On the eve of World AIDS Day this Monday, professional associations are expressing concern about the waning fight against HIV/AIDS. The Association of Independent HIV Doctors (dagnä) spoke of a “great concern for the future of HIV treatment in Germany” and criticized “a dwindling commitment in German politics.” The problems are growing not only worldwide but also in Germany.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), rising HIV infection numbers in the country were reported again just about a week ago — the fourth consecutive increase. “That should not happen in a country with such excellent HIV care infrastructure as Germany,” says Dorian Doumit, the managing director of dagnä. “The years-long uptick in new HIV infections should have long ago triggered stronger health policy measures — yet with HIV containment it seems that the federal and state governments are moving full speed in reverse.”
Bundesregierung streicht Mittel gegen Aids zusammen
Moreover, the government announced that beginning next year it would cut Germany’s financial contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by almost a quarter — after the United States government had already reduced its financial assistance to a minimum under sharp criticism. Many other countries have also announced funding cuts. “There are realistic projections that these cuts could result in millions of new HIV infections worldwide,” said Markus Bickel, a board member of dagnä. “Initially, those most affected will be the countries that are already fighting HIV the hardest — but it is clear that the problem will, in turn, intensify in Germany with a delay.”
In the nine years since the launch of the so-called Bis-2030 Strategy, Germany had officially linked its agenda to the United Nations plan to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. “We hear hardly anything about these strategic efforts from the Federal Ministry of Health anymore,” Doumit notes.
The democratic opposition also called for stronger German engagement in the fight against HIV. Maik Brückner, the queer-policy spokesperson for the Left Party in the Bundestag, stated: “Instead of lip service about solidarity on World AIDS Day, the government must take responsibility now.” With the massive cuts in the United States, the global health architecture is being endangered. “The consequences: Just the disruptions to the PEPFAR program alone would, over the course of a year, amount to roughly one adult death every three minutes and about one child’s death every half hour. It’s unbelievable that this hasn’t sparked a massive societal outcry,” Brückner said.
“Global health is not a nice-to-have”
Germany should increase its contribution to the Global Fund to at least €1.8 billion, the major AIDS-focused associations argued; instead, the Black-Red coalition is cutting the funds by €300 million. “Global health is not a fringe issue and not a ‘nice to have.’ It’s about the lives of all of us and about not making the situation in exploited parts of the Global South any worse,” Brückner added.
The Trump administration in the United States had recently all but halted its HIV/AIDS engagement. The U.S. no longer observes World AIDS Day, for the first time since the day’s inception in 1988.
Kampagne gegen Gleichgültigkeit gestartet
To respond to these developments, the German AIDS Aid (DAH) and other aid organizations launched the World AIDS Day campaign “Together. Right Now.” An animated clip for World AIDS Day shows how cuts to global HIV programs jeopardize everything that has been achieved so far — and could cost millions of lives.
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“A world without AIDS is possible,” says Winfried Holz, a DAH board member. “In the animation, the fateful chain reaction is symbolically interrupted. In real life, politics and society must make that happen. Germany must also contribute in line with its economic strength. We have a choice: the return of AIDS or the end of AIDS.” (dk/pm)
