HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea
With 1.28 percent of the adult population estimated by
History
Papua New Guinea's first case of HIV was reported in 1987. In the 1990s HIV prevalence rose steeply. In the years after 2002, approximately 2,000 new infections were reported annually, leading to a belief that there was an increasing trend in the projected number of new infections, particularly in rural areas. The National AIDS Council (NAC) and National Department of Health of Papua New Guinea estimated that 46,275 people were HIV-positive by the end of 2006.[1]
2015 WHO data suggested that the HIV epidemic has been "stabilizing and declining". An estimated 32,000 people were living with HIV as of 2013. The 2013 adult HIV prevalence was 0.7 per 100. The number of people on antiretroviral therapy between 2007 and 2013 increased five-fold from 2,250 to 14,781 respectively.[2]
Transmission
The mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea is predominantly
A number of factors contribute to Papua New Guinea's growing HIV epidemic. Papua New Guinea shares an island with
Knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention is low.
Papua New Guinea has a high tuberculosis (TB) burden, with 111 new cases per 100,000 people in 2005, according to the World Health Organization. 9.7 percent of adults with TB were co-infected with HIV in 2005. High rates of HIVTB co-infections increase the difficulty of treating both diseases.[1]
National response
Papua New Guinea's national AIDS response has been overseen and coordinated by the National AIDS Council (NAC) since 1997. The council is a multisectoral committee, comprising representatives of government departments, councils of churches, the National Council of Women, the Chamber of Commerce,
The National Strategic Plan for 2004–2008 focuses on seven priority areas of intervention: treatment, counseling, care, and support; education and prevention; epidemiology and surveillance; social and behavioral change research; leadership, partnership, and coordination; family and community; and monitoring and evaluation. The Plan stresses the importance of expanding access to voluntary counseling and testing services, especially at the district and provincial levels; ensuring the clinical management of opportunistic infections such as TB; and providing antiretroviral therapy (ART) to PLWHA. In 2006, the National AIDS Council finalized the Gender Policy on HIV/AIDS and its implementation plan and a Workplace Policy Tool Kit on HIV/AIDS, currently implemented by private and public sector entities.[1]
In 2004, the Government of Papua New Guinea introduced prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV projects at six hospitals; however, according to UNAIDS, fewer than 3 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women were receiving
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved Papua New Guinea for a fourth-round grant in 2005 to scale up HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment through an intensified multisectoral community-based program.[1]
National AIDS Council of Papua New Guinea
The NAC, led by its secretariat, is responsible for the formulation of policy for the prevention, control and management of
The secretariat is chaired by Sir Peter Barter, OBE, and its president is Mr Wep Kanawi CSM, OBE.[4]
Performance
The NAC has been subject to a number of controversies since its inception, all relating to corruption.[citation needed]
In February 2008, the NAC came under scrutiny when it was alleged that six senior officials, including acting director Romanus Pakure had misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for the country's fight against AIDS. The misappropriation involved falsification of purchase orders, including a stationery order of US$361,000 that never arrived, and officials using money to go on overseas trips.[5]
Pakure, along with the other five senior executives, was suspended pending an investigation into the matter. At the time, Pakure said he welcomed the investigation but questioned the legality of the suspension because he learnt about it in the media before receiving a letter from the Department of Health.[6]
In March 2009, further allegations of misappropriation of funding emerged. At the time, Chairman Sir Peter Barter said that these matters were being investigated internally and he had written to the ministry of finance and other bodies for assistance.[7]
These issues of corruption have become a notable hindrance to the country's fight against HIV/AIDS. It was reported in the media in March 2009 that corruption, misappropriation and mismanagement were responsible for two million condoms being left in a warehouse in Port Moresby until well after their expiry dates.[8]
The NAC subsequently underwent a restructuring exercise in order to rid the council of corruption and poor management, which involved the sacking of several employees. In 2011, Wep Kanawi and an Australian adviser to the NAC were, separately, physically attacked as a result of their involvement in the fight against corruption.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Health Profile: Papua New Guinea Archived 2009-02-14 at the Wayback Machine. United States Agency for International Development (September 2008). Accessed 20 March 2009.
- ^ "WPRO | Country profiles on HIV/AIDS". www.wpro.who.int. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ National AIDS Council. "Establishment". National AIDS Council. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14.
- ^ National AIDS Council. "National Dialogue: HIV, Law and Human Rights". National AIDS Council. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11.
- ^ U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1 February 2008). "Papua New Guinea Officials Accused of Misusing AIDS Funding". The Body.
- ^ Radio Australia and Australia Network (31 January 2008). "Suspended PNG aids council boss welcomes investigation". Australia Network.
- ^ Radio New Zealand International (18 March 2009). "New claims of misappropriation against PNG National AIDS Council". Radio New Zealand International.
- ^ "In PNG, condoms prove alluring". The Canberra Times. 23 March 2009. Archived from the original on 13 October 2009.
- ^ Liam Fox (17 February 2011). "Aid worker's bashing linked to PNG corruption probe". Radio Australia.