A giant bright yellow condom was the centre of attraction in Namibia's capital, Windhoek, in November. Namibian civil society organisations - united in the fight against HIV/AIDS - had kicked off a series of activities in the run-up to World AIDS Day on 1 December. "By December 2003 over 100,000 HIV/AIDS cases were [officially] reported in Namibia," deputy health minister Dr Richard Kamwi told the crowd assembled around the condom. "Although these figures are extreme, it should be noted that it is only the tip of the iceberg."
Equity and HIV/AIDS
Monitoring the response to antiretroviral therapy in resource-poor settings
The Malawi model
With assistance from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), Malawi is scaling-up the delivery of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to HIV-positive eligible patients. The country has developed National ARV Treatment Guidelines, which emphasize a structured and standardized approach for all aspects of ARV delivery, including monitoring and evaluation. This paper describes the standardized ARV treatment regimens and the treatment outcomes to assess the impact of treatment, the registration and monitoring systems and how the cohort analyses are carried out.
World Aids Day: The clock is still ticking
AIDS. It killed roughly 3 million people last year, most of them poor, and most of them in Africa. Between 34 and 42 million people are living with HIV. Absent antiretroviral therapies, AIDS will have killed the vast majority of them by 2015. In such a world, time can seem a luxury, and the rigours of critical enquiry an indulgence. We need things done now, yesterday, last year. Indeed, an overdue sense of urgency has taken hold in the past five years - much of it thanks to relentless AIDS advocacy efforts. Along with sets of received wisdoms, a more or less standardized framework for understanding the epidemic and its effects has evolved, and a lexicon for expressing this knowledge has been established. All this has helped put and keep AIDS in the spotlight. It has popularized knowledge of the epidemic, countered the earlier sense of paralysis or denial, helped marshal billions of dollars in funding and goad dozens of foot-dragging countries into action. It has worked wonders. But alongside these achievements are some troubling trends.
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Aids policy in Lesotho
By the end of 2001, the number of HIV/AIDS infected adults stood at 180,000, while children orphaned by the death of their AIDS-infected parents numbered around 73,000. With a total population of just under two million, the situation in Lesotho is clearly severe. Added to this pandemic is a poorly performing economy, unable to generate the necessary finances to implement a comprehensive strategy to tackle this disease. This paper looks at Lesotho's policy response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and looks at the capacity the country has for meeting the challenges posed by the disease.
Botswana AIDS drug roll out bearing fruit
Health experts have attributed fewer AIDS-related deaths in Botswana to the government's steadily progressing rollout of anti-AIDS drugs. In a new report Botswana's health ministry and the World Health Organisation said the overall mortality of patients on treatment was less than 10 percent.
South African AIDS group continues legal battle with government
South African AIDS NGO, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), has dismissed claims that its dropped legal action against the health department. The department said that TAC had decided to withdraw its action for the provision of certain annexes to the government's Comprehensive Plan for Management, Care and Treatment of HIV/AIDS. TAC spokesman Mark Heywood said on Monday the group's action remained as the health department was legally bound to have an AIDS implementation plan and to make it public.
The IMF, Africa and the fight against AIDS
This briefing explores the logic of International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan conditions to developing countries and why the IMF insists that keeping inflation low is more important than increasing public spending to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. In 2003, funding levels for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment are estimated to have reached almost $5 billion; meanwhile financing needs will rise to $12 billion in 2005 and $20 billion by 2007. But if these large increases in foreign aid become available, will lowincome countries be able to accept them? Despite the fact that the global community stands ready to significantly scale-up levels of foreign aid to help poorer countries finance greater public spending to fight HIV/AIDS, many countries may be deterred from doing so due to either direct or indirect pressure from the IMF.
Addressing the needs of orphans in the context of HIV/AIDS
This report, commissioned by the South African National Department of Health, aims to inform a co-ordinated response to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa. Divided into two parts, the first details findings from research conducted across five South African provinces and the second offers a set of recommendations. One of the study's objectives was to develop an understanding of the health and social needs of orphans and children at risk, with specific emphasis on access to health, social development and education.
Ensuring access to treatment for children
Women and children must be prioritised for treatment for HIV/AIDS, appropriate treatment for children must be developed and healthcare infrastructure must be developed as a matter of urgency. This is according to a report from the Save the Children Fund that aims to examine the implications of expanded access to HIV/AIDS treatment, as exemplified by the 3 by 5 initiative, for prevention of HIV in children and young people, and expanding support and care for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.
Equity and access to HIV/AIDS treatment
All people with HIV/AIDS should have equal opportunity to access effective and appropriate treatment. However, in the context of existing social and health inequities, widespread poverty, high rates of new HIV infections, famine and budgetary constraints, increasing access to HIV care and treatment must be organised in a manner that balances HIV prevention and treatment efforts; HIV interventions and the broader strengthening of the health system as a whole; and HIV care and treatment with other public health and social needs.