Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, March 2002. Available online. The "2001 Revision" presents estimates and projections of urban and rural populations for major areas, regions and countries of the world for the period 1950-2030. It also provides population estimates and projections of urban agglomerations with 750,000 or more inhabitants in 2000 for the period 1950-2015, and the population of all capitals in 2001. Virtually all the population growth expected at the world level during the next 30 years will be concentrated in urban areas. Also, for the first time in the world?s history, the number of urban dwellers will equal the number of rural dwellers in 2007. These findings are from just-released United Nations official estimates and projections of urban, rural and city populations, prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Equity in Health
The XIV International AIDS Conference (Barcelona, Spain, July 2002) has received almost 10 500 abstract submissions from the world’s leading scientists, clinicians, community representatives and people living with HIV/AIDS. This is the highest number of submissions ever received in the history of the series of international AIDS conferences.
Inadequate drinking water and sanitation, indoor air pollution, and accidents, injuries and poisonings, are a few of the causes of the 3 million deaths per year of children under five due to environmental hazards. WHO is addressing environmental hazards which specifically affect children at the International Conference on Environmental Threats to the Health of Children. This opens today in Bangkok. WHO is also monitoring these issues through the Task Force for the Protection of Children’s Environmental Health.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a new initiative to combat the epidemics that kill six million people each year, today [11 March] announced the appointment of an international panel of experts that will review all grant proposals and make recommendations to the Board for funding.
According to the UN agency coordinating the HIV/AIDS epidemic (UNAIDS) at least 28.1 million Africans are living with the disease. Since the beginning of the epidemic in early 1980's, more than 19 million Africans have perished from AIDS. Largely due to AIDS, the average life expectancy in Sub-Sahara Africa is only 47 years instead of 62 years, if the disease were not a factor. Without any doubt, HIV/AIDS is a serious threat to the future well being of the continent. The specter of 14 million AIDS orphans, and counting, complicates an already dicey situation.
A rebellion against government policy on the treatment of HIV/AIDS is taking place in South Africa, with four provinical governments openly defying national policy and announcing the provision of nevirapine to all pregnant women in the public sector.
The Treatment Action Campaign had no reason to believe that the Medicines Control Council would withdraw the registration of the anti-retroviral drug nevirapine, the Pretoria High Court has heard.
Former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, went to Zola Clinic to inspect the Bill and Melinda Gates supported programme, where he announced that he would defend the Gauteng Premier's decision to provide pregnant mothers with nevirapine. Madiba was accompanied by Former US President Jimmy Carter and William Gates senior along with their wives.
SCIENTISTS and health professionals are squaring up to do battle with government and the African National Congress (ANC) on HIV/AIDS policy. This follows the release last week by the ANC's national executive committee (NEC) of a 10page document setting out its views on HIV/AIDS and signalling a retreat from what was seen as a tentative move towards liberalising policy on antiretroviral drugs.
The South African government has not yet decided whether to comply with the courts order to supply nevirapine to HIV positive pregnant mothers or to
appeal the order.