HIV, a virus which destroys the immune system, the body’s natural defence system, is something that has come to directly and indirectly affect millions of people across the globe. International estimates today show that over 34 million people are living with the virus, with the majority of people that are hit hardest living in some of the poorest parts of the world.

Zain Bhikha joins the IHIVF and its team as it launches its campaign for Southern Africa for HIV healthcare kits in South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi. The campaign is also calling on diaspora-communities in the UK to come together and help some of the poorest and worst-affected people on earth.

Zain, who is from South Africa, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic said: “HIV is destroying lives and communities and needs to be treated as a priority issue. Living in South Africa, I am seeing first-hand the impact and affect that HIV/ AIDS has left. In some of the most poverty-stricken areas people from poor backgrounds are unable to access medicine and support. Many children have also been left orphaned and are having to fend for themselves without adequate support and care. HIV/AIDS is something that leads to other development issues so its impact cannot be underestimated. I am delighted to represent the IHIVF as patron and to be a part of the global efforts to address this critical development issue.”

Dr Hany El-Banna, who is the founder of Islamic Relief and chairman of the IHIVF said: “We are happy to have Zain join our team here at the IHIVF. HIV/AIDS is an area that is still a taboo subject for discussion, including here in the UK. It is important that we enhance the Muslim contribution to the HIV/AIDS issue which affects both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The time has come to take concrete action on this issue and work in collaboration to bring an impact.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors

About the International HIV Fund

The International HIV Fund (IHIVF) came into operation in 2010 and is based in the UK. It works towards eradicating HIV in collaboration with other HIV/AIDS networks and NGOs. The organisation works from an Islamic faith-value perspective, and seeks to encourage a change in culture using faith values as a means of tackling the global crisis.

The IHIVF is headed by trustee members representing five of the biggest Muslim-led charities in the world: Islamic Relief, Human Appeal International, Qatar Charity, International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO), and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY).

Global statistics on HIV/AIDS

34 Million: The number of people worldwide that are living with HIV 

3.4 Million: The number of children living with HIV

12 Million: The number of children in sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 18 that have lost one or both parents to AIDS

15 to 20: The percentage of infants that are infected during pregnancy; half became infected during delivery, and one-third infected through breastfeeding

60: The percentage of the world’s population in Asia, and second to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the number of people living with HIV. India accounts for roughly half of Asia’s HIV prevalence

For more information please contact
Fatima-Zahra Khanum, Operational Coordinator
International HIV Fund

Tel: +44 (0)207 845 7627   Fax: +44 (0)207 240 5604 

Email: fatima@internationalhivfund.org

Today is World Tuberculosis Day and, although many of us in the West view TB as a disease from a bygone era, in the global south TB is a very real threat that claimed the lives of 1.7 million people in 2009 (WHO). Additionally, 14 million people are thought to be co-infected with HIV and TB due to the HIV virus compromising their immune system.

However, there is another way that TB and HIV overlap and that is through the social stigma that sufferers of both diseases face. As with all communicable diseases they invoke an intense fear of infection from the general population and this leads to the afflicted being shunned and marginalized from society. This discrimination ultimately leads to the break down of relationships, job loss and affects both the mental health and the economic security of the patient.

As treatments of both diseases are costly the loss of work that generally follows marginalization pushes people into a spiral of poverty. This poverty then leads to poor nutrition, poor sanitation and poor living conditions and this further exacerbates the patient’s poor health.

Self – stigma is also a problem, as patients isolate themselves in order to protect their loved ones from infection or to protect themselves from the disapproval of their family and friends. This isolation can then lead to depression as social isolation and depression are directly linked.

Personally I think that, in order to overcome this stigma people need to be educated about how both conditions actually spread. This is to stop the myths that surround both diseases for example, the belief that HIV can be caught from drinking from the same cup as an infected individual. Education and awareness will also help prevent the spread of TB and HIV. This education needs to be coupled with re-integration and self-sufficiency programmes that reach out to those battling HIV and TB and allow them to become independent financially whilst providing them with a social outlet.

To find out more about this major public health issue, watch our video on TB and HIV.

By Mohammad Shakir

Yesterday’s news that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have pledged $750 million to combat AIDS, TB and malaria is great.

The big question on my lips is how will that money be spent? Drugs and medical supplies will only go so far – should money that goes into HIV/AIDS treatment and solutions look further afield than the usual routes.

Should we look at different approaches and tailor them to suit the communities we are working with. Surely a town or community that we work with in Germany will have different beliefs and structures than a village in Niger or Somalia. Drugs are not the only answer.

Connecting with both communities on a personal, emotional level – persuading them to use education hand in hand with drugs is the way forward? What other approaches do you think will work?

Does celebrating a great monarch give you hope?

We are 20 days into the year 2012. Has it flown by for you? Most of us who work are back to work, those who study are back to their schools and colleges and there are those in the middle who are struggling to find employment or can’t afford to study.

2012 in the UK at least, is being touted as a year of hope, inspiration and celebration with London hosting the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee all set to take place.

Hope is a powerful word – for me it is about positivity and looking forward to a future where things get better. I have no doubt that both events will huge national and international successes. It has been argued that these events will help the British economy and create jobs and bring a sense of joy to the nation. If this is the case, why haven’t we seen international events such as these, hosted on mainland Africa? Yes, the 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa, generating over $4 billion.

For one month in 2010, South Africa was the focal point for football fans all around the world, yet they are now burdened with large stadia and a mountain debt to finance the tournament. Coupling this with the economic downturn, South Africa has not seen a return on its investment. The question begs is will it ever?

This will essentially affect the population within the country where it is predicted that more than a million people will be pushed into poverty over the next decade as economic growth isn’t helping the poor.

Poverty and its links with HIV are clear – those living with HIV can’t afford the medicines they require to stay alive if they don’t have an income. Western governments and organisations need to look beyond handouts and loans. We need to help these countries develop their infrastructure such as roads, education systems and sewage system – all things that many of us take for granted. The first step is to address poverty and then we will see everything slowly take shape.

Please tell me if I am being too simplistic and dare I say it – hopeful. Comments and criticisms welcome.

By Mohammad Shakir

The Africa Cup of Nations is upon us once again – African football’s greatest prize. With the World Cup held in South Africa in 2010, there was a effort to address and promote the effect that HIV/AIDS had on the continent. With 1 billion people watching the tournament in 2010 the opportunity was one that was too good to miss.

Over the past two decades African football has exploded worldwide. The top leagues around the world are seeing top players from the continent join the biggest teams. Players such as Didier Drogba and Michael Essien at Chelsea, Yaya Toure at Manchester City and Seydu Keita of Barcelona are all players playing in top leagues around Europe. The continent has seen players become a success and in turn interest in the Africa Cup of Nations has increased. Recent tournaments have been broadcast on the BBC due to the influx of African players into the Premier League and received great exposure around the world.

I mention all of this because this year’s competition is being jointly held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon both which have around a 5% prevalence of HIV amongst adults and according to 2009 estimates over 20,00 orphans have died from HIV in both countries.

The only initiative that I have seen is a condom drive in Gabon which is more locals and spectators that are watching matches. Surely with the UN’s pledge to see no new HIV infection by 2020, there would be a bigger drive at Africa’s largest sporting tournament. Opportunities such as these should be grasped and not missed if we are to meet the UN’s target.

What do you think?

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people over the past 20 years. It is not a virus that discriminates. It is one of the biggest public health issues the world has seen and threatens men, women and children living in all corners of the globe.

World AIDS Day was first introduced on 1st December 1988 to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS, improve education, fight prejudice, and raise funds for HIV and AIDS projects across the world. The event, which is held on 1st December each year, provides an opportunity for individuals, communities, NGOs, and governments to come together and tackle the issue together.

This year’s official theme is “Getting to Zero.” Zero New HIV Infections; Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths.

The theme for the IHIVF this year is a focus on the impact of poverty on communities affected by HIV.

Poverty plays a significant role in lives of many people living with HIV. Without an income – millions cannot access life saving drugs or support and counselling, which can help them live their daily lives. In Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia, over 800 million people live in abject poverty and destitution (UNFAO, 2011).

For World AIDS Day we will have a variety of blogs and videos exploring the affects of poverty on people living with HIV.

Stay tuned!

History of World AIDS Day

By Mohammad Shakir

The past week has seen faith and prayer become involved with the cure and prevention of HIV once again.

In London, Manchester and Glasgow, members of an evangelical church died after taking advice from their pastor to stop taking HIV medication and put their belief in God to heal them.

This reminds me of a parable that I once heard:

Once upon a time there was a man that lived by the river. He heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town. The report said that the whole town should evacuate immediately. But the man said, “I’m religious, I pray. God loves me. God will save me.”

But the waters began to rise. A man in a rowing boat came along and he shouted. ‘Hey! Hey you! You up there. The town is flooding. I can take you to safety.’ But the man shouted back: “I’m religious, I pray. God loves me. God will save me.”

A helicopter came hovering overhead. A guy with a megaphone shouted. ‘Hey! You there! The town is fully flooded. Let me drop down a ladder and I will help you to safety.’ But the men shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God would take him to safety.

The man then drowned. When he got to the pearly gates of St Peter, he demanded an audience with God. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘I’m a religious man, I pray. I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?’ God said, ‘I sent you a radio report, a helicopter, and a guy in a rowing boat. What on earth are you doing here?’

We have been blessed by God, the wonders of science and medical advancements which help our health every day. As a Muslim I believe that God has given me my health and the means to maintain my health. Much like the radio report, row boat and helicopter; HIV medication should be seen as blessing from God – an answer to the prayers of those living with HIV.

There is an old saying: “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” A Muslim believes in pre destination – which God has already decided what our fate will be. Regardless of what our situation is whether it is medical, financial or personal – we should to what we have in front of us and use our means to the best of our ability.

By Mohammad Shakir

Our reliance on technology is an aspect of life which is increasing as computers, phones and home appliances become more advanced to make our lives easier.

10 years ago it would have been unlikely that someone could receive an email on a mobile phone, but this week’s outage at Blackberry affected millions of users worldwide some of those who rely on their phones as mobile offices.

Sometimes I think we need to take a step back. It is wonderful that the world can be at our fingertips through the technology that is available to us. But there is more ways to conduct our daily lives than through mobiles.

Similarly – with HIV, drugs and technology are only part of the solution to ensure that people living with HIV and the communities affected can live normal lives and that there is a reduction in transmissions.

While the effectiveness of drugs is not in doubt, the affordability of drugs especially in the more densely affected areas in the developing world is the key issue. We need different ways to tackle HIV such as education, awareness, support and encouragement. Mental support for a person living with HIV is as crucial as drugs. If a person doesn’t receive support and understanding – then they may lose the will to live.

So when you technology fails on you next time, look at the different routes you can achieve your goals. There are always other ways.

Launched at Lambeth Palace, we were joined by representatives of the international development community including Islamic Relief, Christian Aid, CAFOD, the Department for International Development (DFID), and the Global Fund.

As part of the International HIV Fund’s contribution we gave a “cameo” presentation that looked at the challenges facing people living with HIV and why as actors in the development field it is important to keep the momentum of collaboration going.

You can find a copy of the report prepared by the AIDS Consortium here and the presentation that we delivered here.

We were invited to speak at the event “Cultural Considerations in Healthcare” held at the Guoman Hotel, London. The event, organised by Gilead Sciences, focused on people living with HIV and the cultural sensitivities and challenges that surrounds helping and treating people living with HIV. We delivered a presentation  on how the healthcare sector can cater for Muslim patients living with HIV.

We were also joined by members of the Christian faith and healthcare experts who gave insight into understanding culture and faith in relation to HIV treatment and care in the UK.

You can find the presentation we delivered here.