money where its mouth is, he said that Britain is only giving a fifth of what it should, and the USA only a eleventh of what it should.
Cameron criticised what he called “the grossly excessive pricing of drugs,” “commercial greed” and “the often obstructive and self-serving role of the international pharmaceutical companies” who have fought “every step of the way” against lowering the prices of HIV medications.
“Prices have come down,” he declared, “yet they have been earned in blood and death.”
Cameron also did not pull his punches while condemning the South African government of Thabo Mbeki for a “four year period of nightmare and denialism.”
“Aids denialism sought to controvert the scientifically and medically incontrovertible fact that Aids is virally caused, mostly sexually transmitted and, most important of all, can be treated successfully.
“It was a hideous and costly mistake, an intellectual outrage and a moral disgrace,” Cameron said.
A new draft Disability Bill aims to remove discrimination against all HIV positive people in Britain for the first time.
The new law, which will extend protection to all positive people under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), promises that discrimination in the workplace, in renting a home, on public transport and in joining a private club will now be illegal in this country.
In a significant move forward, the draft bill will extend the rights of the DDA to all people in the UK with HIV from the point of their diagnosis, not just to those with an Aids defining diagnosis as was previously the case.
“The bill will extend DDA coverage to those people as soon as they have HIV infection, regardless of whether the condition has any effects on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities,” said the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
THT welcomed the draft law: “It is extremely important because it recognises the impact of prejudice on the employment experiences of many people with HIV.”
Andrew Little, director of Positive Futures (PF), the pan-London partnership of HIV charities aimed at retraining, reskilling and getting HIV positive people back to work, said: “This change acknowledges the particular issues facing people with HIV. It will assist particularly in making it easier for positive people in the workplace.”
The number of people living with HIV in Britain rose by 20 per cent last year, up from 41,700 in 2001 to 49,500 in 2002.
And a third of people with HIV in this country are still unaware of their diagnosis.
The number of new HIV cases diagnosed for 2002 is expected to reach 6,400, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said, and of the 5,711 diagnoses analysed so far only about 1,850 are thought to have been acquired in the UK.
Only 275 of the new cases were acquired heterosexually in this country, 1,500 were among gay and bisexual men and the largest number (3,030) were infections acquired abroad, mainly from Africa.
The number of infections acquired via heterosexual sex has increased dramatically from 835 in 1996 to 3,152 in 2002 and now represents nearly 60 per cent of new cases.
But the HPA warned that the group most at risk of contracting HIV in the UK remains gay and bisexual men, who account for about 80 per cent of new infections acquired in this country.
The only good news to come out of the report was the announcement that deaths from HIV and Aids in Britain have now fallen to less than 400 a year, thanks largely to effective drug therapies.
But the HPA warned of a doubling of new gonorrhoea cases among gay men, up to 3,363 in 2002, and a twelvefold increase in new cases of syphilis, up from 52 to 607 over the same period.
“As sexually transmitted infections facilitate the transmission of HIV, it is possible that the rise in these may have played a significant part in the increase in HIV among gay men,” the report said.
The HPA called for sexual health clinics to offer gay and bisexual men annual HIV tests but also called for more research into the sexual behaviour of migrants to the UK.
Nick Partridge, chief executive of THT, said: “People should be able to test when and where they want, and get their results much faster.”
Robin Brady, new chief executive at Crusaid, warned against complacency: “The focus of attention must be on ensuring that people affected by HIV and Aids are given proper support and medical care.” He added: “Government should also do far more in terms of educating young people - both straight and gay - about the need for safer sex. It should not be left to the charity sector to do this work.”
It’s easier to report hate crime in South London
Lambeth Police have joined forces with five organisations in the area to set up the first non-police reporting initiative for hate crime especially for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents. They are Lambeth Council, Lambeth LGBT Forum, Victim Support, NRG and the UKC. Hate crimes can be reported via the UKC office or by telephoning 020 7793 0046. Former Positive Nation cover star PC Andy Hewlett (pictured) who acts as Lambeth LGBT liaison officer, said: “As an HIV positive man I have a personal understanding of the irrational fear and hatred which confronts HIV positive men and women. We are lucky to have the involvement of our partner agencies who are taking on the role of non-police reporter.” |
The government has announced plans to limit the rights of overseas visitors and failed asylum seekers to free treatment on the NHS.
But the Department of Health says that people with infectious diseases, including TB and sexually-transmitted infections apart from HIV, will still be entitled to emergency NHS treatments.
One big group due to be hit by the changes will be the thousands of people remaining in the UK who are HIV positive and are either failed asylum seekers or otherwise have no official right to remain in the UK.
“Under the new regulations you will not be entitled to free treatment if you are here as a visitor,” said Lisa Power, policy officer at the Terrence Higgins Trust. “Previously you became eligible for free treatments if you had been here for more than 12 months.
“You will now only get it if you are currently seeking asylum, have succeeded in your claim and have Leave to Remain, or are on a student visa or work permit.”
The British Medical Association said doctors have a duty to treat all people who are ill and said they were not happy to act as ‘gate-keepers’ for the NHS and being forced to restrict who can be treated and who cannot.
And four HIV groups - THT, BHIVA, NAT and George House Trust say there is no evidence that large numbers of people come to the UK specifically to get HIV treatment.
They say that there are health risks for the general population if people with HIV in Britain remain untreated, no matter where they come from.
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