New findings on maternal mortality by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA show that a woman living in sub-Saharan Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth. This compares with a 1 in 2,800 risk for a woman from a developed region. These findings are contained in a new global report on maternal mortality just released online by the three agencies.
Equity in Health
Maternal deaths disproportionately high in developing countries
RISING COSTS OF MEDICAL DRUGS IMPACTS ON POOR in Zimbabwe
The cost of health care in Zimbabwe finally went beyond the reach of most people this month when medical drug suppliers and pharmacies hiked prices by more than 1,000 percent, citing an increase by the same margin in import costs.
U.N. Report Outlines Devastating Cross-Sectoral Impact of AIDS
An October report released by the U.N. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs said HIV/AIDS will continue to have devastating consequences for decades to come for virtually every sector of society and that in many countries the disease is undermining achievements of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.
WHO Hopes To Provide 3-in-1 AIDS Pill To Poor Nations
The World Health Organisation was due to reveal the first details of its global strategy to bring low-cost HIV/AIDS drugs to 3 million people in poor countries towards the end of October, a plan that top officials said will eventually include endorsement of pills that combine three antiretroviral drugs in a single tablet, the Washington Post reported.
zimbabwe doctors want 8 000% pay increase
Doctors at Zimbabwe's government hospitals have gone on an indefinite strike demanding an 8 000 percent pay increase, their union leader Phibion Manyanga said late in October. Manyanga, who heads the Hospital Doctors Association, told AFP that the strike would go on until their demands were addressed.
13th ICASA winds to a close
The take home messages rang loud and clear at the closing of the 13th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) as speaker after speaker representing different constituencies challenged African leaders, Western governments and multilateral organisations to reappraise their commitment to reducing the spread of HIV.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30000
access for 3m by 2005
Will it be possible to meet the WHO goal of three million people having access to antiretrovirals by 2005? Speaking at a roundtable discussion on 'Issues and debates in HIV testing' at the 13th ICASA, Nairobi, Kenya, Dr Catherine Sozi of UNAIDS said that 30 million HIV positive people would have to be identified and 300 million people tested at a cost of US$1.8 billion.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30004
Activists protests poor access to treatment in Africa
Numbering just about a hundred, activists under the aegis of the Pan-African AIDS Treatment Access Movement (PATAM) spoke, kicked, railed and acted up against many 'enemies' of access to treatment for HIV/AIDS in Africa: Big Pharma, the unfeeling, profit-focused multinational corporations, and African leaders who have refused to provide treatment for their peoples. "You talk, we die," yelled the activists, as they mounted a blockage of the VIP and heads of governments lounge at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, venue of the 13th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), held in Nairobi, Kenya.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30003
Chairperson's views on ICASA
"We want to sensitise the scientists and African leaders in power to be more aware of the magnitude and impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Secondly, we want to bring in the community to be part and parcel of the fight. We want also to look at the HIV/AIDS network in Africa and to identify the key people, so we can talk with one voice; especially with regard to how we can collectively access HIV-related treatments." - Interview with Dr. D. M. Owili, Chairman of the 13th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
Further details: /newsletter/id/30008
Finally a yes on ARV's
After years resisting demands to supply antiretroviral drugs, the South African government will soon begin to provide ARVs through the public health system. By the end of September, an operational plan for ARV roll-out should be unveiled.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30007