Conflict and the resulting movements of people, whether armed combatants, or refugees, fuel the epidemic. Refugee men and particularly women, become highly vulnerable to HIV infection. Indeed, another study showed that refugee women were six times more likely to become infected in camps than the outside population. Humanitarian aid workers, educators, health workers and military and police forces that are well trained in HIV prevention and behaviour change can be a tremendous force for prevention as long as it is made one of their priorities. And this can apply to their service within and outside their own countries, as well as, in the case of military personnel, when they return home for demobilization.
War fuels the epidemic.
But undoubtedly, the epidemic itself is now, as the Secretary General has already argued, causing social and economic crises which in turn threaten political stability, particularly when set against a background of complex and fragile geo-political systems. But we are far from powerless against this epidemic. In countries where strong political leadership, openness about the issues, and broad, cross-cutting responses come together, the tide is turning and clear success is being demonstrated. In Senegal, HIV infections have been rolled back significantly as a result of massive information and prevention campaigns. Internationally too, the tide is turning.