Rich nations have done little to help fight HIV-AIDS, the United Nations's top adviser on AIDS in Africa says. Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for HIV-AIDS in Africa, said the rich nations were "not serious" when it came to contributions towards the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.
Equity in Health
Roche slammed for failing on aids drug price slash
The nongovernmental organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres has criticized Swiss drug maker Roche Holding for not "liv[ing] up to its promise" to reduce the price of its antiretroviral drugs for developing nations, the Wall Street Journal reports. The organisation said that of the five major drug makers that have announced plans to cut their prices of antiretroviral drugs in developing nations, Roche is the "lone holdout" in failing to follow through.
south africa: tac threatens civil disobedience campaign
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) will start a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience if Government has not adopted an HIV/AIDS treatment plan, that includes antiretroviral therapy in the public sector, by the end of February 2003. In a document circulated on the Internet, the TAC said it had initially planned the campaign for December, but had been told that government needed until February to implement a national treatment plan, leading to the decision to postpone the disobedience campaign until February.
Further details: /newsletter/id/29458
E.U. Officials Unveil Plan to Regulate Shipping of Discounted AIDS drugs
European Union officials have unveiled a plan to ensure that discounted antiretroviral drugs and other medicines earmarked for developing nations are not diverted back to wealthier nations to be sold at higher prices, the AP/Wall Street Journal reports. Under the proposal, pharmaceutical companies would have the option of registering and placing logos on shipments of discounted drugs slated for developing countries. The different packaging would help distinguish the cheaper drugs from higher-priced medicines destined for pharmacies in wealthier nations.
global fund needs billions more
After an initial burst of high-profile donations and pledges, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is now running low on funds necessary to finance programmes against the epidemics which kill an estimated 16 000 people per day. A board meeting said the fund would need an additional US$2 billion next year, and an additional $4.6 billion in 2004 as a result of the growing capacity of countries to absorb the resources and expand effective programmes.
MALAWI: UNFPA Stresses Reproductive Health Care Needs Amid Food Crisis
Slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS in Malawi and preventing the nation's already high maternal mortality rate from climbing must be addressed as an integral part of the humanitarian response to Southern Africa's famine, the U.N. Population Fund have warned. Widespread hunger and a related cholera epidemic have caused maternal death rates to rise sharply this year.
Senegal: President Sacks Head of Aid Group
Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade has announced the dismissal of Latif Gueye, a Senegalese citizen and head of the humanitarian organization -Africa Helps Africa, on national television, accusing him of committing "extremely serious errors" for his alleged role in trafficking AIDS drugs that were meant for Africa but were sold in Europe. "It is unfortunate that medicine meant for African AIDS patients is diverted and sold at higher prices in Europe," Wade has said
Further details: /newsletter/id/29389
Situation in Southern Africa
Second Regular Session of UNICEF Executive Board, September 2002
Eastern and Southern Africa continues to be plagued by deepening poverty, continued armed conflicts and an increasingly devastating HIV/AIDS catastrophe. Given current trends the Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved in the region, or in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. And that means that these goals, endorsed by so many conferences, will not be achieved globally. In addition to all this, Southern Africa is experiencing a terrible crisis, manifested by extreme food shortages. It is important to understand that these different crises are interconnected and constantly reinforcing each other.
Further details: /newsletter/id/29394
south africa: KZN HIV/AIDS money still out in the cold
It is still not clear whether people living with HIV/AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal will ever see any of the $72-million granted to the province in April by the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). The Global Fund has indicated that from this week it will start to disburse money to projects approved in its first round of applications – but unless procedural problems surrounding the KZN grant are cleared up, this province’s money will not come through. Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala- Msimang wants the $72-million to be distributed to all nine provinces and says the Global Fund violated its own rules by awarding the money directly to the KZN consortium, the Enhancing Care Initiative, when the application should have gone through the SA National AIDS Council (SANAC).
U.N. Says Essential Drugs Not Sufficient
Life-saving medicines are not available to one-third of the world's population despite a long international campaign for wider access to essential drugs, the World Health Organization have said. In the 25 years since WHO drew up its essential drugs and medicines list, the number of people able to obtain those medicines has doubled, but there remains "a huge unfinished agenda," said Jonathan Quick, the head of the U.N. agency's project.
Further details: /newsletter/id/29352