Alarm bells over HIV/AIDS - 'The National' - Pt Moresby, December 31,2004

By LUCY KAPI
THE fight against HIV/AIDS should be one of the country's highest priorities, said Moresby Northwest MP, Sir Mekere Morauta recently.

Sir Mekere said new evidence suggests that the infection crisis is far worse than current official figures show.
"When the prevalence of any disease is over one per cent, health authorities call it a general epidemic.

"The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in ante-natal mothers is now two per cent compared with one per cent at the start of this year," he noted.

This, he said suggests that more than 100,000 Papua New Guineans are HIV positive and that the country's prevalence is doubling annually. Sir Mekere said next year might be more than that.

He said that in Nonga Base Hospital in East New Britain province, six per cent of blood donors were recently found to be HIV positive whilst in Port Moresby, random sampling of 3000 emergency room patients being treated for respiratory problems and fever found that 18 per cent were HIV positive.

"HIV/AIDS is now the leading killer of infants at the Port Moresby General Hospital," he stressed.

Sir Mekere made these remarks when responding to the 2005 National Budget last month.

As well as the awful human tragedy unfolding before everyone's eyes, he said, HIV/AIDS represents a potential economic and social crisis that the country is failing to recognise, particularly the leaders.

"Decisive action is needed, through the personal commitment of the national leadership.

"We need to recognise the potential economic and financial consequences for example, the ramifications for the health and educational budgets; the impact on the workforce in terms of skills availability; the potential effects on agricultural production and food security," he said.

Sir Mekere said the Government needs to put in place a much more radical and aggressive policy response and implement it quickly and effectively.

He said the Government needs to co-ordinate this response fare more effectively between government agencies, non-governmental organisations, churches and donors as the response to HIV/AIDS in the 2005 budget is not sufficient.

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare recently announced that the National Executive Council had decided that the National AIDS Council and its Secretariat would be transferred from the Health Department to the Department of the Prime Minister and NEC.

This also includes increasing resources allocated for HIV/AIDS programmes in each government sector, including donor funding and the establishment of an HIV/AIDS Joint National Co-ordination Committee within the Prime Minister's Department.

Sir Michael said these are remedial measures the Government has undertaken this month to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country