AIDS crisis far from over
By Marina Carman
SYDNEY — On November 24, a black coffin was carried by AIDS activists from Circular Quay to Parliament House. A minute's silence was held as a mark of respect for the 5370 Australians who have died from AIDS and the many thousands more who are living with HIV.
The action was organised at the beginning of AIDS Awareness Week to remind the public that there are still people dying of AIDS in Australia. Throughout the world, HIV claims 8500 new infections per day. More than 30 million people are infected, and millions more have died.
The AIDS crisis is not over, despite the success of combination drug therapy in reducing the virus in some patients' blood to undetectable levels.
Many HIV/AIDS organisations are concerned that recent publicity about the "success" of anti-HIV drugs could pose a public health risk if people become complacent about prevention through safe sex.
There is no "miracle cure" for AIDS. Funding is still vital for further research into treatment and vaccines, support services for sufferers and continued education.
Study is continuing into whether the virus still resides in areas such as the brain and the genital tract, if not detectable in the blood. The new therapy has failed for many people, and it may fail many more because HIV mutates rapidly, creating drug-resistant strains of the virus.
The therapy is very costly and completely unavailable to those most disproportionately affected by the disease — the poor and people in the Third World.
Poverty and the profit motive are hampering attempts to combat the disease. Poverty caused by chronic illness has been identified by a NSW Health Department report as a significant unaddressed problem for people living with HIV. HIV/AIDS services have been slow to react to the report, and the state government has attempted to bury it.