The World Health Organisation (WHO) presented a challenge to African countries last year by setting a target of three million HIV-positive Africans to be on antiretroviral (ARV) HIV/AIDS therapy by 2005. Almost a year later, a workshop on scaling up access to care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) in 17 East and Southern African countries has been held to assist them in reaching that goal. HIV/AIDS programme managers and health officials from the 17 countries emerged with country-specific "road maps" to guide them in expanding their treatment programmes.
Equity in Health
THE NEW PLAGUE CZAR
Just a few days before his visit to Africa, President Bush announced that Randall Tobias, the former chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly Co., will take the new position of "Czar" in charge of U.S. global HIV/AIDS funding. The move to position a drug company executive centrally in global health policymaking is nothing new for this administration, but the openness of this gesture to the industry suggests that there is little shame in reversing the progress of the last several years, particularly in the realm of medicine treatment access, says this commentary on the web site www.zmag.org
TUBERCULOSIS, PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE NEED FOR ARVS
Tuberculosis remains the single greatest public health challenge associated with HIV worldwide. Despite widespread recognition of this fact, and clinical trials showing that interventions can help few programmes exist to implement such measures, according to a view presented at the International Aids Society Conference in Paris in July.
WHO report calls for free anti-tuberculosis drugs for AIDS patients
A new report by the World Health Organisation in the style of a glossy but hard hitting brochure aims to draw attention to the global tuberculosis epidemic that has been spurred by the spread of HIV and multidrug resistant tuberculosis strains. The report aims to underline the programme’s call for free anti-tuberculosis drugs, which have proved highly effective in curing tuberculosis in patients with HIV infection and AIDS.
World Bank warns of AIDS economic crisis
Some African countries may face complete collapse as a reult of the economic impact of HIV/AIDS being far worse than was previously thought. The World Bank's newly-released "The Long-Run Economic Costs of AIDS," study has warned that HIV/AIDS could destroy an economy within a few generations. Shanta Devarajan, World Bank economist, said in a statement: "If nothing is done to avert the epidemic, countries like South Africa could suffer a 50 percent decline in their per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in about 90 years."
ACTION PLEDGED ON AIDS DRUGS
South Africa's health system will soon offer drugs blocking the Aids virus, the body that advises the government on HIV/Aids has said. The South African National Aids Council (Sanac) made the announcement following a meeting with the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) - a group that has been urging the government to supply the drugs.
AFRICAN NATIONS TO LOBBY ON GENERIC DRUGS
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Africa's major free trade bloc, plans to lobby the United States and pharmaceutical companies for the right to produce generic antiretroviral drugs, according to the group's secretary general, Reuters reports. COMESA Secretary-General Erastus Mwencha said that patent disputes in the World Trade Organisation are "robbing the region of a key weapon against AIDS," according to Reuters.
AIDS CASH FOR AFRICA WILL MAINLY GO TO DRUG COMPANIES
Leaders of the world's richest countries agreed at the G8 summit to provide billions of dollars to help fight AIDS in Africa but, under present trade rules, much of that cash will go to multinational pharmaceutical companies. To the disappointment of pressure groups monitoring the summit, the leaders failed to make progress on new trade rules to allow poor countries to buy cheap, generic versions of new medicines - including the drugs which arrest AIDS.
AIDS drugs on street corners in malawi
Malawi's government has issued a warning to vendors involved in the illegal sale of HIV/AIDS drugs, the Malawi Standard newspaper reported. Despite calls for their arrest, the informal businesses have maintained that these were the benefits of a liberal economy. However, the Registrar of the Pharmacies, Medicines and Poisons Board, Patrick Tembo, said: "Liberalisation doesn't mean trading in pharmaceutical drugs. It is illegal. Only registered institutions like hospitals and pharmacies are allowed to sell pharmaceutical drugs."
BUSH'S LOOK TO BIG PHARMA FOR AIDS CZAR EVOKES CONCERN
U.S. President George W. Bush's surprise pick of a former top executive of a major U.S. pharmaceutical company and major Republican contributor as his global AIDS co-ordinator has drawn expressions of concern and even outrage among Africa and AIDS activists.