Media Contacts:
In Washington
Stevan Jackson
+ 1 (202) 458-5054
Mobile + 1 (202) 437-6295
sjackson@worldbank.org
Phil Hay
+ 1 (202) 473-1796
Mobile: + 1 (202) 409-2909
phay@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, November 29, 2005 — The World Bank today launched a regional strategy to help countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) prevent a major surge in the HIV/AIDS infections in the region. The new strategy —Preventing HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa: A window of Opportunity to Act—will help countries [1] fight HIV/AIDS more effectively. “With an estimated 0.2 percent of adults infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, MENA’s level of infection is relatively low compared with Africa, South Asia and Central Asia as well as the Caribbean regions,” says Ayo Akala, World Bank Public Health Specialists and author of the Strategy. “Our strategy cautions, however, that low prevalence does not mean low risk.” While many governments have taken steps to prevent HIV/AIDS, the new strategy says that their overall response has been too slow. Regional HIV/AIDS activities have focused primarily on medical responses, such as blood supply safety, mandatory testing, and increasingly treatment to AIDS patients. However, the social and economic factors driving an HIV/AIDS epidemic in MENA countries have not been sufficiently addressed. For example, many countries lack comprehensive national strategies. Furthermore, the strategy suggests countries work more closely with people living with HIV/AIDS and concentrate on high risk groups such as injecting drug users, commercial sex workers, prisoners (who are often drug users), and men who have sex with men. According to the new strategy, it is important to keep in mind that HIV/AIDS surveillance systems in the region are very weak. For example, many private health providers do not report HIV/AIDS cases. Official HIV/AIDS estimates tend to be vague and lack reliable data making it difficult for governments to respond effectively. The strategy’s key aims are to: · Engage political leaders, policy makers and key stakeholders to raise awareness and give greater priority to HIV/AIDS programs within the national development agenda, with particular focus on prevention and expanding access to information. · Help countries to upgrade their surveillance systems and strengthen research and evaluation of epidemiological, economic, and behavioral aspects of HIV/AIDS. · Support the development of national HIV/AIDS strategy and programs with priority focus on prevention and expansion of access to information. · Support capacity building and knowledge sharing for comprehensive management of HIV/AIDS programs. So far this year, 67,000 people were newly infected with HIV in the region and the total number of AIDS deaths has increased from 55,000 in 2003 to 58,000 in 2005 so far, according to UNAIDS. Additionally, the total the number of deaths due to AIDS in the region has increased almost sixfold since the early 1990s. “We know from international experience that HIV/AIDS prevalence rates grow exponentially, so the MENA region is well poised to capitalize on this knowledge by investing early on in monitoring and prevention,” says Bachir Souhlal, World Bank HIV/AIDS Focal Point and Lead Social Development Sepcialist for the region. “Good prevention programs are a bargain compared with the costs of the epidemic.” Souhlal says that countries should immediately step up their efforts in prevention, particularly as the spread of HIV is vulnerable to migrations, wars, economic downturns and other developments that affect social stability. The World Bank has worked with Lebanon and Morocco to develop national strategies and hopes to work with the remaining countries in the region as well. Long-Term Economic and Social Impact of HIV/AIDS The financial and economic costs of HIV/AIDS can be substantial, especially when it reaches the full AIDS epidemic stage. A recent World Bank study estimated that an AIDS epidemic could reduce the average economic growth rate in the MENA region by 1.5 percent per year for the period 2000–25.5 Cumulatively, this would translate into a potential loss in production of about 35 percent of the current gross domestic product value by 2025. The most visible consequences of HIV/AIDS are the increased spending on prevention, care, and treatment. For MENA countries, the financial cost of an HIV/AIDS epidemic could be substantial. An estimate by Jenkins and Robalino (2003) projects the direct cost of HIV/AIDS to be on average around 1.5 percent of GDP by 2015 for most MENA countries, and as high as 5 percent in Djibouti (see figure here).
| 
RSS