Food crisis can lead to expansion of HIV/AIDS epidemics

Almaty. May 26. Kazakhstan Today - Food crisis aggravates HIV/AIDS consequences and can lead to expansion of scales of epidemics as malnutrition accelerates development of diseases caused by AIDS and weakens the infected. The UN HIV/AIDS program (UNAIDS) informs, the agency reports referring to the UN news center.

According to UNAIDS, there is a danger that women in the poor countries, trying to rescue themselves and their families from famine, will be compelled to resort to offering sexual services in exchange for food stuffs or money, which can increase risk of HIV infection.

In this connection UNAIDS in cooperation with World Food Program and World Health Organization have developed recommendations concerning HIV, food safety and nutrition. This document is a guide for the governments, civil society and other partners involved in solution of problems of food safety. It says about the necessity to consider special needs of HIV infected in struggle against food crisis in the world. The document reminds that the UN member states have ratified in the Declaration of Millennium the obligation by 2015 to lower level of chronic famine and to turn back HIV spread.

Special attention in recommendations is given to necessity of provision of HIV-positive mothers with access to substitutes of breast milk that will allow lowering probability of transfer of infection to children.

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