Depuis quelques années les traitements anti-rétroviraux ont pu être distribué à grande échelle ; notamment grâce à l’arrivée des génériques. La bataille juridique et commerciale des laboratoires pharmaceutiques, ainsi que des problèmes de développement et de personnel de santé dans les pays concernés sont des freins au passage à une plus grande échelle : si 1,3 millions de personnes reçoivent un traitement, plus de 6 millions en auraient urgemment besoin. Le Mozambique est un pays à forte prévalence (17% de personnes infectées) et à faible couverture de traitement. En terme de prévention et de conscience collective de la pandémie, le Mozambique est en retard sur ses voisins d’Afrique australe. Le SIDA est toujours une maladie mystifiée et connotée. Les personnes infectées sont victimes d’une forte discrimination. Des patients de l’hôpital de jour de MSF à Maputo (4500 patients sous traitements), ont accepté de témoigner et d’assumer leur statut. La vie de ces patients est en sursis, l’accès aux médicaments n’est pas assuré. La Haute Cour de Chennai, en rejetant la demande du laboratoire suisse Novartis qui avait intenté un procès contre la loi indienne sur les brevets, vient de rendre un verdict qui fera date. Pour Médecins Sans Frontières, il s'agit avant tout d'une victoire majeure pour les millions de malades qui ont besoin de médicaments à prix abordable dans les pays en développement.
Prevention campaign.
BEB0110281 © Benjamin Béchet
"Since I became positive, I can’t find a boyfriend; you have to organise something with another positive. With a negative, when you tell him, he doesn’t want to anymore. He’s afraid to be infected. My last boyfriend, I clearly explained to him, that I was having a treatment but he preferred to end it. People think they are going to die if they do it with me.”
BEB0110283 © Benjamin Béchet
"When I came back and wanted to admit to my husband that I was seropositive, he threw me out, even before I could talk to him about it. I found myself all alone with nothing, on the street, lost." Leonor.
BEB0110284 © Benjamin Béchet
"If people want to talk about me, let them. But the real subject is my health." Elisio.
BEB0110286 © Benjamin Béchet
Candida, a laboratory technician. She takes the blood samples which are used to measure the state of the patient's immune system. This determines whether or not the patient will be put on a course of antiretroviral treatment.
BEB0110288 © Benjamin Béchet
« For a long time I was scared to come and take the test. One day I even came, stayed awhile, then left. Today I waited 5 hours with fear in my belly, but somehow I'm reassured, even if I am seropositive; I am who I am. » Eun.
BEB0110290 © Benjamin Béchet
Louise is seropositive and 8 months pregnant. At the centre for the prevention of transmission to the child, she is following an antiretroviral treatment which greatly reduces the likelihood of transmission to her child.
BEB0110291 © Benjamin Béchet
Francisco, 41, is a construction worker. He tested positive in February and started treatment on April 2, 2007.
BEB0110293 © Benjamin Béchet
Francisco.
BEB0110295 © Benjamin Béchet
Adelaide: 39 years old, mother of 3 girls. Here we see her working a temporary job as a cleaner at the hospital. Adelaide: « Does your husband accept to use condoms? » Rebecca: « He accepts, but anyway, now that he doesn't want any more children... At home we have a box of condoms but it's never empty!! »
BEB0110296 © Benjamin Béchet
At Adelaide's house. In the kitchen, her two daughters have their evening meal.
BEB0110297 © Benjamin Béchet
« I deplore the fact that there's so much ignorance, and that people don't come to be treated or tested. Because AIDS is not the killer, it's ignorance. Down with ignorance! » Clara, in the middle, with her church choir.
BEB0110298 © Benjamin Béchet
Flora, a neighbour of Clara, sings and prays for her husband Armando's recovery. He's been bedridden for several years and has never been tested.
BEB0110300 © Benjamin Béchet
« Hey handsome, haven't seen you in a while! You're lookin' good! » « - They're my grilfriends, they're surprised to see how I've changed. My situtation was really serious. It's amazing how people change with treatment. We come back to life! » Sauza.
BEB0110302 © Benjamin Béchet
Lydia, 50, at home in Mafalala, a poor district of Maputo. Under antiretroviral treatment since February 2007, Lydia has difficulty keeping up with the treatment, she hasn't been on it for several weeks now. She says that hunger stops her following her treatment.
BEB0110303 © Benjamin Béchet