World AIDS Day 2009
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S3M-5159, in the name of Jack McConnell, on world AIDS day and Annie Lennox. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises the importance of World AIDS Day on 1 December 2009 and its aim of highlighting the challenges and consequences of the HIV epidemic around the world, particularly the impact on development in sub-Saharan Africa; acknowledges that UNAIDS estimates that there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children; notes that around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and die before they are 35; congratulates all those individuals and organisations in Scotland that campaign to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and provide practical support to HIV/AIDS victims, wherever they live; congratulates, in particular, Annie Lennox on the continued success of her SING campaign, which will be two years old on 1 December, and believes that positive consideration should be given to her recent offer to support the Scottish Parliament in its international development work, with an ambassadorial role.
I thank the Presiding Officer for selecting the motion for debate before world AIDS day next Tuesday. I also thank him for—I hope—understanding that although I normally adhere to the dress code in the chamber, I have chosen tonight to wear a T-shirt that signifies the sing campaign, which attempts to reduce the stigma that is associated with HIV/AIDS and shows solidarity with people who suffer from the condition, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Annie Lennox is one of Scotland's greatest artists. She has sold more than 78 million albums worldwide, had 34 hit singles and won four Grammy awards, five Ivor Novello awards, 11 Brit awards, one Oscar and one Golden Globe award. She is now bringing her talent and energy to her humanitarian work and in particular to her sing campaign, which celebrates its second anniversary on world AIDS day 2009. She was inspired by Nelson Mandela, who described the HIV pandemic in Africa as genocide. In turn, she should inspire us as we consider how we support the fight against HIV.
The world has lived with HIV/AIDS for more than a generation. Here in Scotland, the national campaign of the 1980s and early 1990s helped to stop the disease's spread. However, as of September this year, 6,153 people were known to have been infected. Of them, more than 1,600 were known to have died.
Since the mid-1990s, the number of new diagnoses has steadily increased. In the first nine months of this year alone, 322 more individuals were reported to have positive HIV antibodies, half of whom were infected through heterosexual intercourse. We all owe a debt of gratitude to organisations such as Waverley Care and the Terrence Higgins Trust, which have campaigned tirelessly to promote awareness of HIV. With the national health service in Scotland, they have worked to support Scots who have tested positive, and their families, through facilities such as Milestone house in Edinburgh.
I welcome today's publication of the HIV action plan for Scotland and I hope that the Scottish Government will make time for a full debate on its strategy in the coming weeks. In Scotland, HIV is no longer an immediate death sentence. Antiretroviral drugs mean that, with the right support, people can live long, healthy and productive lives. Although the disease is still stigmatised, the extraordinary stigma that was once associated with it has lessened since the terrible early days of the epidemic, when some people would rather risk death than be tested.
The picture in sub-Saharan Africa is less positive. Figures that were released by the United Nations yesterday tell their own stark story: 22.4 million Africans live with HIV, and sub-Saharan Africa is the most heavily affected region in the world. The human cost of the pandemic is almost beyond comprehension. Young adults are cut down in their prime, babies are born with a death sentence hanging over them and millions of children throughout southern Africa are left orphaned. The nine countries in southern Africa bear a disproportionate share of the global AIDS burden, with each having an adult HIV rate of greater than 10 per cent of the population.
One of those countries is, of course, Malawi, our sister country, where, even as I speak, Scots and Malawians are working together to tackle HIV/AIDS. Waverley Care is breaking new ground with a project in Malawi in which it works with YouthNet and Counselling—YONECO—and other organisations. The project works with young people in rural areas to promote safe sex and prevent infection. When I first visited Malawi, I was struck by the number of young teachers, doctors, nurses and civil servants who had died from AIDS or were HIV positive. The epidemic had not only destroyed millions of lives; it had set back development for decades. However, there are signs of hope. This week's report by UNAIDS, the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS, shows that fewer people are dying with HIV and there has been a significant drop in the number of new infections.
Prevention programmes have had a significant impact by raising awareness and reducing stigma. Better access to ARVs has helped save many lives. Five years ago, following the election of President Mutharika, the Government of Malawi launched the country's first national AIDS policy. With financial help from donors, the Government began supplying ARVs free. Today, more than a quarter of a million Malawians benefit from the programme, which has been hailed as a model for other countries. Malawi also leads the way on self-help and advocacy through the work of the Malawi Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS and the pioneering Coalition of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi.
However, like other countries, Malawi's efforts are still heavily dependent on international donors. As the world struggles to free itself from the economic catastrophe of the past two years, there is a risk that investment in HIV will suffer. That cannot be allowed to happen. Now is the time to redouble our efforts, not scale them back, because our experience in Scotland and Malawi shows that investment in treatment and prevention does and will save thousands, indeed millions, of lives. We cannot afford to be complacent in Scotland or in the rest of the world. That is why we must add our voice to that of campaigners such as Scotland's Annie Lennox, whose sing campaign has done so much in only two years to raise awareness about HIV among women and children in South Africa and elsewhere.
Earlier this month, Annie received the 2009 woman of peace award from Mikhail Gorbachev at the world summit of Nobel peace laureates. Next Tuesday, on world AIDS day, she will receive the freedom of the city of London in recognition of her humanitarian work. In Scotland, she is already working with Waverley Care to support a Scottish network for women living with HIV. Speaking in the chamber earlier this year at the festival of politics, she offered the Scottish Parliament her support as we develop our international development work. The biggest honour would be to accept that offer and give Annie Lennox a chance to work with us and others to tackle the global crisis in the name of the Scottish Parliament. Let us commit now, in this week of world AIDS day, to working for that goal.
I congratulate Jack McConnell on securing this important debate. The importance of world AIDS day on 1 December should be recognised; its aims are to be welcomed. As Jack's motion says,
"there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children".
Then there is the added issue of the age of those who become infected with HIV: half of them become infected before they are 25 and die before they are 35.
Like Jack McConnell, I attended the event during the festival of politics at which Annie Lennox told us about her sing campaign, which was inspired by listening to Nelson Mandela in Africa. The name of the campaign is extremely positive and reflects the fact that song is an important way to spread a message, particularly in places such as South Africa, which has a tradition of activist songs and singing. It is a way to create solidarity and communicate messages because people are encouraged and inspired by singing.
That is particularly important when we consider the stigma that AIDS and HIV have around the world. It is a big issue. There are communities in sub-Saharan Africa in which people are scared to be tested to find out whether they are HIV positive because of the stigma that it brings upon them. As Annie Lennox mentioned—and I emphasise—those with the best intentions can often inadvertently make that problem worse. Where particular religious persuasions have issues with some of the preventive measures that can be used to combat HIV, that becomes a big problem and the stigma becomes even worse.
I cannot remember the name of the group of visitors from Africa that I went along to listen to one day, but I was fascinated by them. They were a group of clerics—ministers—who were actively working in their respective villages to promote awareness of HIV and preventive measures. That is very important and it was very brave of those religious people to do that within their communities. It is to be welcomed.
Although she was inspired in Africa, Annie Lennox also talked about the situation here. It is a problem. We should never bury our heads in the sand, although, as Jack McConnell says, we are fortunate that we can manage the condition here. The HIV infection and AIDS quarterly report up to March this year said that, cumulatively, there were almost 6,000 HIV reports and 1,500 AIDS cases. It also said that the total number of deaths was 1,594.
I am pleased that the Government is taking action—Shona Robison, the Minister for Public Health and Sport, will speak about that in her response to the debate. It is extremely important that we have a much more co-ordinated approach to improve access to specialist HIV care and to prevent HIV transmission. It is also important that we get that co-ordination right.
Great stuff is being done all over Lanarkshire for world AIDS day on 1 December. There are awareness-raising events involving colleges, North Lanarkshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council, general practitioners, dentists and pharmacists. I also mention the west Lanarkshire girl guides. Those young women have a link with Ghana and some of them hope to go out there next year. One thing that they want to talk about when they go is AIDS awareness. Young people relating to other young people across the globe can help to make a big difference.
I echo the call for the Parliament to take seriously Annie Lennox's offer to be in some way an ambassador for international development for the Parliament. We should never underestimate the impact that people such as Annie Lennox can have. She is known internationally; people love her and the way that she cares about the issue shines from her. We should back the sing campaign and the Parliament should seriously consider taking up that generous offer.
I, too, congratulate Jack McConnell on securing the debate. I also commend his sartorial elegance this evening.
The debate provides us with a welcome opportunity to discuss HIV/AIDS, which we all know affects the entire globe. As Linda Fabiani said, a staggering 33.2 million people across the world are infected with HIV/AIDS. An estimated 2.5 million were newly infected as recently as 2007, and 2.1 million died from AIDS in that same year. While the problem is spread all over the world, it is not spread evenly; eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa account for almost a third of the world's population who live with AIDS.
In Scotland, more than 6,000 people were HIV-infected as of 30 September this year, more than 300 of whom were newly reported cases. I am surprised at those figures. The higher number of cases of HIV/AIDS in Scotland represents not only an increase in testing for HIV but a true rise in the transmission of the disease. There are treatments for the disease but there is no cure. Further, treatment courses are often expensive and, in many areas of the world, difficult to obtain. Action on HIV/AIDS needs to be taken not only at home but abroad in an effort to lessen the spread and burden of this terrible disease.
I was interested to read in information from Health Protection Scotland that, from 2002 to date, 57 per cent of people here who were reported as having HIV/AIDS acquired the infection outside Scotland. Increasing education and awareness programmes in Scotland is essential, but I am sure that we all agree that more must be done at a global level as well. I applaud the efforts of groups such as sing, which promotes awareness and action for women and children who are HIV positive all over the world, but predominantly in South Africa. I hope that their efforts to increase awareness and raise money for the global fight against HIV/AIDS will continue to be successful.
Like many in the chamber, I am of a generation to be a fan of Annie Lennox, dating back to her days with the Eurythmics. Linda Fabiani is right: the Parliament should support Annie Lennox in her campaign. We know that the United Nations global fund pledged in 2003 to give more than $4.6 billion to the fight against HIV/AIDS, but shortfalls and funding that was lower than anticipated have made that goal difficult to achieve—and the global crisis continues.
Another statistic alarmed me: Health Protection Scotland stated that it expects HIV cases and the number of people who require specialist care to increase by 5 to 13 per cent by 2012. That range allows for increases in testing and in early detection and treatment, but it also signals an increase in the transmission of the disease. The challenge for us all is to do more to educate the population, particularly the younger generation, on the dangers of the disease, how it is spread and what can be done to prevent that. There also needs to be more action in treatment and screening for HIV/AIDS, as well as more co-operation across the community to tackle the spread of the disease.
I applaud the Government's HIV action plan, which I believe was published today. It highlights many of the key issues and gives direction for a course of action to increase knowledge and awareness and to begin to crack down on the spread of HIV/AIDS: action in the co-ordination of prevention and treatment; action to reduce the levels of transmission and undiagnosed cases; and action on increased accountability and reporting so that we can see what is happening on the ground. Those actions are essential in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS in Scotland and I hope that the Government can achieve progress on them. If it does, that will lead to better control over the HIV/AIDS problem in Scotland.
I echo Jack McConnell's comments about the scale of the challenge and join him in congratulating Annie Lennox on campaigning on the issue. We should take up her offer of support. In that spirit, I ask the Government to consider how we in Scotland can help and, indeed, learn from those in sub-Saharan Africa who live with HIV/AIDS.
I, too, thank Jack McConnell for highlighting the challenges and consequences of the HIV epidemic not only in Scotland but worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. He is to be commended for his commitment not only on HIV but on other issues, including the maternity issues that he spoke about so eloquently in a previous debate.
To prepare for the debate I, like Jackie Baillie, trawled a few websites. I want to put it on record that I commend the Terrence Higgins Trust for its excellent website. I hope that the Government and others who work in the field will encourage those at risk to access and use such information.
I will focus my comments on the "HIV Action Plan in Scotland". The fact that the action plan runs from next month until March 2014 is welcome, as it will help us to address the issues that we face. Although there has been a substantial rise in HIV cases in Scotland, that could be attributable to better testing as well as to a rise in transmission. I welcome the block purchasing of antiretroviral therapy to reduce costs—that is not only welcome but common sense—and I hope that the national health service will use bulk buying for a range of drugs and therapies. In particular, I welcome the fact that NHS Quality Improvement Scotland will develop and implement standards for HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
I am slightly concerned about the timing of some of the measures. I want things to be done properly and thoroughly, but the implementation still seems to be a bit down the line. The action plan's summary of actions gives action 6 as
"An investigation into the reasons why some people living with HIV do not attend specialist clinical services will be undertaken."
I do not mean to sound negative, but it might have been helpful if that investigation had been done prior to the action plan's publication; it would have helped and encouraged more people to come along. Nonetheless, the fact that that issue will be addressed is welcome, particularly if it examines fear, attitude and stigma.
The action plan gives action 11 as
"An exploration of the educational and training needs of the HIV related workforce will be undertaken. Priorities will be identified and educational solutions developed and implemented."
Again, I had hoped that the action plan would address the education and training gaps rather than just explore and look for them, but the action is welcome nonetheless. I commend the Government on the publication of the action plan.
I hope that GPs will be given the necessary support and advice not only to deal with those who have been diagnosed with HIV but to prevent HIV. The fact that an estimated 40 per cent of gay and bisexual men with HIV are unaware that they have the virus is very worrying. More information on prevention, early diagnosis and treatment would help to alleviate the fear, destigmatise the testing and, I hope, promote a more confident approach to those who present for testing.
Another issue that we heard about at a recent briefing in the Parliament is that, despite a letter from the chief medical officer, a recent report suggests that GPs do not always make the connections between the potential signs and symptoms that patients present and the concept of HIV testing. I think that the regional HIV facilitation teams will help enormously with that.
Like others, I commend the amazing Annie Lennox for her commitment to do as much as she can to bring attention to HIV/AIDS. Ted Brocklebank, who is a member of the executive committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Scotland branch, shares my view that Annie Lennox has done remarkable work on behalf of the emerging nations in Africa. I know that the agenda for the CPA's next meeting before Christmas includes an item about considering how Annie Lennox's talents and concerns for Africa might be best used by this Parliament and Scotland.
Ambassadorial status is reserved to the Court of St James and the diplomatic service, but I know that Ted Brocklebank and the representatives from other parties in the CPA Scotland branch have discussed whether there might be a relevant role for Annie Lennox. Like others, I hope that that can be carried forward.
I add my congratulations to Jack McConnell on securing the debate and to the Presiding Officer, Alex Fergusson, who chose this topic for a debate before 1 December. That is highly appropriate.
Jack McConnell rightly paid tribute to Annie Lennox's musical eminence. He also reminded us that Scotland has more than 6,000 people who are infected with HIV and that about 1,600 have died due to the virus.
I echo Mary Scanlon's remarks about the role of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Our colleague Karen Gillon is on the executive committee of that body, and she and others, including Jack McConnell, have done sterling work through the CPA and other bodies to reach out to countries such as Malawi and to highlight the importance of HIV.
It is extremely easy for someone such as me, who lives among the hills and the beauty of the Highlands, to become complacent about the issue, but the fact remains that at least 150 people with HIV live in the Highland area, and that is a conservative estimate—there are probably many more than 150 cases of HIV in the Highlands. I am indebted to the Inverness branch of the Terrence Higgins Trust for giving me that figure, and I pay tribute to the work that the trust does in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. The four-strong team in Inverness, which is led by Caroline Snow, is very good at reaching out and making its work known to the widest possible audience.
Caroline Snow has described to me the particular problems that are associated with the Highlands. Testing can be difficult in isolated communities. It is also the case that if someone who lives in the Highlands goes to a testing centre, there is a chance that a cousin, a neighbour or someone from their community will be there. That makes people understandably reticent and shy about going for testing, which is why the location of the Inverness branch of the Terrence Higgins Trust on the edge of Merkinch and its rather discreet entrance help it to do fine work on a Tuesday night. It is particularly difficult to help people to get over the fear of being tested in the Highlands, where distance and isolation are significant issues.
I agree with others that society still has a great deal to learn, and all of us have a role to play in acting as ambassadors in the Annie Lennox sense and trying to get the message across. As has been said, if HIV is caught quickly, lives can be extended much longer than was possible some years ago, and that is surely a step forward that can be built on in future.
It seems to me that the involvement of someone such as Annie Lennox is hugely important. Because she is seen to be outside politics and is seen as a role model whom people look up to because of her fantastic ability, she will achieve more through what she says and does than almost any politician in the Scottish Parliament will be able to, so I think that her offer should be accepted—bearing in mind the caveat about the Court of St James. I can confirm that the CPA branch will consider what is a most generous offer at our next meeting, which will be held before Christmas, and I very much hope that we can accept it, so that Annie Lennox can carry out a role that is appropriate to the Parliament and which will allow the message to get out not just to sub-Saharan Africa but to every household in Scotland, including those in isolated communities in the Highlands, where HIV is just as much of a danger as it is anywhere else.
I congratulate Jack McConnell on securing an extremely important debate, Annie Lennox on her commitment, to which I will return, and Karen Gillon on the hard work that, as Jamie Stone mentioned, she has done for a number of years, and her involvement in Malawi, which I am sure she will mention.
As we have heard, there are more than 33 million people living with HIV throughout the world. In 2007, more than 2.7 million new cases were recorded, almost 400,000 of which involved children, and there were more than 2 million deaths. Although we often think that the problem does not directly affect us, the truth of the matter is that it affects us to a significant extent. The number of people with HIV in the United Kingdom has trebled in the past 10 years to more than 80,000. In Scotland, the general trend has been an increase in the number of people who are diagnosed with HIV, even though there was a slight fall in that figure in 2008. It would be encouraging if that were to continue and a decreasing trend were to emerge.
According to figures that were released just yesterday by the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS and the data in the World Health Organization's 2009 "AIDS epidemic update", in the eight years since the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS was signed in 2001, there has been a reduction of 17 per cent in the number of new HIV infections. Jack McConnell mentioned improvements in certain areas. In light of the motion, it is particularly heartening that the number of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa is approximately 15 per cent lower than the number in 2008. That is around 400,000 fewer infections. The numbers are startling, but that is nonetheless an improvement.
There have been more encouraging results. Only last month, the genome of the HIV-1 virus was fully mapped out. That paves the way for new and more effective drugs to be developed. In the search for a reliable vaccine, it was reported last month that a possible vaccine, which was tested in Thailand, had made significant advances. Of course, we all know that much work still needs to be done, but I also welcome the HIV action plan that the Minister for Public Health and Sport, Shona Robison, announced today. Among other things, that plan aims to improve the co-ordination of prevention, treatment and care activities across the sectors. I am sure that we all wish that plan every success. I also welcome the commitment that has been given that all the organisations that have been mentioned and organisations that have not been mentioned that help and support people with HIV will be given every opportunity to feed into the action plan. In summing up, perhaps the minister can provide us with details of how those organisations can be involved in it. The longest-serving HIV organisations in Scotland, such as HIV-AIDS Carers and Family Service Provider Scotland, are to be commended for their services to carers, families, partners, friends and relatives who are affected or infected by HIV or AIDS.
The motion rightly says that
"positive consideration should be given"
to Annie Lennox's gracious offer of her services to the Parliament in an ambassadorial role. Jamie Stone mentioned that the executive of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, of which I am a member, is actively considering the issue; we will continue our discussions at our next meeting. Mary Scanlon pointed out that a strange anomaly exists that means that the Parliament cannot use the word "ambassador". Perhaps the word "envoy" could be used if that is better, although I prefer "ambassador". Obviously, the minister is not an expert on constitutional matters, but perhaps she could check that out. The idea is good. Annie Lennox has offered to work in an ambassadorial role, and we should look forward to that.
I hope that we can move things forward and engage all stakeholders in the strategy, and I hope that the encouraging steps that are being taken internationally continue and that future generations will not be blighted by HIV.
I, too, congratulate Jack McConnell on securing this important debate, and Annie Lennox and her sing campaign, which has had an enormous impact in raising financial resources for HIV/AIDS projects and in bringing the urgency, devastation and scale of the AIDS epidemic to light in the public arena. Annie Lennnox's public and humble commitment to using her gifts and fame as a musician to advocate on behalf of those who are often forgotten or discriminated against is an example to all us. I appreciate her generous offer to play a role in the Scottish Parliament's international development work. As a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association executive, I am keen to consider how we can best harness and use her talents to the benefit of the Parliament.
We have been reminded that more than 33 million people live with HIV/AIDS around the world. That is the stark reality—the global HIV/AIDS epidemic is not distant from us and HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. It is not a class or an ethnic disease, and it does not favour one gender over another. We are all—rich or poor, black or white, man or woman, South African, Malawian or Scot—vulnerable to its threat.
In 2005, I was part of a delegation of MSPs that went to South Africa and Malawi. That was the first time I had come face to face with the stark reality of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the developing world. The disease has devastated families and communities. In South Africa, we met some very inspirational women. Annie Lennox is an inspirational woman, as was a lady called Mama Rose, who risked alienation in her community and discrimination because she came out and declared her status. In doing so, she could have been shunned, but she was an inspiration for others. She encouraged others to be tested, to go on to antiretroviral programmes and to get the support that they needed.
Mama Rose was at the forefront of the delivery of home-based care in her township of Orange Farm. Home-based care is what many of us would describe as palliative care for people who are in the final stages of AIDS. It is difficult for us to imagine what it means for people to have to deliver palliative care without access to running water, to health supplies or to reliable food supplies, but Mama Rose was doing that. She was also determined that young people growing up in her township would have the information and support that they need to enable them to grow up in a different kind of world. She supported many young people in the delivery of peer education programmes in local schools and communities, thereby encouraging young people to be better educated and to make more informed choices about their sexual activity.
When we left South Africa, we went to Malawi. About an hour after arriving in Malawi, we found ourselves in the Open Arms infant home, which was probably one of the most moving experiences that I have had not only as an MSP, but as a human being. The Open Arms home cares for babies who have been orphaned, many by HIV/AIDS and many of whom carry the virus. In Scotland, women are routinely tested for HIV/AIDS at antenatal clinics and a proactive treatment is given should they be found to be HIV positive, meaning that transmission of the virus from mother to child is relatively rare. That is not the case in sub-Saharan Africa, where the stigma that is associated with HIV/AIDS does not encourage mothers to be tested. I will never forget the 2lb baby we saw—a baby who weighed less than a bag of sugar—who was carrying the virus and whose chances of survival were slim. Other children were also carrying the virus but, thanks to the support that they had received at the Open Arms home, they were growing and developing and living with the disease. They are now back in their communities, being cared for by family members.
It is estimated that 1 million people in Malawi are living with the virus. In 2007, 560,000 children there had been orphaned. In Malawi, I met children as young as nine who were looking after their younger siblings. I have three children of my own, the oldest of whom is nine, and I cannot begin to imagine how he would cope if he had to look after his younger brother and sister. That brought home to me the impact of the virus: it robs children not only of their parents, but of their childhood. In other cases, elderly grandparents have taken on the responsibility, which puts a huge strain on them and their communities.
The impact of the virus should not be underestimated—its impact is a lost generation. We, in this community and in Scotland, should have the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with people in the developing world and in Scotland who are living with the virus. We must tackle the stigma and inequality that allows it to ravage the world, and we must do more to ensure that others who come after us do not face the same discrimination.
I am minded to accept a motion without notice to extend the debate in order to conclude business.
Motion moved,
That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes.—[Jack McConnell.]
Motion agreed to.
I, too, congratulate Jack McConnell on bringing this very important debate to the chamber. I echo the praise that has been given to the Waverley Trust and the Terrence Higgins Trust, and I add my own praise for the work that is done in Edinburgh by the Solas centre.
The burden of my speech will be on the prevention of infection. Jack McConnell will remember our combined visits to South Africa and to the world summit on sustainable development, although we did not undertake those visits together—I went under my own steam. We visited schools there and I visited some other schools on my own. I was impressed by the tremendous work that was being done in schools to combat AIDS, and they were not backward in coming forward with their slogans. On the side of one primary school was written in 5ft-high letters, "My friend with AIDS is still my friend." At another school, again written in 5ft-high letters on the whitewashed wall, were the words, "Use a condom." That was a very straightforward and in-your-face approach to combating AIDS by advertising in an educational setting. From the figures that Sandra White gave us earlier, it seems that that approach might have had some effect.
AIDS in South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, where I worked for two years, and in Uganda, with which I am familiar as I have friends who teach out there and come back home occasionally, is a sad story. AIDS is ravaging every sector of society, particularly education—at all levels—the armed forces and the professional classes. We must not forget that it affects every class of society in southern Africa.
I feel that we might well have something to learn from what is happening in education in South Africa. In the 1980s, we had in our schools a highly developed system of education on relationships and sex, but I fear that, because of the conflicting demands on the curriculum, it is not as well resourced as it used to be, either in terms of the number of guidance teachers in our schools or of the time that is devoted to teaching personal and social development.
I would like to be assured that the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and the Minister for Public Health and Sport are working together on this issue and that they recognise how important it is to deliver the highest quality information and encouragement to the children and young people in our primary and secondary schools so that they can understand the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, especially in the light of today's report that, along with the rise in HIV infections in Scotland, sexually transmitted disease infections are increasing, as well.
I ask the minister to recognise that it is important for people in Government to work together to combat AIDS in this country and to give as much assistance as possible to Malawi, particularly with regard to education.
I, too, would like to thank—[Interruption.]
Some lights may have gone out, but I think that we can carry on.
I, too, thank Jack McConnell for securing this important debate. The motion highlights vividly the enormity of the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic and the issues that we face in Scotland. I welcome the opportunity to set out the work that the Scottish Government is doing in that regard.
From the very good speeches that we have heard tonight, it is clear that the motion has struck a chord with a great many members, many of whom have direct experience of the issues that are involved, having visited some of the areas that are most affected by HIV and AIDS. In addition to our work throughout each year, it is extremely important that we use world AIDS day to take time to recognise the importance of AIDS and to highlight the challenges that this epidemic brings throughout the world.
As has been stated, more than 33 million people live with HIV across the world. In 2008, there were 412 new diagnoses of HIV in Scotland. Although that figure represents a 9 per cent decrease on the 452 cases that were reported in 2007, we cannot and will not be complacent.
Although the extent of new diagnoses in some way reflects an increase in testing, and recent figures show a reduction in the numbers of undiagnosed cases, there is evidence of transmission occurring among certain at-risk populations in Scotland. Specifically, in Scotland, men who have sex with men and people from sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to be affected by HIV than anyone else.
However—and it is a big however—as Jack McConnell and Karen Gillon pointed out, HIV does not discriminate. The stark figures not only set us a global challenge to work together internationally to reduce the spread of HIV but set the Scottish Government, health boards, local authorities and voluntary organisations a real challenge to reduce the transmission of HIV here in Scotland.
Today, with that in mind, I launched an HIV action plan for Scotland. The plan, which contains specific actions for the Scottish Government, the territorial and special health boards and the voluntary sector to take, aims to reduce HIV transmission and levels of undiagnosed cases of HIV, to reduce stigma and discrimination and to ensure the effective co-ordination of prevention and of treatment and care.
There is currently approximately £29 million each year within NHS boards' baselines for the treatment and care of HIV. In addition, the Scottish Government provides £9.5 million each year to prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses. As our epidemiology is constantly changing, we must ensure that our prevention efforts are targeted and evidence based to ensure that we have the best chance of reducing the transmission of HIV.
Reviewing the evidence and providing guidance on effective HIV prevention are a key action for the plan, which will not only require NHS boards to use their funding effectively but require the Scottish Government and the health boards to work closely with their partners, including local authorities and the voluntary sector, to deliver the actions effectively.
Throughout the development of the plan, the stigma and discrimination faced by people who are infected and affected by HIV were of utmost concern. In Scotland, the extent of that stigma and discrimination was recently highlighted by children and young people during a needs assessment that was funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation. That work, which was supported by Annie Lennox, gives us an understanding of the work that we must undertake in relation to HIV services for young people in Scotland. I of course welcome Annie Lennox's willingness to become the Scottish ambassador—or whatever we choose to call the post—for women and children who are affected by HIV, and I would be delighted to do what I can to make that happen.
We have undertaken work in partnership with the International Planned Parenthood Federation to understand the extent of the stigma and discrimination faced by those who are living with HIV. The findings from the research, which will be released for world AIDS day, will be used to improve policies and practices in the UK and to enhance services to meet the needs of people who are living with HIV in 2009 and beyond.
I recognise that changing the long-standing attitudes among so many in the Scottish population is a challenge and will not happen overnight, but it is a challenge that we should not shy away from. Through our national sexual health social marketing work, we must challenge the views that are held by some in Scotland by raising awareness in the general population and by providing education in schools, as Robin Harper requested.
As part of our social marketing efforts, we shall undertake some targeted work that will be aimed at men who have sex with men, to raise awareness of the risk of HIV and to provide safer sex and testing messages. That campaign, which will be launched early next year, has used the learning from the very successful HIV comeback tour and equal campaigns, and will be delivered locally in a range of community settings to ensure effective targeting.
I have already mentioned the importance of working closely with key stakeholders in Scotland to deliver change. The Scottish Government currently provides funding to Oxfam Scotland, which works with local communities in Malawi to assist the most vulnerable people affected by HIV. It is right and proper that the majority of the debate has been focused around that.
I hope that Jack McConnell agrees that it was right and proper to increase the international development budget. Even in these tight financial times, it is crucial that we send a message that that work is important. I hope that no one in the chamber would doubt that increasing the work through the international development budget will directly impact on the work on HIV and AIDS, and I hope that every member who is speaking in tonight's debate can send out that message to others.
To date, the funding has improved access to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment by reaching out to more than 2,000 people through community discussion forums on the rights of those living with HIV/AIDS. It has trained village rights committees on human rights and good governance as well as providing a range of training to build care capacity and support within the community in relation to HIV prevention, care and support.
We also provide more than £350,000 of funding each year to enable a number of voluntary organisations in Scotland to provide not only general HIV prevention activities but specific work with African people and men who have sex with men.
I cannot overstate the value and importance of the work that is done in Scotland. I echo members' thanks to all those individuals and organisations, both statutory and voluntary, who dedicate their lives to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and work not only to reduce transmission of the infection but, importantly, to provide treatment and support to those who need it most.
Meeting closed at 17:55.