Report: AIDS – Global Problem

According to the information available from the UN AIDS Agency, there are 39.4 million people infected with HIV virus in the world. In 2004 alone, 3.1 million AIDS related deaths were registered, reports the UNAIDS on the occasion of December 1, the World AIDS Day. Of the total number of infected, 37.2 million people are between the ages of 15 and 49, while 2.2 million are children under 15 years of age. In 2004, 4.9 million newly infected were registered, 4.3 million adults and 640,000 children. In the past year, there were 75 new cases of HIV infections in Serbia, 38 AIDS cases, and 17 persons died of AIDS. In the period 1989-end of 2003, there were 1,807 HIV positive cases, of which 1,188 contracted AIDS, 845 died. However, experts claim that the number of infected is unrealistic and much greater than the official statistics. Of all infective diseases, AIDS and Tuberculosis are the most common causes of death in Serbia. Experts warn that, in spite of the fact that the citizens are fairly well informed about HIV and possibilities for protection from possible infection, a large numbers of population of Serbia still don’t use condoms as protection during the sexual intercourse. Because of the rising numbers of women with AIDS, this year’s global campaign for prevention of AIDS is carried under the slogan “Have you heard of me today?” and is directed at women and girls. Serbia is dead last in Europe in terms of numbers of HIV tested people. The state has taken this problem seriously over the past several years. Impoverished and lacking the necessary funds, it is not capable to deal with such a serious problem as AIDS treatment on its own. Serbia received important assistance from the UNDP Serbian Office, which started the HIV Prevention with Vulnerable Populations Initiative earlier this year. Those vulnerable groups include the homosexual and bisexual male population, intravenous drug-users, sailors, Roma, prison populations, people involved in commercial sex activities. These efforts contributed to the creation of the first HIV Prevention Network in SCG. In addition to its contributions to the National AIDS Prevention Strategy, the Network gathers all persons and groups that face the problem of HIV/AIDS in the country. The network includes 30 NGOs, such as JAZAS, as well as governmental organizations, the Ministry of Health of Serbia and its Montenegro counterpart, and the UN agencies active in Serbia and Montenegro. The unofficial estimates position the number of HIV infected persons in Serbia at about 10,000. The epidemic is concentrated in the large cities and with the groups with risk-prone behaviour. The State Strategy for 2005 plans to allocate five to six million EUR in assistance to people with HIV/AIDS in Serbia, announced Aleksandar Zivanovic, Assistant Minister of Health. One month ago, the Government of Serbia adopted a Directive to reduce the prices of HIV treatment by 20-25%. The monthly costs of treatment for one HIV infected person range between 750 and 1,000 EUR.

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