The INFO Project Blog

So I first must apologize for the lack of actual photos in this first blog piece.  You see, there were strict security requirements to enter the opening ceremony.  The opening ceremony was in a separate spot from the convention in order to accommodate the 25,000 delegates.  All of my bags had to be left at the convention center.  All buses returned to the hotels after the opening and thus my bags are still at the convention center with pictures from today’s sessions.  I also didn’t get any pictures of the amazing opening, due to the fact they lead us to believe we weren’t able to carry anything in.

I think I’ll describe the opening since it’s fresh in my mind and then move on to the two integration sessions I attended.  After several entertaining pieces by the Ballet Folklorico, the speakers began.  One of the notable speakers included Peter Piot, Executive Director of of UNAIDS, who told delegates to “get up, stand up, don’t give up your fight.” In line with Mr. Marley, Dr. Piot told delegates to never give up their fight against HIV/AIDS.  Dr. Margaret Chan, Secretary General of the World Health Organization,  Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations and Mexican President Felipe Calderon all stressed the need to combat stigma, homophobia, and discrimination to fight HIV/AIDS  and to ensure that vulnerable populations including sex workers, men who have sex with men and IDUs are targeted in prevention efforts and receive necessary services. President Calderon also announced that he would allow other countries to introduce anti-retroviral medications into Mexico, drastically lowering the price of such drugs.  His commitment received much applause.

The theme ”Universal Action Now/Acción Universal !Ya!” was also echoed by all of the speakers, including Mony Pen, a Cambodian activist, the former President of Botswana Mr. Festus Mogae and the 12 year old Honduran activist who received a standing ovation, Keren-Dunway Gonzalez.  Citizens and civil society must pressure their governments to take greater action to ensure that all people have access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services.

The opening ceremony also honored community activists who have fought to end HIV/AIDS  - 25 organizations from around the world were honored with Red Ribbon awards for their excellent work in community mobilization.  The web video of the opening session can be viewed here: Opening session.

I also attended two sessions focussed on the integration of HIV and sexual and reproductive health, in an effort to try to obtain resources for the Resources for HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health web site.   The first session was entitled “Linking sexual and reproductive health and rights: Increasing the evidence base of innovative approached to achieve Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and to reproductive health services”.  Panel members discussed their experiences implementing HIV/SRH integration projects in India, Ethiopia and Bangladesh. 

In India, the International AIDS Alliance was also successful in implementing a 14 month pilot project where they reached 873 groups of vulnerable women .  Outreach workers, trained in STIs, HIV/AIDS, PMTCT, menstrual hygiene and contraception provided over 113,000 one on one counseling sessions and provided over 1,000 referrals to women in 5 Indian states.   In Bangladesh, a country with a high fertility rate and concentrated HIV epidemic, the community group, Young Power in Social Action trained female sex workers to provide their peers information on HIV/STI prevention, provide condoms for dual protection and educated them on where to refer their peers for VCT and family planning services.  Finally, in Ethiopia, the Consortium of Reproductive Health Associations (CORHA)  trained community members in family planning, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.  These “Family Planning Agents” referred Family planning clients to appropriate VCT centers and facilities for STI treatment and provided condoms to clients for dual protection.  

All of the presenters agreed that donor coordination is necesarry to achieve successful integration.  Policy makers also need to be involved and understand the benefits of integration, including cost effectiveness.

The second integration session, hosted by Family Health International and the Guttmacher Institute was entitled “Meeting the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of People Living with HIV/AIDS”. The session described integration as a two-way street.  Integration must look at both what reproductive health providers can do to incorporate HIV services into their set, and what HIV providers can do to incorporate sexual and reproductive health into their services.

Morolake Odetoyinbo, of Nigeria, from the Global Network of People Living with AIDS  discussed the special reproductive and sexual health need HIV+ women face, including high prevalence of cervical cancer and possible complications in pregnancy.  Ms. Odetoyinbo stressed that HIV+ women urgently need family planning services, access to contraception and counseling about contraceptives to prevent unplanned pregnancy.  People must see positive people as sexual beings, and not subscribe to the common belief that positive people are asexual beings.  Women with HIV should be treated as women with reproductive and sexual health needs, not vectors of disease.

Rose Wilcher, a Program Officer From Family Health International, provided stimulating evidence to show how providing family planning to HIV+ women who want to prevent unintended pregnancies can save more infant lives then just providing a single dose of nevirapine, the most common method of PMTCT. FHI research has shown that at current family planning utilization levels in the 15 PEPFAR countries, 220,000 infants have been spared HIV infection.  With provision of ARV to mothers alone, 157,000 infants had been spared from HIV.  Thus, provision of family planning to HIV, to avert unintended pregnancies among positive women can save more lives then provision of ARV alone to mothers.  

Dr. Anna Miller, from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation discussed how integration is being implemented on the ground, and showed how a hand held card system can be used by clients and providers to promote integration.  The cards, used in Zimbabwe have information about HIV services and family planning services all on the same card, as well as an integrated services checklist.  Women bring these cards to each of the services they receive.  Dr. Miller also stressed that providers need to be trained in order to effectively provide integrated services. 

Hasta mañana!