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.
Equity in Health
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
HALF OF AFRICA HAS NO MEDICINES
Half of Africa's population, mostly the poor and disadvantaged, do not have access to existing essential medicines and many more are denied new medicines for treating common diseases like malaria and HIV, says a report released last Monday. "Only 50 000 of the 4.5-million people who need antiretroviral therapy have access to treatment despite significant reductions in cost," states the annual report for 2002 of the regional director of the World Health Organisation.
HEALTH GAINS AT WHO REGIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING
A five-day regional health meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month saw African health ministers pledging to give greater attention to women's health and scale up their HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) programmes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) regional committee session urged governments to develop "appropriate policies and legislation to create a supportive environment for scaling up interventions" for the three epidemics, a WHO statement said.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30013
Only 23% of Global Fund allocations distributed
At a roundtable hosted by the UNDP at the 13th ICASA, Nairobi, Kenya, it was reported that of the US$50 million allocated to 53 countries in the first Round by the Global Fund for Aids, TB and Malaria, only 23% has been distributed. Jerry van Nortick from the Fund reported that the money was being distributed based on results and progress in individual countries.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30002
TB and HIV programmes prepared to merge at long last
HIV-associated illnesses are creating a six percent annual increase in the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases across sub-Saharan Africa. According to new joint programme planners, the TB/HIV co-epidemics will only be effectively addressed by integrated interventions for early detection and treatment of both diseases. A new policy document just released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) provides national governments and TB/HIV programme managers with immediate and crucial guidance on how this can be achieved under particular circumstances.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30006
U.S. ABORTION POLICY CLOSES AFRICAN CLINICS, SAYS STUDY
U.S. President George W. Bush's anti-abortion policy has forced family planning clinics in poor countries to close, leaving some communities without any healthcare, according to a report issued Wednesday. Under the policy, known as the Mexico City rule by supporters and the Global Gag rule by opponents, foreign family planning agencies cannot receive U.S. funds if they provide abortion services or lobby to make or keep abortion legal in their own country.
Related Link: Access Denied: The Global Gag Rule- http://64.224.182.238/globalgagrule/impacts.htm