The World Health Organization will miss its 3 by 5 Initiative target of treating three million HIV-positive people in developing countries with antiretroviral drugs by the end of this year because of a lack of cooperation and coordination internationally and a lack of national leadership, according to a report released by a coalition of HIV/AIDS treatment advocates, the New York Times reports. The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, a group of 600 treatment advocates from more than 100 countries, produced the report, titled "Missing the Target -- A Report on HIV/AIDS Treatment Access from the Frontlines," which aims to identify challenges to treatment access and provide solutions to overcome them.
Equity in Health
Lack of Coordination, Leadership Led To Missed 3 by 5 Target, Treatment Advocacy Coalition Report Says
Women Who Suffer Domestic Violence Experience Long-Lasting Health Problems, Report Says
Women who suffer physical abuse from intimate partners - the most common form of violence perpetrated against women worldwide - experience serious health consequences, according to a report released in November by the World Health Organization, the AP/Boston Globe reports. The survey of 24,000 women in 10 countries found that women who suffer domestic abuse were twice as likely as other women to suffer health problems, including pain, dizziness, gynecological and mental health problems, which persist after the abuse has stopped, the report says.
Cash plea to fight Africa's forgotten diseases that kill 500,000 a year
The Guardian UK news report
Scientists have called for a more balanced approach in distributing the billions of pounds available for controlling tropical diseases. In a paper published recently, they said that a focus by governments and charities on the big three tropical diseases - HIV, malaria and tuberculosis - had left millions of the poorest people in Africa without treatment for a range of illnesses.
The neglected diseases, which include schistosomiasis, river blindness, ascariasis, elephantiasis and trachoma, affect more than 750 million people and kill at least 500,000 every year.
Immunization maintains strong performance made in last quarter century
Press Release
Immunization at the global level has progressed very well during the past 25 years, but further increases in coverage would save the lives of millions more who do not yet benefit from this protection, said a group of immunization partners at the World Vaccine Congress in Lyon, France. This conclusion was drawn after an analysis of the latest immunization global data. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, with financial support from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conduct world-wide monitoring and work closely with Ministries of Health to produce estimates of immunization coverage each year.
SADC meeting on traditional medicine
Press statement
The SADC Ministerial Sub-Committee on Traditional Medicine met at Sheraton Hotel in Harare on 16 September 2005. With regard to legislation the Ministers agreed to encourage member states to start with the development of appropriate legislation on Traditional Medicine and that the legislation will cover amongst others, establishment of councils for Traditional Medicine, protection of practitioners and consumers including the issue of licensing Traditional Medical Practitioners.
Further details: /newsletter/id/31130
Southern African countries must prepare for bird flu
The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, remains a global threat, but while Southern Africa should prepare for its emergence, the region needed to bear in mind that the disease has yet to mutate into a deadly human strain, a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert told IRIN. News reports suggesting that least one case of bird flu in humans had been identified in the Indian Ocean island of Reunion raised concern this week, but these reports proved inaccurate after medical tests were conducted by French authorities.
Stephen Lewis: An Envoy on the Brink of No Return
UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis on Sunday criticized rich nations for failing to deliver adequate aid to Africa, CBC News reports. Lewis also recently launched a book titled "Race Against Time." In the book, Lewis criticizes musician Bob Geldof for using the "hype" surrounding the Live 8 concerts in July to allow the leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations to promote a "wholly inadequate" aid package for Africa as a "major triumph of international consensus and generosity," the Ottawa Citizen reports.
The Promise of Equality
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, October 2005
The report, 'The Promise of Equality: Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals', explores the degree to which the global community has fulfilled pledges made to the world’s most impoverished and marginalized peoples. It tracks progress, exposes shortfalls and examines the links between poverty, gender equality, human rights, reproductive health, conflict and violence against women and girls. It also examines the relationship between gender discrimination and the scourge of HIV/AIDS.
Equity in Health Care in Namibia report launched
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) on Tuesday, 13 September, launched a study report on Equity in Health Care in Namibia, which is aimed at generating evidence needed to enhance the health ministry’ endeavors to redressing inequities in resource allocation in the country. The study specifically purports to develop a needs-based allocation formula that will assist the MoHSS to shift its resource allocation mechanism away from the historical incrementalist type.
Further details: /newsletter/id/31104
Health and the millennium development goals
This report from the World Health Organization (WHO) asserts that if trends established in the 1990s continue, the majority of developing countries will not achieve the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. None of the poorest regions of the developing world is on track to meet the child mortality target, while maternal mortality has only declined in countries where levels were already relatively low. Targets for reversing HIV and AIDS and reducing incidence of malaria, tuberculosis and other communicable diseases, remain a huge challenge in sub-Saharan Africa.