This post was submitted by John "Jolly" Bavoso

The queer community has had a long and storied past with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This is, of course, unsurprising, as the disease was once known as the gay disease or gay cancer. In recent years, however, as the epidemic has spread beyond gay men and across the world, many LGBT people in my generation bristle at the tendency for the media to consider all stories involving HIV/AIDS as queer. While this may not always be the case and demographics may have shifted in the past few decades, it’s still a fact that LGBT groups remain amongst the most proactive, visible and effective organizations fighting the disease worldwide. For this reason, it would be a disservice to let World AIDS Day 2009 pass without checking in around the international community to see the major trends and stories regarding the struggle to rid the world of HIV/AIDS.

The general news around the world this year is actually surprisingly positive in many respects. According to the UNAIDS 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update, over the last eight years new HIV infections around the world are down 17%. For more specific geographical information, check out this nifty interactive map created by the organization.

When broken down on the regional level, however, the statistics reveal a more mixed and complex scenario. Take Europe, for example. While many people tend to think of HIV/AIDS as a problem primarily affecting areas of the world such as sub-Saharan Africa, in Europe the number of HIV diagnoses between 2003 and 2006 actually rose by 39%, with a 79% spike in the UK alone. According to UNAIDS, “a re-emergence of the epidemic among men who have sex with men is now clearly apparent in many high-income countries,” a scenario which is believed to be “tied to an increase in sexual risk behaviors.” This is a vital reminder that, while access to tests and treatments is on the rise in more developed nations, the risk for infection is still very high and real across the globe and complacency can be deadly.

Other regions have seen some remarkable progress in terms of treatment and prevention. While UNAIDS acknowledges that “Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV worldwide, accounting for over two thirds (67%) of all people living with HIV and for nearly three quarters (72%) of AIDS-related deaths in 2008,” it’s also true that the number of new infections in the region has fallen by 15% since 2001.

The prevalence of the disease in Africa has created opportunities for developing new strategies for combating it, strategies which may someday be used in other parts of the world. Following a number of studies showing that male circumcision greatly reduces the chances of HIV infection, circumcision programs have been created all over sub-Saharan Africa. The Global Post recently ran an interesting story about a day in the life of a circumcision doctor in Kenya who works with “men from the Luo tribe which, [which] unlike many other Kenyan tribes, traditionally does not circumcise and among whom HIV rates are double the national average as a result.” Other, more cultural, approaches to prevention and education have also emerged on the continent. Earlier this week, it was announced that Nike Inc. was joining with (RED) to create:

A two-pronged approach to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, by delivering funds to support programs that offer education and medication on the ground, and will harness the power of sport to engage youth around the world in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

By combining the love of sports and messages about HIV/AIDS, the two organizations hope to reach a broader audience. While these advances are currently being made, it’s important for the international community to remain vigilant, as shifts in volatile political situations, as in the case of Uganda, can threaten to undo much of the progress made on this issue around the region.

Asia is another region where progress has been seen. Since 2001, HIV infections have fallen an impressive 25% in East Asia and 10% in South and South East Asia. Despite these statistics, however, UNAIDS notes that “Asia, home to 60% of the world’s population, is second only to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of people living with HIV.” India alone accounts for half of the infections in all of Asia and “while the regional epidemic appears to be stable overall, HIV prevalence is increasing in some parts of the region, such as Bangladesh and Pakistan.” Like sub-Saharan Africa, this is another region where both scientific and social advancements are being made in the fight against the epidemic. The  government of the city of Dali in China took the controversial step this week of using taxpayer money to open a gay bar in the  HIV/AIDS-plagued city in order to encourage LGBT peoples out of the closet, thus hopefully decreasing the number of risky secret encounters between people of the same sex. Meanwhile, in India, work on an HIV/AIDS vaccine continues:

Clinical trials for phase one of the HIV/AIDS vaccine being developed in India enter the final stage this month with scientists from the Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), Chennai, and the National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), Pune, giving the last round of shots to 32 candidates enrolled in trials.

Latin America continues to be fairly statistically unique in the world in terms of HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS reports that “according to the latest data, the epidemic in Latin America remains stable,” and, “with a regional HIV prevalence of 0.6%, Latin America is primarily home to low-level and concentrated epidemics.” Whereas in many parts of the world women account for a majority of HIV/AIDS infections, in Latin America, “the number of HIV infections among men is significantly higher than among women in the region, due in large part to the prominence of sexual transmission between men.” While this area of the globe may be numerically unique in some respects, it also represents larger global trends. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, inequality has had a major role in fueling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Latin America and the Carribean:

The HIV pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean is fueled by a range of social and economic inequalities exacerbated by high levels of stigma, discrimination of highly vulnerable groups, and persistent gender inequality and homophobia. Despite efforts to reduce the impact on HIV in the region, many of these factors have not been adequately addressed.

While it’s heartening to hear good news this year around World AIDS Day, it’s important for the international community to remain vigilant and capitalize on recent successes while also working to prevent backsliding. Obviously, there are far more stories from around the world than could fit in this small space, so I invite all Global Gaze readers to highlight other important headlines from around the world in the comments section below.

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