THE Medicines Control Council says it is to go ahead with an investigation into the safety of nevirapine, the drug that prevents motherto-child transmission of HIV. The council's investigation comes a month after nevirapine's manufacturers, Boehringer Ingelheim, informed the council that it had withdrawn its application to register the drug with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Equity in Health
TANZANIA: HIV/AIDS prevalence increasing in Zanzibar
United Nations HIV/AIDS experts believe HIV/AIDS prevalence in Zanzibar is on a steady increase, but are worried that currently available data could be underestimating the actual magnitude of the pandemic in the semi-autonomous islands.
TANZANIA: Shipment of 10 million condoms blocked
A shipment of 10 million condoms, imported by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) for free distribution across Tanzania, is currently being held in Dar es Salaam harbour, awaiting clearance after confusion as to whether they have passed quality control requirements.
WHO and UNAIDS still support the use of nevirapine, despite 'Irregularities' On Kampala Trials
Despite flaws in documentation and reporting in clinical trials of HIVNET 012 found by the United States' National Institute for Health, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS say they will still back prevention of mother to child transmission with the use of Nevirapine.
WHO TAKES MAJOR STEPS TO MAKE HIV TREATMENT ACCESSIBLE
Treatment Guidelines and AIDS Medicines List Announced by WHO
22 April 2002, Geneva. In a decisive move to strengthen action against AIDS in developing countries, WHO today announced the first treatment guidelines for HIV/AIDS in poor settings. Parallel to that, WHO has endorsed the inclusion of AIDS medicines in its Essential Medicines List. The action is a breakthrough in a comprehensive ?prevention through care? package that could contribute to drastically widening access to treatment over the coming years. The Guidelines for Scaling Up Antiretroviral Therapy and the 2002 WHO Model List of Essential Drugs are available on the WHO web site.
World Urbanization Prospects: The 2001 Revision
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.
Further details: /newsletter/id/29132
Abstract news from Barcelona 2002 conference
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.
Environmental hazards kill 3 million children under five every year
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.
Global Fund Names Technical Review Panel to Review Funding Proposals
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.
HIV/Aids in Africa: Rethinking Current Strategies
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.