Embargoed until Monday 28 July 2008

Soaring food prices set to undermine HIV treatment advances

As HIV and AIDS experts prepare for the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, the aid agency CAFOD warns that the growing global food crisis threatens to cause a new crisis in HIV treatment.

The theme of the conference is Universal Action Now, but CAFOD says that advances made in the treatment of HIV could be swiftly undermined unless the international community acts quickly to mitigate the effects of the global food crisis.

In the last three years, there has been a rapid expansion of the availability of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs in poor countries through programmes such as the World Health Organisation's 3x5 initiative. The drugs have given back life to many people with HIV, allowing them to work, look after their family and play a full role in society.

However as food prices rise, people in developing countries are increasingly struggling to afford a balanced diet that is fundamental to the success of ARV treatment.

CAFOD partners are reporting that people already taking ARVs are coming off the treatment as they do not have enough money for food whilst others are refusing to start urgently needed treatment for the same reason. One partner in Zambia described the situation as a "time bomb".

"Once they are on ARVs they begin to respond and their appetite is regained. The clients can feel that the ARVs are medicines for hunger and if they have no food they do not take them," a spokesperson from CAFOD partner, the Catholic Diocese of Ndola reports.

Those treatment programmes that have the greatest levels of adherence in CAFOD's experience are those that give people food, as well as helping them earn a living.

"The current food crisis is seriously threatening the progress the world has made on combating HIV, " said Ann Smith, CAFOD's HIV Corporate Strategist. "Those of us working with people who are HIV positive must make sure that they are receiving an adequate diet, if necessary by providing nutritional support.

"With food costs rising, this will lead to many people abandoning treatment and to programmes costing more if they attempt to also provide food supplements. We call upon donors to provide more funding as necessary to make sure that the progress made on ARV treatment is not lost to the food crisis. Universal Action now, the theme for this conference, will be just an empty slogan if issues such as escalating food and transport prices are not addressed. It is not enough just to provide the pills."

If people stop taking ARVs there is a higher risk that they will develop resistance to the drugs. Subsequently this leads to a risk that a drug resistant strain of the virus could be passed on, the spread of which could result in the failure of global efforts to defeat HIV.

Medical opinion is that to stop the emergence of resistant strains of the virus an adherence rate of 95% of greater is required. A recent review estimated that in African treatment programmes, up to 40% of patients receiving ARVS had died or discontinued treatment within two years of starting on ARVs.

There is a media briefing available (attached) giving further information. For further information please contact Fiona Callister on 020 7095 5558 or 07867 908720 or fcallister@cafod.org.uk Fiona Callister Head of Media CAFOD Tel: +44 (0)20 7095 5558 Mob: +44 (0) 7867 908720