AIDS at Madagascar – The fight is engaged!

The first case of seropositivity was discovered at Madagascar in
1984, and the suffering persons ‘ rate was  0.02%. In 1992, the
estimation was one seropositive person for 3000 inhabitants and in
1995 the proportion was 1/5000. Actually the rate is 0.16% which is
one seropositive for 600 inhabitants. Amongst the young population
from 15 to 24 years old, the rate of suffering persons is 0.12 to
0.14 % for girls and 0.02 to 0.06% for boys.

The detection has been done on a panel of persons between 15 to 49
years old.

Madagascar, a risky country

Compared to Africa, where last year 5.3 millions of new cases of
HIV infection were detected and where we count 36 millions of
declared diseased persons, the 11.000 sick persons in our country
show that Madagascar is a fortunate place  in this continent.

But  did not South Africa have a rate of infection equal as
our actual rate fiftheen years ago althought this rate is actually
close to 20% ? However,  our island is not protected from an
explosion of the disease due to a risky sexual behaviour and  a
high level of poverty,

An expensive price to be paid

With a knowledge based on more we wait for treating the disease
more the price will be expensive, the country has decided to start to
treat this disease. Objective 2015: maintain the rate of epidemic as
its actual rate, i.e less than 1%. A strategy has been created
including various ministries , civil society, political managers,
bilateral and multilateral partners like French and Japanese
cooperation, European Union. An intersectorial group of coordination
worked with the “Primature” for the struggle against AIDS.

In May 2001, a convention has been signed between the Malagasy
Government and AIDSUNO (including Unicef, DPUN, PFAUN, WLO, WHO and
World Bank) . With this new approach, the goal is to optimalize the
granted resources in order to stop the propagation of the virus and
reduce its impact.  We hope that 90% of the young population
from 15 to 24 years old get informed and be  aware that they
could be contaminated. FMG 6.8 milliards have been provided for the
countries deep in debt by IPPTE to be used for this fight. The
Malagasy ministries will do some budgetary efforts to participate
also. Considering AIDS not only as an health problem but also as
development problem, Madagascar hope to overcome this disease which
spares any social group, any society.