2001

HIV/Aids Discrimination Features in Presidential Race: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 24, 2001; As Zambia heads towards general elections on Thursday, a controversy over the banning of HIV-positive presidential candidates has shown how much further the country needs to go in tackling stigma and ignorance, AIDS activists told IRIN. The call for testing and banning was first made by the former party chief of the ru
Government Concerned Over Rural HIV/Aids Rise: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 24, 2001; The Burundi government says although the HIV infection prevalence in the urban areas has stabilised at 18.6 percent, it is still concerned by the level of infection in rural areas. At 1 percent in 1990, HIV prevalence in the rural areas was 7.5 percent by 2000, the minister for HIV/AIDS issues, Genevieve Sindabizera, t
Red Cross Stresses Volunteer Role in Tackling HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 21, 2001; Red Cross and Red Crescent society members and public health campaigners at a regional meeting in Kenya have called for a significant increase in activities to counteract the HIV/AIDS pandemic in eastern Africa, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported on Thursday. Partic
Faster Growth And HIV/Aids Action Needed: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 20, 2001; Swaziland needs faster economic growth to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and stronger measures against HIV/AIDS, according to the new Swaziland Human Development Report, produced by a forum of national groups with support from UNDP. Swaziland, with nearly one million people, ranks among medium human developmen
HIV/Aids Group Suggests Worrying Attitudes Among Youth: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 13, 2001; A small-scale discussion group on youths attitudes to sexuality and HIV/AIDS by the Kenya AIDS Intervention Prevention Project Group (KAIPPG) in Kakamega, western Kenya, has suggested that young Kenyans remain seriously misinformed about AIDS and that many continue to engage in unsafe sexual practices. Alarmingly,
Aids Orphans Reaches One Million Mark: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 12, 2001; The number of AIDS orphans in Ethiopia has reached the one million mark, according to the Ministry of Health, placing an even greater strain on the country s already limited and stretched social services. Ethiopia has the third largest population in the world with the HIV virus. Only Ind
Donors Promise US $830 Million: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 12, 2001; Burundi s donor partners have promised the government US $830 million to fight HIV/AIDS, reduce the debt service burden and support priority development programmes. Part of this amount was pledged at the 2001 Paris conference. This new undertaking was the outcome of a donor s roundtable for Burundi held in Geneva 6-7 D
Buyoya Leads Delegation to Aid Talks: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 6, 2001; Burundian government officials, lead by President Pierre Buyoya, begin a round-table meeting with development partners on Thursday to discuss the country s HIV/AIDS pandemic and public debt, Communications Minister Albert Mbonerane told IRIN. The Geneva meeting will also evaluate the level of aid contributions received
IFRC Appeals for US $13 Million: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 5, 2001; The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is appealing for more than US $13 million to fund its humanitarian programmes in southern Africa. A statement from the IFRC s regional delegation in Harare on Wednesday said that the IFRC had allocated US $44 million to programmes in Africa. In
Opposition Criticises Government HIV/Aids Programme: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 5, 2001; Opposition political parties have strongly criticised the government s HIV/AIDS programme labelling it ineffective and calling on the government to declare a state of emergency as the only way to combat the spread of the disease, media sources reported from Ethiopia on Tuesday. Ethiopia is one of the African country s
KYRGYZSTAN: Drug abuse fuelling HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 29, 2001; ISLAMABAD, 29 November (IRIN) - One of the main factors driving the spread of HIV/AIDS in Kyrgyzstan is the boom in intravenous drug consumption, now reaching alarming levels in the southern region of Osh and in the capital, Bishkek, in the north of the country, United Nations specialists told IRIN. In the past el
To Curb Crisis, UN Appeals For Donations: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 27, 2001; Liberia s precarious humanitarian situation, a fragile peace process in Sierra Leone , Guinea s uncertain political future and the impact of political instability in these countries could have on Cote d Ivoire , add up to a volatile situation, according to the United Nations, which is asking for US $170 million for the
UN Consolidated Appeal 2002: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 27, 2001; Liberia s precarious humanitarian situation, a fragile peace process in Sierra Leone , Guinea s uncertain political future and the impact of political instability in these countries could have on Cote d Ivoire , add up to a volatile situation, according to the United Nations, which is asking for US $170 million for the
ICRC Supports HIV/Aids Prevention Drive: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 26, 2001; Prison inmates in three Burundi towns are due to begin on Monday a series of plays, song and dance skits, as well as poetry recitations designed to heighten their awareness of the problems of HIV/AIDS, the ICRC in Burundi announced. ICRC said the activities, due to end on 6 Dec., will be conducted in the capital, Bujum
UNFPA Proposes US $7 Million For Reproductive Health: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 19, 2001; The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)has recommended a US $7-million programme to help the Rwandan government achieve its population and development objectives for 2002-2006. The programme will focus on improving the reproductive health services, with a major emphasis on behaviour change communication, Dirk Jena,
New Agreement On Access to Drugs Welcomed: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 16, 2001; The Ugandan government on Thursday welcomed a declaration by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that should allow developing countries to use generic drugs in times of health crises, overriding the patents held by major pharmaceutical companies. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also welcomed the declaration, and said he
HIV/Aids Groups Accuse Government of "Playing Politics": Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 15, 2001; AIDS groups in Zimbabwe this week condemned a political decision by the government to transfer control over money from a national AIDS fund to ruling party-run district councils, activists told IRIN. The cabinet announced last week that the disbursement of money from the AIDS Trust Fund to independent village AIDS comm
WFP Launches US $15.3m Development Programme: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2001; The World Food Programme (WFP) is to provide 482,000 Ghanaians with food aid through 2005 to support efforts to reduce poverty in Ghana, the UN agency announced on Wednesday. WFP s Ghana Country Programme, designed in close collaboration with the Ghanaian government, will supply beneficiaries with 35,000 mt of food ove
DFID Allocates 2.95 Million Pounds for HIV/Aids Work: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 13, 2001; Britain s Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated ActionAid, a British development charity, 2.95 million pounds sterling (US $4.29 million) for HIV/AIDS work in Rwanda , DFID reported on Tuesday. The money will be disbursed over three years and will allow ActionAid to help Rwanda s National AIDS C
Japan Provides US $630,000 to Fight HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 2, 2001; The Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and Japanese NGO Amis d Afrique (Friends of Africa) signed a letter of agreement on Wednesday for a US $630,000 grant in support of reinforcing HIV/AIDS responses in communities in the CAR, the World Bank announced from Bangui. The grant will finance activities i
Donors Pledge US $722 Million: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 31, 2001; International donors have pledged more than US $700 million in support of Mozambique s poverty reduction programme. A World Bank press release said 80 percent of the pledges were in the form of grants. These contributions are in addition to the debt service relief granted to Mozambique under the original and the enhanc
Nation Caught in HIV/Aid Dilemma: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 26, 2001; One of Rwanda s main dilemmas is the belief that the country is no longer in need of humanitarian aid when many people still suffer from food insecurity caused by drought or, paradoxically, heavy rains in March and April, OCHA reported on 30 September. In its most recent review of the affected population in the Great L
WTO Rules Block Cheaper HIV/Aids Imports: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 12, 2001; The National Aids Control Council of Kenya has said the government is having difficulty buying cheap HIV/AIDS drugs despite the government passing legislation in June to allow low-cost importation in June, the Daily Nation reported on Wednesday. Deputy Director of NACC, Dr Patrick Oregi, was quoted as saying that some
More Important Issues Than Race - Survey: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2001; A recent survey by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) involving more than 2,100 South African residents aged 16 and above suggested that the nation was more preoccupied with issues like unemployment and HIV/AIDS than with race, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has reported. The sample was drawn
Lusaka Gets New Aids Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2001; A new range of antiretroviral drugs were launched in Zambia on Monday, the Post newspaper reported. The drugs - manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy and to be distributed by Melcome Pharmaceuticals Limited - were officially launched in Lusaka by Health Minister Levison Mumba. Melcome managing direc
President Wants to Establish Agency for Prevention of HIV/Aids: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2001; Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said he intends establishing an agency for the prevention and control of HIV/ADS, tuberculosis and other related diseases. In a letter to the senate, Obasanjo said he sought laws to establish the agency, AFP reported on Thursday. The report said that according to the letter, the age
Fiscal Review Reveals Impact of HIV/Aids: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2001; The review of provincial and local government finances released yesterday by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, revealed the impact of HIV/AIDS on service delivery, budget forecasts and personnel planning throughout government, saying the affects of the pandemic were becoming visible. According to the Business Day newspap
National Aids Council Consults Stakeholders On HIV/Aids Planning: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2001; In an effort to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Zimbabwe National AIDS Council(NAC) met AIDS organisations to set in motion a process to facilitate HIV/AIDS prevention and care by district HIV/AIDS committees throughout the country. According to a Safaids report, the NAC consulted different stakeholders including disa
WFP to Launch Feeding Project for HIV/Aids Patients: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2001; The World Food Programme confirmed on Monday it would in October begin feeding 35,000 people affected with HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Congo. An official of the UN agency told IRIN that WFP had agreed to provide food, allowing patients to stay on the anti-retroviral cocktail of drugs. WFP says that by providing the fam
HIV/Aids Drugs Now Available in Gulu: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2001; HIV/AIDS patients in northern Ugandan would now be able to access from Gulu District hospital anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) used to treat the disease, The New Vision reported on Wednesday. The government-owned newspaper quoted Director-General of Health Services Francis Omaswa as saying the introduction of the drugs int
1,800 Teachers Died of HIV/Aids Last Year: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 8, 2001; At least 1,800 of South Africa s 350,000 teachers died of AIDS-related diseases last year, Johannesburg s Afrikaans daily, the Beeld , reported on Monday. Dr Kineau Swart, the health department s national co-ordinator for life skills and HIV/AIDS school programmes, told delegates at a National Professional Teachers Org
New Campaign Targets Widely Held Beliefs About Masculinity: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 8, 2001; This year s World AIDS Campaign will chip away at masculine behaviours and attitudes that contribute to the spread of HIV, Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS , said last week. Part of the effort to curb the AIDS epidemic must include challenging negative beliefs and behaviours, including the way men view risk
NGOs Help Nairobi Orphans Keep Families Together: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 5, 2001; Kenyan NGOs are helping AIDS orphans keep families together and healthy. Aid organisations are stepping up efforts to help families remain united after children are left in charge by their parents deaths from AIDS, the Christian Science Monitor reported. These children should not be sent away to orphanages or boarding
Concerns Over HIV Treatment of Soldiers: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 5, 2001; Director General of Tanzania s National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Andrew Kitua, has the institute received a request for permission for testing of an alleged new HIV/Aids treatment that South African researchers are conducting on Tanzanian soldiers, but that the trials had not yet been approved, the South
HIV/Aids Ahead of Malaria As Leading Killer: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 5, 2001; The HIV/AIDS epidemic has now overtaken malaria as the leading cause of death among adults in Uganda , and has claimed over 800,000 Ugandan lives so far, according to Dr David Kihumoro Apuuli, Director-General of the Uganda Aids Commission. Apuuli made the statement at a training workshop for education officers, inspec
600,000 Internally Displaced, Refugee Agency Says: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 5, 2001; Some 600,000 Burundians were believed to be internally displaced as of September as a result of fighting between loyalist and anti-government forces, the US Committee for Refugees reported in a seven-nation review published on 2 October. The figure includes some 380,000 at 210 displacement sites, plus approximately 200
HIV/Aids Must Not Be Forgotten in Present Global Crisis - Red Cross: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 4, 2001; With all the attention the current global crisis was receiving, the world needed to be reminded of humanitarian issues in Africa such as HIV/AIDS, Dr Astrid Heiberg, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said on Thursday. Let us not forget that almost as many people will die
'Aids Drugs Essential for HIV/Aids Patients': UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 4, 2001; Antiretroviral drug treatment for HIV/AIDS patients was essential since international precedents indicated a marked decline in AIDS-related mortality rates, the Human Research Council (HRC) said in a statement to parliament this week. Speaking during public hearings over HIV/AIDS, HRC chief executive Dr Olive Shisana s
Government Considers Compelling Doctors to Name Aids Patients: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 4, 2001; The Kenyan government may soon compel doctors to disclose the HIV status of their patients in a bid to curb the spread of the pandemic, the Standard newspaper reported. Minister of State in the Office of the President, Marsden Madoka, was reported as saying that the government was awaiting the findings of the legal tas
HIV/Aids Campaigner Honoured for Courage: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 4, 2001; A leading Tanzanian campaigner for people living with HIV/AIDS has been selected as one of four winners of the Africa Prize for Leadership from the US-based Hunger Project on 13 October. Amelia Jacob, who is herself living with HIV, has demonstrated the courage to speak out publicly on this issue , thereby helping othe
AIDS is Bigger Killer: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 3, 2001; Two South African provinces, Gauteng and the Free State, have announced that HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of deaths within their boundaries, the Business Day newspaper reported on Wednesday. The statements have reinforced leaked findings from the unreleased Medical Research Council (MRC) report, which states that HIV/
Census Avoids Issue of HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 2, 2001; South Africa s national census which starts next week, will not include questions on HIV/AIDS, as the topic was too sensitive , Motale Phirwa, National Census Manager of Statistic South Africa, told IRIN on Tuesday. Results from the census will assist decision makers when planning and developing policies for the future
80% of Women HIV Infected: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 1, 2001; Some 80 percent of Rwandan women are infected with HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, the president of the Rwandan Association of Trauma Counselors, Beatrice Karengera, said on Friday. At the opening of a two-day Kigali conference on the effects of Trauma, she said most of these women were infected after being raped by
National HIV/AIDS Plan Ready: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 29, 2001; Burundi s plan to tackle HIV/AIDS from 2002-2006 will be presented at a donor s meeting in Geneva in November as a follow up to a similar conference in Paris almost a year ago, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in its humanitarian bulletin for 28 August to 17 September. The plan wa
Commission Says No to Laws On Deliberate HIV Infection: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 28, 2001; The South African Law Commission has advised against laws to prosecute those who intentionally expose others to the HIV virus, saying this would be impossible to implement and regulate. The Commission said that the state should instead focus on using existing laws to punish HIV positive people who have unprotected sex
Red Cross Launches HIV/Aids Orphan's Care Pilot Project: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 28, 2001; The Lesotho Red Cross Society announced this week that they had embarked on a two-phased project of prevention and care for orphans living with HIV/AIDS. The first phase includes prevention and has already been piloted in the districts of Mafeteng and Mohale s Hoek, while the second phase will focus on care for HIV/AID
Plans to Make HIV/AIDS Tests Mandatory: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 28, 2001; The Ministry of Health is considering plans to make HIV/AIDS tests mandatory for all pregnant women in an effort to reduce mother-to-child transmission of the disease, the Monitor reported on Friday. The newspaper quoted the Ugandan director-general of health services, Francis Omaswa, as saying that women found to be H
Girls Still Dropping Out From School: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 27, 2001; Pupil enrolment increased a staggering 63 percent when Malawi introduced free primary school education in 1994, but education authorities are still battling to keep young girls in class. Girls opt for early marriages. As a poor country, Malawi is experiencing a great deal of girls who drop out from school because they
Teenage Girls Angered Over Five Year Sex Ban: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 27, 2001; Teenaged girls in Swaziland reacted with anger at the five-year ban on their sex lives this week, complaining that their boyfriends won t wait . The ban was introduced two weeks ago as a measure to curb spread of HIV/AIDS in the kingdom. Lungile Ndlovu, the traditional head of maidens affairs, announced a five-year ba
Initial AIDS Vaccine Trials Show Signs of Success: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 27, 2001; Preliminary results of the Kenya HIV/AIDS vaccine trials have indicated signs of success and the project has been cleared to progress to the next phase, Dr Omu Anzala, project manager for the Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative (KAVI), told PlusNews on Thursday. Eighteen volunteers were used in the study - 12 were put on the
Global AIDS Fund to Start Disbursing Money Late 2001: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 27, 2001; The Global AIDS and Health Fund - an initiative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, would become operational by the end of this year, a UN statement said on Wednesday. The fund would be responsible for mobilising and managing funds in the battle against HIV/AIDS, the UN said. Only if the Fund is run in an effective and
Up to 60,000 Children Born With HIV/AIDS Every Year: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 24, 2001; Between 40,000 and 60,000 children were born HIV positive in Zimbabwe every year, a senior health official told PlusNews on Monday. Dr Inam Chitsike, project officer of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, told PlusNews that the country s MTCT interventio
Some Stick to Old Sex Habits Despite HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 24, 2001; A significant number of Kenyans had not changed their sexual behaviour in spite of massive public awareness about HIV/AIDS, the Daily Nation on Monday quoted a new survey as saying. The survey also highlighted a lack of HIV/AIDS awareness among teenagers, the newspaper report said. The national media survey, commission
Rawlings On HIV/Aids Mission: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 24, 2001; Former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Sunday for a three day visit to discuss measures to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. Rawlings, who is travelling as an official representative of the United Nations, would meet Ethiopian government and religious leaders, Reuters re
Regional Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS Report still to be released: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2001; The South African Medical Research Council (MRC) announced that it would not release its report, which points to HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of deaths in the country, this week because it still has to hold a series of briefings and discussions with various role-players. This announcement followed a statement on Monda
FAO Official Says AIDS Poses Biggest Threat to Food Security: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2001; George McGovern, current American ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told a press briefing in Johannesburg on Wednesday that HIV/AIDS is by far Africa s biggest killer and poses the biggest threat to food security. McGovern, who has just completed a fact-finding mission to Eth
Unicef Report Says HIV/AIDS Threatens the Rights of Children: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2001; HIV/AIDS is one of the cruellest political and social problems in the world, particularly for children, UNICEF reports in its State of the World s Children 2002, which was released this week in preparation for the U.N. General Assembly Special Session on Children. The assembly, originally scheduled for Sept 19-21, has
US $39 Million Needed for HIV/AIDS Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2001; The Kenyan government said on Wednesday it requires Ksh 3 billion (US $39 million) to provide antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for HIV/AIDS patients in public health institutions, the East African Standard reported. Minister for health, Sam Ongeri was quoted as saying that it was impossible to provide ARVs - used in the dru
HIV/AIDS Report still to be released: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2001; The South African Medical Research Council (MRC) announced that it would not release its report, which points to HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of deaths in the country, this week because it still has to hold a series of briefings and discussions with various role-players. This announcement followed a statement on Monda
Activists Urge Government to Declare AIDS National Emergency: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 21, 2001; Pharmaceutical leaders warn that AIDS research could dry up Representatives of the world s largest pharmaceutical companies warned that proposed amendments to the 1994 Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS), that would make it easier for developing countries to produce generic forms of patented me
US $39 Million Needed for HIV/AIDS Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2001; The Kenyan government said on Wednesday it required Ksh 3 billion (US $39 million) to provide anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) for HIV/AIDS patients in public health institutions, the East African Standard reported. Health Minister Sam Ongeri was quoted as saying that it was impossible to provide ARVs - used in the drug co
Ministry to Tackle HIV/AIDS in Schools: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2001; Ethiopia s Ministry of Education has allocated 10 million birr (about US $1.3 million) towards controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS in schools, the pro-government Walta Information Centre reported on 18 September. Walta quoted Kasu Abdi of the AIDS Prevention and Control Task Force as saying that the money would come fro
HIV/AIDS Training Programme Launched for Doctors: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2001; Medical organisations have created a training programme to help doctors deal with HIV/AIDS more effectively, the SA Medical Association (SAMA) announced this week. The programme was developed by SAMA s educational division, the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), and the SA HIV Clinicians Society. HIV/AIDS i
AIDS Conference Drafts Action Plan: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 19, 2001; Delegates at the ongoing Global Strategies for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants conference in Kampala had come up with an action plan calling for programmes to eradicate or drastically reduce vertical transmission of HIV from mothers to infants, the New Vision newspaper reported on Friday.
HIV/AIDS Briefs, 18 September 2001: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 19, 2001; South Africa : Prisoners dying of HIV/AIDS increase to 328 percent A total of 1,101 South African prisoners died of HIV/AIDS in the first seven months of this year - an increase of 328 percent compared with the same period last year, Correctional Services Minister Ben Skosana said on Tuesday. According to an AP r
Task Force Says HIV/AIDS a "National Disaster": UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 18, 2001; Kenya s National Task Force on HIV/AIDS said on Monday that the government should officially register the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country as a national disaster, the East African Standard reported. The chairman of the Task Force, Ambrose Rachier, was quoted as saying that although President Daniel arap Moi had declar
Five Year Sex Ban Imposed for Young Women: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 18, 2001; The Swaziland government has announced a five-year sex ban for young women in a bid to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. The ban was announced on Sunday evening by the leader of Swaziland s young women, Lungile Ndlovu, who said the elders of the nation had deemed it fitting, AFP reported. During this p
Report Finds That AIDS is the Leading Cause of Death: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 18, 2001; AIDS is the leading cause of death among South Africans and could claim as many as six million lives in the country by 2010 if preventive measures are not taken, according to an unreleased report by the South African Medical Research Council, the Sunday Times reported. Among South Africans between the ages of 15 and 49
Education Ministry Intensifies Fight Against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 18, 2001; Rwandan Secretary General in the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research Eugene Munyakayanza announced on Thursday a strategic framework within which a comprehensive and a holistic view of actions would be taken to mitigate the impact [of HIV/AIDS] on the education sector, the Rwandan News Agency reported Thursda
AIDS Expected to Claim 10 Million Southern Africans By 2015: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2001; African economies could be devastated by the 10 million AIDS deaths forecast for southern Africa over the next 15 years, researchers warned this week. African Eye News Service reported that according to Southern African Development Community {SADC} researchers, crucial human development projects were already suffering
US $2.5 Million Enough to Reduce HIV Infection of World's Babies: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2001; It would cost just US $2.5 million worth of drugs to significantly reduce HIV infection of unborn babies across the world, an AIDS conference in Kampala heard on Thursday, according to an AFP report. The International Conference on Global Strategies for Prevention of Mother-to-Infant HIV Transmission, attended by 700 e
Drugs Remain Unaffordable - Health Minister: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2001; Although pharmaceutical companies cut the price of HIV/AIDS medication, South Africa still could not afford to provide the drugs through the public health system, Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Thursday. The government has drawn widespread criticism for not supplying antiretroviral drugs to those i
Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Conference Opens With Controversy: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2001; The third conference on Global Strategies for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants opened on Sunday evening in Kampala with a controversial speech by the Ugandan minister of health, a HDN Key Correspondent reported. Speaking on behalf of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the minister announced a
Health Minister to Defend Court Challenge: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 14, 2001; Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang would defend legal action instituted by the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) aimed at ensuring state provision of the anti-retroviral drug Nevirapine to pregnant HIV positive women countrywide, Health-e News reported on Wednesday. Tshabalala-Msimang and all nine provincial hea
New Guidelines for HIV/AIDS Testing: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 13, 2001; Comprehensive national guidelines for HIV/AIDS counselling and testing institutions in Kenya have been published for the first time, the Daily Nation reported on Thursday. The guidelines aimed to minimise unprofessional counselling and poor quality testing in health centres offering Voluntary Counselling and Testing (V
FAO Report Says HIV/AIDS is Devastating Farming And Worsening Hunger: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; HIV/AIDS is devastating farming and worsening hunger in sub-Saharan Africa, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Tuesday. According to the report, The State of Food and Agriculture 2001 , in Africa s 25 most affected countries, seven million farm workers had died from AIDS since 1985 and 16 million mo
Nigeria Begins Aids Drug Programme After Delay: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; After a one week delay from a scheduled 1 September start, Nigerian officials on Friday began an AIDS treatment pilot programme to supply cheap generic antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive citizens, AP reported. Health Minister Alphonsus Nwosu was reported as saying that he would rather have the programme right and the
Mbeki Questions Spending On HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; South African President Thabo Mbeki has ordered the government to re-evaluate its social policy spending in light of 1995 data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that states external causes such as accidents, homicide and suicide, not HIV/AIDS, make up the leading cause of death in the nation, the Johannesburg ne
Anti-AIDS Campaigner Says Government Failing People: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; The Kampala government s poor management of resources, non-inclusive policy-making, corruption and repression were precluding effective action on the part of civil society volunteerism in the battle against HIV/AIDS, despite the country s glowing international image on the issue, according to Rubaramira Ruranga, coordi
Learning to Survive AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; AIDS, not the border war with Angolan rebels, is the real threat to people s security in Namibia s northeast Kavango region. Galvanised by the crisis, a group of 130 HIV-positive people, most of them between 15 and 25 years, declared their status publicly at the border town of Rundu over the weekend. The event put a fa
Botswana Intensifies HIV/AIDS Awareness Programme: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; Botswana has made strides in implementing a programme aimed at reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS, Director of Health Services of Botswana Patson Mazonde said on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported. Mazonde told the delegates at a HIV/AIDS workshop in Harare that there is evidence that people are beginning to know more
Women Have to Stop Breast-Feeding to Prevent Passing HIV to Babies: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; African women infected with HIV/AIDS have to break with tradition and stop breast-feeding to prevent passing it on to their children, medical experts told delegates at a four-day conference on Global Strategy for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants, AP reported. Speaking at the conference in Kamp
HIV/AIDS Organisation Wins Leadership Prize: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2001; An Ethiopian NGO which works to create awareness about HIV/AIDS has won the 2001 African prize for leadership, awarded by the New York-based Hunger Project. The Hiwot HIV/AIDS Prevention Care and Support Organisation (HAPCSO) was honoured for its work in helping to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia, the Hunger
Oil Companies Help Curb HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2001; Two US oil companies are helping teachers and students in the Republic of the Congo (ROC) learn about the risks of HIV/AIDS and how to avoid the deadly virus, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) announced Monday. Chevron and Nomeco are supporting a project - that UNDP and UNICEF are carrying out in cooperation with the
German Company Begins Shipping Free Doses of AIDS Drug: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2001; German pharmaceutical company Boehringer-Ingelheim has finally come up with a way to act on its offer to provide Viramune free of charge to help African countries prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Since the company announced its offer last year, it had bee
World Bank AIDS Update: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2001; AFRICA: AIDS conference commends four countries for anti-AIDS efforts Four countries were commended at an AIDS conference for reducing mother to child transmission of HIV by making the appropriate drugs readily available, AFP reported on Monday. The four countries - Botswana , Brazil
HIV/AIDS Regional Headquarters to Be Built: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2001; The government of Norway will provide US $1.6 million towards building a regional HIV/AIDS council headquarters in Ethiopia , the pro-government Walta Information Centre reported on 5 September. The funds will be made available under an agreement signed in Ethiopia between UNICEF and Norway on Wednesday.
UNAIDS Launches Congo-Oubagui-Chari River Initiative: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 10, 2001; UNAIDS has announced the launch of an initiative for the four countries through which the Congo, Oubangui and Chari rivers flow - namely the Republic of Congo, Central African Republic , the DRC and Chad - to reduce the number of HIV/AIDS and sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) as well as t
Government Increases Access to HIV/AIDS Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 10, 2001; The Ugandan government was planning to set up two centres for the low-cost treatment of HIV/AIDS by the end of this year, the semi-official New Vision newspaper reported on Monday, 10 September. The government-owned newspaper quoted the Executive Director of the US-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Henry Chang, as sayi
Kagame Visits Merck Research Laboratories: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Thursday visited Merck research laboratories in Pennsylvania, USA, and commended the company for its work in developing a number of HIV/AIDS vaccines, presidential spokesman Nicholas Shalita announced Friday. Kagame said Merck should consider Rwanda among its partners in the effort to f
HIV/AIDS Deaths "Falling in Some Areas": UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; The director of Kenya s National HIV/AIDS Control Council, Margaret Gachara, has said that deaths associated with HIV/AIDS are declining in some parts of the country, the independent Daily Nation newspaper reported on Friday. Gachara said as that increased life expectancy among HIV/AIDS patients in the Lake region (Nya
First Great Lakes AIDS Conference Opens: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; The first African Great Lakes AIDS conference is being held in the Ugandan city of Entebbe from 6 to 9 September, attended by representatives from 20 African countries. According to the PR Newswire service, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is due to be presented with a special award for his fight against HIV/AIDS. The
Kagame Underlines Huge Challenge Posed By AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; Rwandan President Paul Kagame has described the AIDS epidemic in Africa as a challenge of unparalleled magnitude . Addressing the first AIDS vaccine conference currently underway in the US, he noted that of 36 million people affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide, 24 million are from Africa. But, he added, African governments
Taxi Drivers Vow to Fight HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; Drivers of Rwanda s minibus taxis have called for the opening of HIV clinics near bus stations where they pick up customers, Radio Rwanda reported on Thursday. Speaking at a workshop bringing together drivers from all over the country, the taxi drivers vowed to do everything possible in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They
HIV/AIDS Quacks Given the Boot: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; The Tanzanian government this week ordered the deportation of two South Africans accused of secretly testing a discredited anti-AIDS drug on humans, the African Eye News Service reported on Friday. Tanzania s Ministry of Home Affairs said on Wednesday that Jacques Visser and Themba Khumalo appeared to have conducted il
HIV/AIDS Brief: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 7, 2001; AFRICA: Cipla s exports of AIDS drugs increase after discount offer Cipla, the Indian pharmaceutical firm that shook the global market last February when it offered to sell a generic three-drug AIDS therapy to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for an annual cost of US $350 per patient, said on Tuesday that it was exporting
Uganda to Accelerate AIDS Vaccine Research: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; Uganda and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced last week that they would work together to accelerate the development and testing of three potential AIDS vaccines, Reuters reported. We are excited that the Ugandan government has chosen to collaborate with IAVI, Seth Berkley, president and CEO o
Many Die in Prison: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2001; A total of 106 inmates died last year of various diseases in Ghana s prisons, according to the 2000 Annual Report of the Ghana Prisons Service, quoted by local media. HIV was the biggest killer, claiming 20 lives, followed by other ailments including diarrhoea, pneumonia, anaemia, hypertension and asthma. The report sa
UNAIDS Director Says HIV/AIDS Stigma is Discrimination: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 6, 2001; UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot called for an all-out attack on HIV-related stigma and discrimination in his address to delegates at the United Nations Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban on Tuesday. In his speech, Piot told the conference that world leaders must fight to dispel the stigma surrounding HIV
President to Be Presented With Anti-HIV/AIDS Award: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 6, 2001; Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was to receive an award on Thursday for his leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Xinhua news agency has reported. According to the report, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot was scheduled to present Museveni with an award of Distinguished Leadership Excellence. The announcement
Harmful Traditional Practices in Welo: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2001; According to the pro-Ethiopian government Walta Information Centre, over 15,000 people in South Welo Zone, northeastern Ethiopia, are reported to have been infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) this year as a direct result of traditional practices. Dr Asefa Taye, zonal health department head, told Walta th
250 HIV/AIDS Testing Centres to Be Opened Soon: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2001; The Kenyan government is to establish 250 voluntary testing and counselling centres for HIV/AIDS by next year, reported the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday. Health Minister Sam Ongeri announced that the centres were to be established in both urban and rural areas and would address voluntary testing as a new me
Targeting Young Men is Key to Fight Against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2001; Agencies involved in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS must target young men or risk devastating effects in the long-term, warns a new joint report from the Panos Institute and UNAIDS . According to the report, Young Men and HIV: Culture, Poverty and Sexual Risk , young men - defined as aged between 15 and 24 - have more
Programme to Supply AIDS Drugs Delayed: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2001; A Nigerian pilot programme that would provide cheap antiretrovirals to people living with HIV/AIDS did not begin on 1 September as planned, Reuters reported last week. Largely seen as the most ambitious generic AIDS treatment programme, the pilot project plans to provide 10,000 adults and 5,000 children with generic co
AIDS Could Orphan Third of Africa's Children: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2001; Up to one third of children in Southern and East African countries could be orphaned by HIV/AIDS by 2010, the head of a South African charity told the International Forum for Child Welfare (IFCW) in Ireland this week, SAPA reported on Friday. By 2010, between 20 percent and 35 percent of all children under 15 in e
Government to Test Students for HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2001; The Botswana government may soon test all prospective students for HIV/AIDS, reported the Botswana Gazette on Thursday. Addressing first year students of the University of Botswana last week, career guidance officers from the Ministry of Education said the government was considering testing students compulsorily. T
Official Concern Over Sex Case And HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2001; The Eritrean government has expressed concern over allegations of sexual abuse by a UN peacekeeper of an underage girl, and said that justice must be done either under national or international laws. The commissioner for coordination with the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, Andeberhan Woldegiorgis, said in a letter
HIV/AIDS Leading Cause of Death for Teachers: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2001; HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among teachers in the Central African Republic , according to UNICEF, which studied the deaths of 300 teachers last year and found that 85 percent had died from HIV/AIDS. Research by UNAIDS suggests that by 2005 between 25 percent and 50 percent of all the country s teachers will
HIV/AIDS to Be Discussed At World Conference Against Racism: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2001; HIV/AIDS will be highlighted as a source of discrimination at the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) which begins in Durban, South Africa , on Friday. According to a UNAIDS briefing note, issues relating to HIV/AIDS will be discussed at various forums, including the draft declaration and at a panel event which will
HIV/AIDS Vaccine Tests Given Go-Ahead: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2001; Two experimental vaccines against the HIV virus are to be tested in Uganda , the government-owned New Vision reported on Wednesday. It quoted the resident of the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), Seth Berkley, as saying that test preparations would begin immediately and that the first volunteers would recei
Companies Consider Financial Implications of HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 27, 2001; At a conference held in Cape Town on Friday to discuss the financial implications of HIV/AIDS, South Africa s leading mining companies said they were offering treatment packages as an incentive for employees to go for testing. Brian Brink, senior vice president for medical affairs at Anglo American, told the conference
Prison Authorities Free HIV Positive Inmates: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2001; According to a report in AIDS Analysis Africa , Nigerian prison authorities have started a programme of releasing dying HIV positive inmates on humanitarian grounds in an attempt to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria s prisons. The report said this was the first time the country s prison authorities had admitted th
Jazz Festival for HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2001; A three-day HIV/AIDS jazz festival, bringing together talented regional and international jazz musicians, has begun in Harare, the capital. Zimbabwean musician, Oliver M tukudzi said HIV/AIDS was everyone s responsibility. AIDS is no joke. It s a reality. It s there ... you have to accept the conditions we re living in
Government Plans to Manufacture HIV/AIDS Medicine: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2001; Ghana hopes to begin manufacturing generic versions of HIV/AIDS drugs soon, the Accra radio JOY FM reported Minister of Health Richard Anane as saying. Two local pharmaceutical companies have been short-listed but the government plans to contract only one. The government is also negotiating with a Thai firm to help t
Sexual Health Campaign Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2001; Senegal is set to launch a three-month national sexual health campaign to sensitise populations on the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the state-owned Le Soleil reported Minister of Health Awa Marie Coll as announcing on Thursday. The campaign will use a one-truck caravan which, at e
Focus On HIV/Aids Treatment Programme: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 24, 2001; For thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria , the long wait for affordable treatment appears set to end. From 1 September the government will launch an anti-retroviral treatment programme under which 15,000 people will each receive the required cocktail of drugs for less than US $1 daily. The drugs prod
Residents Demand That AIDS Orphans Leave Area: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 24, 2001; Wealthy residents in Waterfall, outside the South African city of Durban, have demanded that an HIV/AIDS orphanage and care centre be moved from their area, the local Daily News reported on Thursday. The Agape Care and Support Centre takes an innovative approach to helping more than 200 children whose parents have died
24-Hour HIV/AIDS Hotline Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 24, 2001; A 24-hour HIV/AIDS hotline has been launched in Nigeria , the US Newswire service reported on Wednesday. The telephone initiative was implemented by The Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF), a local non-governmental organisation, and was assisted by the Lagos State HIV/AIDS Foundation and John Hopkins University Populati
Plans to Launch HIV/AIDS Testing Project: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2001; The Angolan government plans to launch an HIV/AIDS testing and counselling project to analyse the prevalence of the disease in the country, official news agency Angop reported on Tuesday. Angolan Health Minister Albertina Hamukwaya was reported as saying that the project would be conducted by the health ministry and su
Officials Propose Better HIV/AIDS School Education: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2001; Delegates at a conference on sexuality education in South African schools have called for HIV/AIDS education to be integrated into all eight subject areas for pupils between the ages of six and 16, the Business Day newspaper has reported. Delegates have been tasked with drafting guidelines for the implementation of sex
CDC Donates HIV Testing Equipment: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2001; The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has donated equipment to Tanzania for HIV testing and laboratory operations, reported the Tomric News Agency on Tuesday. The equipment, worth US $340,000 can carry out 300,000 rapid tests and people can get their results in less than 30 minutes. The Charge d A
Food Formula Benefits AIDS Patients: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 21, 2001; HIV/AIDS patients who are struggling to eat are benefitting from a new-formula food that can be made into either porridge or a milkshake by just adding cold water, The Star reported on Monday. The formula, which has only been available since June, is being distributed by Community AIDS Response (CARE), an NGO that prov
Truck Drivers Given Condom Demonstration: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 21, 2001; More than 2,000 truck drivers hired by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Ethiopia have been given lessons on the proper use of condoms as part of an HIV/AIDS prevention course. In a statement, WFP said the training was aimed at some 2,300 truck drivers contracted by WFP to move relief food from
Canadian Aid for AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 21, 2001; Canada agreed on Friday to disburse 1.45 billion CFA (US $2 million) to enable Senegal to implement the third phase of its HIV/AIDS programme, which will run from 2001 to 2006, Sud Quotidien daily reported. Senegal is one of eight West African countries benefiting from Canadian aid to fight the pandemic under a regio
HIV/AIDS Figures Set to Increase: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 21, 2001; A new report indicates that between 6 million and 7.5 million South Africans could be infected with HIV in 10 years, SAPA reported on Friday. The report, based on research by non-governmental organisations and published by the HIV/AIDS youth awareness project loveLife, shows that four million South Africans were infect
Violence Blamed for Spread of HIV/AIDS in Schools: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 20, 2001; According to international and local academics, the high level of sexual violence in KwaZulu-Natal schools has contributed to the dramatic spread of HIV in pupils, reported the local newspaper The Daily News this week. The academics were speaking at the launch of a research project, called Gender, Violence and HIV/AIDS
Anglican Bishops Call for HIV/AIDS State of Emergency: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 20, 2001; An HIV and AIDS state of emergency should be declared in all African countries, said the Southern African head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, at the close of a four day All-Africa Anglican Conference this week. Bishops from across Africa met in the first gathering of its kind to develop an Afr
Condoms Still Best Defence Against HIV/AIDS And STD's: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 20, 2001; According to UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation (WHO), condoms are still the best defence against HIV/AIDS infection, in spite of recent media reports questioning their effectiveness in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. In a statement released in Geneva on Thursday, UNAIDS and W
Workshop Addresses Stigma in the Media: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 20, 2001; Southern Africa AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) hosted a three-day workshop for Kenyan media practitioners between August 3-5 to explore the extent of stigma in HIV/AIDS media coverage and to examine the media s role in influencing or reducing HIV/AIDS-related stigma, the Zimbabwe-based NGO reported. I
AIDS Prevention Campaign Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 17, 2001; An HIV/AIDS prevention project was launched this week in Accra, reported the Accra Mail on Thursday. The programme, with the theme Change for Good , is designed to encourage behavioural change among the youth who are known to be most vulnerable to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. British Airways and the United Nations Children s
Kenya AIDS Watch Launches Hotline: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 17, 2001; The Kenya AIDS Watch Institute (KAWI) has launched a national HIV/AIDS hotline to provide information to those urgently requiring assistance and guidance on issues related to the disease, the East African Standard newspaper reported on Thursday. The KAWI hotline will be manned 12 hours a day and start operating on 1 Se
China Donates Condoms And Bikes to Fight AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 17, 2001; Namibia s Ministry of Health and Social Services received a donation of 100 bicycles and 100,000 condoms from the People s Republic of China . The donation is to enable the government to educate people in the remote parts of the country about the disease, The Namibian reported on Thursday. Health Minister Dr Libertina
Youth Waking Up to HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 16, 2001; About 30 young adults cram into a tiny room at the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society offices in Highfields - one of Harare s high-density, working class suburbs. An interview with IRIN has generated excitement among the group. They are eager to share their experiences as adolescent HIV/AIDS peer educators . But as everyon
Treatment Action Campaign Takes Government to Court On AIDS Drug: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 16, 2001; The South African AIDS activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), announced last week that it would take the government to court for denying HIV-positive pregnant women drugs that reduce the risk of transmitting the disease to their babies, Reuters reported on Wednesday. TAC said it would take legal action to
Cuba Seeks Funds to Send AIDS-Fighting Doctors to Africa: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 16, 2001; Cuba stands ready to send 4,000 doctors and health specialists to Africa in order to build an infrastructure to assist efforts to supply the population with HIV/AIDS medications as well as essential prescription and follow-up procedures, the news agency IPS reported on Tuesday. But analysts said that this could only
UN Mission Highlights Massive Public Concerns: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 16, 2001; The key message of a joint WHO and UNICEF health mission to the DRC in late July was that health care must be redirected from the current facility-based curative care to a public health approach focused on the main killer conditions in order to address unacceptable mortality and ill health. The mission found that up to
Conditions Ripe for HIV/AIDS Explosion: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 15, 2001; Multiple troop movements and population displacements in the DRC, and to and from neighbouring countries with high HIV prevalence rates, have left the DRC well set for an explosion of HIV/AIDS , according to WHO focal point Dr Tshioko Kweteminga, cited in an agency situation report late last week. I can hardly think of
SADC Leaders Urge States To Fight HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 15, 2001; Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting in Malawi urged member countries to strengthen joint efforts to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region, the news agency Inter Press Service reported on Tuesday. Sam Nujoma, president of Namibia and chairman of SADC, said at the o
Human Aids Vaccine Trials Due in March 2002: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 14, 2001; Human trials on a new AIDS vaccine are to start in South Africa and the United States simultaneously in March 2002, Johannesburg s Sunday Independent reported. Scientists are currently in the process of selecting 48 HIV-negative volunteers to participate in the phase one trials at the RK Kahn Hospital in Durban.
AIDS Education Programme Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 14, 2001; An initiative to support an AIDS education programme for primary school pupils was launched last week, the Daily Nation newspaper reported on Monday. The second schedule of the Primary School for Better Health (PSBH) project involves pre-service teacher training countrywide. It also involves training of teachers and co
UNHCR Tackles HIV/AIDS in Refugee Camps: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 11, 2001; Scientific studies into the prevalence of HIV/AIDS infection among refugees has been carried out so far, but experts assume that displaced people separated from their families and with no independent source of income, may be more susceptible to the threat of HIV/AIDS than other groups. the refugee population has so far
Accurate Figures On HIV/Aids Overdue: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 10, 2001; An in-depth investigation of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is long overdue, a WHO report has warned. The Norwegian government has recently donated US $400,000 to improve the capacity to assess the impact of HIV and testing capacities in the country. Currently there are only five sentinel
Behaviour Blamed for High HIV/Aids Infection Rate: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 10, 2001; Despite poverty being identified as one of the underlying factors which expose people to HIV/AIDS, Beruki Hawaz of the AIDS/STD Unit in Gaborone told participants at a HIV/AIDS workshop that behaviour is the main reason why it has been difficult to control the spread of HIV in the country, the newspaper Mmegi reported
Aids Test Centre Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 10, 2001; A Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Centre for HIV/AIDS offering free services to the public was launched at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), the Standard newspaper reported on Thursday. The centre is among 250 others the government plans to set up in provincial, district, sub district and mission hospitals
Aids Risk Cover for Companies: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 10, 2001; Capital Alliance, an insurance company, has produced South Africa s first insurance product that allows employers to take out insurance against the risk of their employees contracting HIV/AIDS, The Financial Mail reported on Friday. LifeAid by Capital Alliance provides employees who contract the virus with a monthly ca
Health Official Calls for HIV/AIDS Tests Before Marriage: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 8, 2001; A government health official said on Saturday that couples should be required to take an AIDS test before getting married, Kenyan Radio reported. AIDS coordinator for Eastern Province, Hannah Malinda was quoted as saying that about half a million people in the province were living with HIV/AIDS and that the endemic had
Government Blames Food Deficit On HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 8, 2001; The government has blamed this year s food shortage on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Ministry of agriculture human resources clerk, Cleopatra Mukupa, said agriculture like any other sector has not been spared by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, reported the independent newspaper The Post on Tuesday. Mukupa said this could be attributed
AIDS Orphans Demonstrate: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 6, 2001; Children orphaned by AIDS joined hundreds of demonstrators in the streets of Addis Ababa to call for more government spending on the epidemic, the BBC said on Monday. In Monday s demonstration, organisers called on the government to follow the example of South Africa and Kenya in passing legis
Plans for West African Anti-AIDS Corridor: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 5, 2001; Experts were meeting in Benin over a UNAIDS project to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS on the Abidjan-Lagos route, Radio France Internationale reported on Thursday. The project, scheduled to run for three years, would cost between US $20 million and US $30 million and would cover five countries -
Condom Sales Rise As Campaign Establishes Itself: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 5, 2001; Increased condom sales have been the first sign of success for the Stop AIDS Love Life prevention campaign which began last year in Ghana . The campaign - using radio, television, music videos and testimonials from people living with HIV/AIDS - was making a difference, US Newswire reported on Friday. Quoting resea
DaimlerChrysler Faces Up to HIV/AIDS Threat: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 5, 2001; HIV/AIDS has infected 22 percent of the population around the DaimlerChrysler assembly plant in East London, in the Eastern Cape province, and the company is now facing up to the threat HIV/AIDS poses to production, The Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The company is South Africa s largest foreign investor and expo
Southern African Bishops Reject Use of Condoms: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 5, 2001; Southern African Catholic bishops condemned the use of condoms to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic on Monday, saying it was immoral and dangerous. The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) concluded a seven-day meeting by denouncing the use of condoms, which they said destroyed moral fibre and encouraged casu
Unicef Calls for Education About MTCT South Africa: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 2, 2001; UNICEF has called for more information to be disseminated on mother-to-child-transmission of HIV/AIDS. UNICEF s Resident Representative in Zambia told IRIN on Thursday that there was a need for the media to engage in responsible journalism to ensure the dissemination of accurate information where women and children s h
Defence Force Launches AIDS Campaign: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 2, 2001; The South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which has an estimated HIV prevalence of 17 percent, has launched a US $3 million campaign to fight the AIDS pandemic. The training programme was launched in the capital, Pretoria, by the deputy minister of defence on Wednesday. The Masibambisane (which means lets work
Company Evades Drug Regulations to Test Virodene: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; According to the Wall Street Journal, two South Africans whose attempts to test an experimental AIDS drug caused an uproar in 1997, have quietly tested the compound on humans with the help of the Tanzanian police and military. The experimental drug, Virodene P058, has apparently never been tested against AIDS in animal
State Likely to Face Legal Action If AIDS Drug is Not Provided: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and close to 100 paediatricians have asked the health department to make Nevirapine available in all public hospitals for HIV-positive pregnant women, Business Day reported on Tuesday. The department has until the end of this week to reply, or it will face legal action, likely to tak
Health Workers Call for AIDS Monitoring: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; HIV/AIDS activists warn that Kenya does not have the adequate facilities to administer the drug, Nevirapine which is used to curb mother-to-child-transmission of the HIV virus, Africa Analysis reported on Monday. The Kenyan government has applied for free supplies of Nevirapine. Many women cannot afford the expensive
Ugandan Picked to Spearhead AIDS Fund: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan named former Ugandan Health Minister Crispus Kiyonga as head of the transition team for the UN-brokered Global AIDS and Health Fund on Monday. Kiyonga, who until last week oversaw what many observers consider to be one of Africa s most effective AIDS-prevention campaigns, will head a gro
Former US President And US Singer Team Up to Fight AIDS in Africa: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; Former American President Bill Clinton and Grammy-winning record producer and singer Kenneth Babyface Edmonds are teaming up to fights AIDS in Africa. The International AIDS Trust says Edmonds will go on a fact-finding tour through African communities ravaged by AIDS, and will raise money to fight the disease by stagin
Couples Warned of Fake HIV Negative Certificates: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; The country s health ministry has advised couples preparing for marriage to make sure that the HIV free certificates thier future spouses provide, are genuine. This announcement was prompted by the recent appearance of fraudulent certificates in Manzini. Dr John Mbambo, Director of Health, told IRIN on Wednesday that t
Kiyonga to Spearhead Global Fund for Health: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; The UN on Monday announced that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had appointed Dr Crispus Kiyonga of Uganda as chairman of the Transitional Working Group for the establishment of the Global AIDS and Health Fund. Kiyonga, who is currently Minister without Portfolio and Acting National Political Commissar in a new Ugandan
Annan Envoy Welcomes Leadership On HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 1, 2001; Kenya was among the African countries waging a determined effort to battle the HIV/AIDS pandemic, offering hope that it could be reversed and even defeated, according to Stephen Lewis, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. Lewis was speaking to journalists at the UN s headquarters in
HIV/AIDS an Extra Danger for LRA Child Soldiers: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 31, 2001; When a senior commander in Joseph Kony s rebel Lord s Resistance Army (LRA) noticed that one of his 22 wives was seriously ill, rather than give her with medical help he forced her into the bush of southern Sudan to save himself from infection. Although weakened by her illness and hundreds of kilometres from her home n
New AIDS Helpline Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 30, 2001; Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang launched the country s modernised AIDS helpline on Monday. The lifeline offers toll-free assistance 24 hours a day by specially trained counsellors using state of the art telecommunications equipment. The helpline received support and technical assistance from the
Minister Blames Poverty for High AIDS Rate: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 30, 2001; The minister of health and child welfare said on Thursday that poverty was to blame for the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS cases in the country. Speaking on a tour of Hwange district hospitals and clinics, Dr Timothy Stamps said, poverty is a dominant force in the spread of HIV/AIDS , the Daily News reported. The Hwange d
Catholic Bishops Condemn Use of Condoms to Fight AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 30, 2001; Catholic bishops from Southern Africa on Monday condemned the use of condoms to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, saying their use was immoral and dangerous. In a statement issued after the Southern African Catholic Bishop s Conference (SACBC) held in Pretoria, the bishops said they considered the promotion of con
Local Firms Seek Permission to Produce HIV/AIDS Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 30, 2001; Pharmaceutical companies in Uganda have appealed to the government to allow them to start local production of generic HIV/AIDS drugs, AFP reported on Sunday. It quoted Director-General of Health Services Francis Omaswa as saying that the health ministry was deciding whether to allow local manufacturers to make cheaper
G8 Criticised for Global AIDS Fund Contribution: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 28, 2001; AIDS activists condemned as outrageously low the US $1.3 billion pledged by G-8 leaders at the Genoa summit to launch the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS. The Health Gap Coalition, a network of US based AIDS activists, released a press statement on Friday criticising the G-8 leaders for refusing to muster the US $7 - US
Comedian Tackles Country's Attitude to AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 28, 2001; For the past year, comedian Pieter-Dirk Uys has toured some 160 South African schools, using humour to make more than 300,000 children aware of the dangers of HIV/AIDS, The Star newspaper reported on Tuesday. Over the next couple of years, he is planning to visit 800 more schools with his show, Foreign AIDS , an adapte
Youth Media Campaign Helps Reduce HIV/AIDS Prevalence Level: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 28, 2001; USAID AIDS specialist Dr Karen Shelly, said that media campaigns had helped reduced the prevalence level of HIV/AIDS among Zambian youth the Post on Wednesday. Speaking at a meeting reporting on the impact of the youth mass media campaign in Zambia, Dr Shelly said that research conducted by USAID and U
UK NGO to Boost Partnership Against AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 28, 2001; UK non-governmental organization Action Aid has been chosen by the United Kingdom s Department for International Development and UNAIDS to carry out a US $33 million programme to bolster the capacity of four African countries to fight HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS announced on Thursday. Action Aid s work is expected to support the
Water Company Counts Cost of HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 28, 2001; NamWater, Namibia s largest water purification company, says HIV/AIDS is crippling its operations and they are experiencing a loss of productive hours and increasing absenteeism, the Namibian newspaper reported on Friday. Speaking at a company AIDS commemoration in Windhoek, Chief Executive Officer Helge Habenicht said
Youth HIV/AIDS Programme Benefits From Partnership: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 28, 2001; Deputy President Jacob Zuma announced last week Thursday that government is set to sign a US $44 million agreement on AIDS prevention programmes with the American Kaiser Family Foundation, reported SAPA. This would mean a public-private partnership in support of controversial LoveLife HIV/Aids programmes for the youth.
Education in Africa Threatened By AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 27, 2001; According to a recent global conference on education, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a bigger effect on teaching than any other profession, and could wipe out the profession in Africa within 10 years, AFP reported on Wednesday. The percentage of teachers who have died or carry the HIV virus is higher than for most profe
World Bank Donates US $90 Million to Fight HIV/Aids: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 27, 2001; The World Bank has donated US $90.1 million to Nigeria to enable the three tiers of government to embark on an aggressive campaign to control the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. The donation followed the government s announcement that it was looking to place 10,000 HIV/AIDS adult patients and 5,000 children on
Anti-Aids Campaign Draws Protests From Lobby Groups: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 27, 2001; A government HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in Angola is drawing criticism from women s rights activists, church leaders and politicians who say its message is too blunt, Channel Africa reported on Tuesday. The campaign includes TV spots featuring sex scenes and interviews of young women who are asked if they have ever us
Canadian Aid for Anti-Aids Drive: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 27, 2001; Nigeria s drive to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and enhance virile reproductive health is soon to enjoy a US $6.6 million boost from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The contribution is under the Nigerian chapter of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for a period of two years. The money will be
Warning On AIDS Risk for Child Labour: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 25, 2001; UNICEF warned on Monday that child labourers in Mozambique were at a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and said it would encourage the government to find ways to stop child labour. UNICEF s Child Protection Officer, Victoria Perschler-Desai, told IRIN that children under the age of 15 were working as prostitutes, farm
UNMEE/EDF Start HIV/AIDS Training Programme: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 25, 2001; The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) and the Eritrean Defence Force (EDF) have started a joint HIV/AIDS training course for UNMEE military and civilian staff, as well as for the EDF, an UNMEE press statement said on Tuesday. The week-long programme, the graduates from which will become trainers a
US Firm Offers Cheaper Test Kits: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 25, 2001; A US pharmaceutical company, CALCOL Inc, has announced that it would immediately begin to make, sell, and distribute cheap HIV/AIDS Test Kits on a large scale for areas which have been worst hit by HIV/AIDS, reported Marketletter on Tuesday. The Quick Aids Test Kits are currently sold in Kenya ,
Funds for University to Improve the Quality of HIV/AIDS Care: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 25, 2001; The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced an agreement with the University of Zimbabwe School of Medicine to improve the quality of health care services for HIV/AIDS. The CDC said in a statement last week that the purpose of the cooperative agreement was to contribute to improving the quality
Launch of Global AIDS Fund At G-8 Summit Gets Mixed Reaction: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 24, 2001; AIDS activists condemned as outrageously low the US $1.3 billion pledged by G-8 leaders at the Genoa summit to launch the global fund to fight HIV/AI DS. The Health Gap Coalition, a network of US based AIDS activists, released a press statement on Friday criticising the G-8 leaders for refusing to muster the US $7-10 b
Youth HIV/AIDS Programme to Benefit From US $44 Milion AIDS Pact: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 24, 2001; South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma announced on Thursday that his government is set to sign a US $44 million agreement on AIDS prevention programmes with the American Kaiser Family Foundation, SAPA reported. This would mean a public-private partnership in support of the LoveLife HIV/AIDS programmes for the youth
UN Envoy Urges for Funding to Help Fight HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 24, 2001; The UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS to Africa, Stephen Lewis, has emphasised the need for an up-to-date survey on AIDS prevalence rates, since Rwanda s present figures were based on data from 1997, a UN spokesman told a New York briefing on Monday. Lewis, who was on a four-day visit to Rwanda, held discussions with Rwand
Company Granted License to Make Generic Anti-AIDS Medicine: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 24, 2001; US drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb has licensed a South African laboratory to make cheaper generic copies of two of its anti-AIDS medications for sale in sub-Saharan Africa, SAPA reported on Friday. Robert Laverty, spokesperson for Bristol-Myers Squibb, was quoted as saying we re honouring the pledge made in March . The
Family of AIDS Deceased Breaks the Silence: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 21, 2001; The family of the late Paul Omukuba, a Kenyan national, has broken a major taboo in admitting that their relative died of AIDS by decorating a newspaper death announcement with red ribbons, the symbol of the battle against HIV/AIDS, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Family members said they wished to wash away the stigma
Treatment Action Campaign Questions Pfizer's Diflucan Donation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 21, 2001; In a joint press briefing by Oxfam and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Thursday, TAC gave an update on Pfizer s Diflucan donation and questioned the effectiveness of the donation. TAC has been monitoring the donation through Diflucan Watch after last year s announcement by Pfizer that it would donate the drug to
Launch of Global AIDS Fund a Key Issue At G8 Summit: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 21, 2001; The creation of a global fund to fight AIDS and other infectious diseases will be the key subject of an address by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the G-8 summit in Genoa, Italy , his spokesman said on Friday. Annan will deliver an address to the leaders of Canada , F
Journalists Trained On HIV/AIDS Reporting: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 21, 2001; Journalist Against AIDS Nigeria (JAAIDS) organised a workshop on effective HIV/AIDS reporting in Lagos last week to provide basic HIV reporting skills for reporters and to address journalists attitudes and approaches towards HIV/AIDS, the Nigeria AIDS e-forum reported on Tuesday. Speaking to IRIN on Wednesday, work
People Living With AIDS Sceptical About AIDS Fund: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 21, 2001; A Zimbabwe government announcement on Saturday that US $23 million would be disbursed to communities for HIV/AIDS prevention and care, has been met with scepticism by the National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS. Minister of Health and Child Welfare Timothy Stamps was reported by the Sunday `Mail newspaper as
HIV/AIDS Publicity Campaign Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 19, 2001; The Sudan Anti-AIDS Network, in cooperation with a number of partner organisations, this week launched a publicity campaign highlighting the dangers of the disease, according to Sudanese television. The organisation stressed the need for inter-agency cooperation in spreading awareness of HIV/AIDS, as well of the need f
NGO to Introduce Condom Vending Machines: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 19, 2001; The Tanzania Youth AIDS Awareness Trust Fund (TAYOA), an indigenous NGO, plans to introduce an initial 10,000 condom vending dispensers in urban and rural areas country wide in an effort to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday. TAYOA Director Peter Masika said the decision was prompt
Family of AIDS Deceased Breaks the Silence: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 19, 2001; The family of the late Paul Omukuba, a Kenyan national, has broken a major taboo in admitting that a family member died of AIDS by decorating a newspaper death announcement with red ribbons, the symbol of the battle against HIV/AIDS, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Family members said they wished to wash away the stigma
UN Envoy Seeks Moi's Help On AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 17, 2001; Stephen Lewis, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan s special envoy on AIDS in Africa, on Monday met President Daniel arap Moi in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to address Annan s proposed Global AIDS and Health Fund and the importance of having African representation on its governing body, among other issues. Moi agreed to s
World Bank Funds Second AIDS, Population Projects: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 14, 2001; The World Bank approved a US $24.56-million credit for Chad on Thursday for a project to reduce the spread of HIV and rapid population growth. The project aims to ease the impact of these phenomena on the economy and social services in one of the poorest countries in the world, the World Bank reported. The money would
World Bank Gives US $90 Million for AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 13, 2001; The International Development Association (IDA), an arm of the World Bank, has approved US $90.3 million for the government s three-year HIV/AIDS Emergency Action Plan, This Day newspaper reported on Monday. The loan, according to a statement by the World Bank at the weekend, is meant to reduce the spread of the diseas
World Bank Donates US $50 Million for AIDS Project: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 13, 2001; The World Bank has agreed to spend about US $47.5 million to buy medicines, condoms and build clinics over the next five years to boost Uganda s already successful HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes, AP reported on Wednesday. Closing a two-day workshop in the capital Kampala, Ugandan and World Bank officials
Gold Fields Counts Cost of AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 13, 2001; Gold Fields, the country s second largest gold producer, revealed that the HIV/AIDS epidemic could cost the company more than US $10 an ounce, a year unless it took significant action, The Star newspaper reported on Thursday. Chris Thompson, chief executive, said that intervention programmes supported by government and
Trials Show Antiretroviral Therapy Can Benefit the Poor: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 13, 2001; According to a Sunday Independent report, clinical trials conducted in Johannesburg and Cape Town have shown that despite poverty and scarce clinical resources, antiretrovirals can be used successfully by poor people. These findings come after the government s repeated refusal to offer antiretroviral therapy to all say
Some HIV Test Kits to Be Given On Priority Basis: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 13, 2001; The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Zambia combined with the irregular and sometimes limited accessibility of HIV test kits has prompted the Churches Medical Association of Zambia (CMAZ) to recommend to its member institutions an HIV prioritisation scheme, SYNERGY reported on Saturday. The scheme is meant to offer a fra
Government to Import 300 Million Condoms to Fight HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 13, 2001; The government of Kenya has announced its intention to import 300 million condoms as part of a new HIV/AIDS control campaign, due to be unveiled in three weeks time, the Daily Nation newspaper reported on Wednesday. The campaign would feature a policy of encouraging the accessibility, widespread distribution and use of
Government Decentralises Access to Anti-AIDS Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 13, 2001; The Ugandan government is planning to establish an HIV/AIDS centre in each district referral hospital where patients will be able to get access to antiretroviral drugs used to treat the disease, according to the official New Vision newspaper. We are going to establish centres where those who want access to these drugs
AIDS Drugs to Be Delivered in District Hospitals: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 12, 2001; The Ministry of Health is planning to establish centres where those who want access to the anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) used to treat HIV/AIDS will be able to access them at district referral hospitals rather than having to travel to the capital, Kampala, according to the government-owned New Vision newspaper. The gove
Condoms to Play Key Role in HIV/AIDS Campaign: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 12, 2001; The government of Kenya has announced its intention to import 300 million condoms as part of a new HIV/AIDS control campaign, due to be unveiled in three weeks time, the Daily Nation newspaper reported on Wednesday. The campaign would feature a policy of encouraging the accessibility, widespread distribution and use of
HIV/AIDS Could Wipe Out Economic, Social Gains: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 12, 2001; Poverty-reduction measures have not yet succeeded in reaching the rural poor to improve their quality of life, while the HIV/AIDS pandemic posed such a threat that it could reverse all the economic and social gains recently achieved in Tanzania , the UN country team for Tanzania told a meeting of the UN Economic and So
Government Decentralises Access to Anti-Aids Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 11, 2001; Nairobi - The Ugandan government is planning to establish an HIV/AIDS centre in each district referral hospital where patients will be able to get access to anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) used to treat the disease, according to the government-owned New Vision newspaper. We are going to establish centres where those who w
World Bank Loans to Fight HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 10, 2001; The World Bank approved on Friday a US $112.3-million loan to Burkina Faso and Nigeria to help the two countries fight HIV/AIDS. Burkina Faso will receive US $22 million to cover the next five years of an ongoing AIDS Disaster Response Project. The loan would go towards prevention, care and treatment, with an emphasis
Free Anti-Retrovirals for HIV-Positive Women: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 9, 2001; The government of Tanzania has announced that it is to distribute the anti-retroviral drug Viruamune ( nevirapine ) free to HIV-positive pregnant women for five years, starting this month, in an effort to break mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, the pharmaceutical industry intelligence report MarketLetter rep
President Confident of Halting Spread of HIV/Aids: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 4, 2001; President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania , where two million people are infected with the HIV virus, has said he is confident the country should be able to reverse the spread of the disease in the next five years, given the current level of nationwide mobilisation against the epidemic. We are now at a stage of all-round m
Moi Says Men Who Spread HIV/AIDS Should Be Hanged: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 3, 2001; President Daniel arap Moi of Kenya on Saturday called for people who deliberately infect others with HIV/AIDS to be hanged, according to news reports. Speaking on his return from the UN special session on HIV/AIDS in New York, USA, Moi was quoted by the Kenyan Sunday Nation as saying that new laws against rapists and o
US $1 Billion Needed to Fight AIDS - Mkapa: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 3, 2001; President Benjamin Mkapa said on Saturday, 30 June, that Tanzania needed US $1 billion a year to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In an end-of-month address, he also said his government planned to make anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs available to all Tanzania s estimated three million HIV/AIDS patients, AFP reported. This is
Buyoya Announces Poverty Alleviation Measures: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 2, 2001; President Pierre Buyoya has announced a series of measures aimed at tackling the situation of misery in which most Burundians find themselves. In a speech to mark the country s 39th independence anniversary on 1 July, reported by the private Netpress news agency, the measures he announced included a 10 percent increase
Kagame Holds Several High-Level Meetings in New York: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 29, 2001; While in New York to attend the UN summit on HIV/AIDS, Rwandan President Paul Kagame held a number of high-level meetings to discuss the current situation in the Great Lakes region and development support to his country, according to reports from Rwandan presidential spokesman Nicholas Shalita. On Tuesday, Kagame met w
New figures on development costs of HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 28, 2001; A new report launched by UNDP on Tuesday warned that poverty reduction efforts in developing countries are being severely undermined by HIV/AIDS. The pandemic is shaving off up to two percent of annual economic growth in the worst affected countries. Some countries will see their total Gross National Product (GNP) shri
Mbeki Visits AIDS Vaccine Lab: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 28, 2001; South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, who has been criticised for not taking a stronger stand on HIV/AIDS, followed up a meeting with President Bush by accepting an invitation to visit a US laboratory working on an HIV/AIDS vaccine, AP reported on Wednesday. Mbeki has been notably absent from a UN conference on HIV/AID
Global Anti-AIDS Strategy Adopted: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 28, 2001; New York - The UN General Assembly s historic Special Session on HIV/AIDS ended on Wednesday with what Secretary-General Kofi Annan described as a clear strategy for tackling the epidemic. What is important is that, after today, we shall have a document setting out a clear battle plan for the war against HIV/AIDS, with
Mbeki Urges Bush to Help: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 28, 2001; President George W. Bush on Tuesday vowed to help promote economic growth and democracy in Africa after South African President Thabo Mbeki asked the US to help Africa turn the corner and support its efforts to deal with violence, poverty and diseases like HIV/AIDS, agencies reported. You know the challenges we face in
Action Needed Now On HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 27, 2001; New York - Down in the basement of UN headquarters is where the anti-AIDS militancy is brewing. It is here, among the civil society groups attending the three-day UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS, that the loudest and most insistent calls for action are being made. On Tuesday, crowded into a tiny conference room, a coali
Testing Positive: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 27, 2001; It s Friday night and it s the start of a long weekend for most Mozambicans. Monday 25 June is Independence Day and a public holiday. Mozambicans love to party, Rosalina, a young Mozambican woman in her mid-twenties says. We like good music and we love good food, she adds laughing. Pointing a finger at a group of young
HIV/AIDS Campaigners Intimidated: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 26, 2001; A new group of campaigners against HIV/AIDS in Mogadishu, called AIDSOM, held a public-awareness demonstration in the city on Monday for the first time. Riding in 10 trucks draped with banners carrying Somali slogans, including AIDS is Not Shame , the group of young men drove through the streets with loudspeakers, Agen
Gender Discrimination And HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 26, 2001; New York - On World AIDS Day in 1998, a brave South African woman Gugu Dhlamini announced her HIV-positive status. Soon after, she was stoned to death by a group of young men in her community. Women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Biology and gender inequality conspire to drive the spread of the disease, a
Annan Calls for Global Action Against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 26, 2001; New York - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on Monday for a global partnership based on a common purpose to defeat the global scourge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Addressing the opening of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, Annan noted that up to now, the world s response had not measured up
Making a Difference On HIV/AIDS Frontline: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 26, 2001; Johannesburg - Thembi Kubheka has been a volunteer HIV and AIDS counsellor for four years. She is only 24 years old but has the presence and maturity of someone much older. She speaks with a quiet, gentle voice, but when she talks about her work she exudes confidence and passion. Thembi is on the frontline of South Afr
Waking Up to HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 25, 2001; Maputo - [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] A shabby house with cracked walls and peeling paint on the bustling Rua da Resistencia is home to the country s first association for people living with HIV/AIDS - Kindlimuka. Kindlimuka, which means wake up in Shangaan, has just buried
HIV Pandemic Devastating Children's Lives, Futures: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 25, 2001; Nairobi - The government of Kenya is failing to care for millions of children who have been orphaned by AIDS, or whose family members suffer from the disease, according to a report released on Monday by the New York-based Human Rights Watch. The organisation s report, In the Shadow of Death: HIV/AIDS and Children s Rig
Friday Night is Party Night!: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 23, 2001; Nairobi - [This report is the second in a series of five special features produced by IRIN s PlusNews service to coincide with the UN General Assembly s Special Session on HIV/AIDS from 25-27 June] [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] It s six p.m. and Jacinta Kalekye is already bu
Youths Against AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 23, 2001; Lusaka - [This report is the fourth in a series of five special features produced by IRIN s PlusNews to coincide with the UN General Assembly s Special Session on HIV/AIDS from 25-27 June] [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] A concerted campaign anchored to popular teenage culture
Business Wakes Up to the HIV/AIDS Threat: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 23, 2001; Johannesburg - [This report is the third in a series of five special features produced by IRIN s PlusNews to coincide with the UN General Assembly s Special Session on HIV/AIDS from 25-27 June] [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] The Ethembeni Care Centre in northern KwaZulu-Natal
HIV/AIDS - Fighting the Unknown: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 23, 2001; Luanda - [This report is the first in a series of five special features produced by IRIN s PlusNews service to coincide with the UN General Assembly s Special Session on HIV/AIDS from 25-27 June] [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Angola s civil war, which has isolated thousands
IDP Camps "Blamed" for High HIV Infection Rates: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 23, 2001; Concentration of internally-displaced people (IDPs) in camps and promiscuity are to blame for the increasing rate of HIV infection in Burundi s population, and the camps have become new centres of high infection rates in the countryside, the director of Burundi s national AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases control
Kenya Appoints Task Force to Formulate Laws: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 22, 2001; Kenya has appointed a task force to consider challenges posed by HIV/AIDS to its laws, including legal aspects of cheap drug acquisition and human rights, Attorney General Amos Wako announced on Wednesday. Addressing the opening session of a two-day national conference on human rights, Wako said the task force was ex
Over 200 Children Dying Daily From HIV-Related Diseases: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 22, 2001; Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa has directed his ministry of health to urgently order anti-HIV/AIDS drugs because more than 200 children die in the country each day from HIV/AIDS related diseases. News reports said Mkapa issued the instruction during an address to mark African Child Day in the Songea Region in sout
India Aurobindo Bests Cipla Cheap Aids Drug Offer: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 22, 2001; Indian drugmaker Aurobindo Pharmaceuticals has offered to supply an HIV/AIDS triple drug cocktail to the world s poor at US$295 per patient per year - lower than the price offered by rival company Cipla in February, Reuters has reported. Aurobindo Managing Director Ramprasad Reddy told Reuters on Wednesday that his com
NGOs Team Up Against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 21, 2001; Some 20 NGOs in Guinea have teamed up to take preventive action against the spread of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) reported on Wednesday. The group, which operates under the acronym ROSEGUI, was launched on Tuesday. It aims to bring more dynamism, more synergy and more e
HIV/AIDS at Centre of Post-Apartheid Youth Struggle: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2001; HIV/AIDS has been identified by youth leaders in South Africa as being at the centre of the post-apartheid youth struggle, news reports said on Friday. Nkululeko Nxesi, president of the 500,000-strong National Association of People Living with AIDS, singled out HIV/AIDS as the priority for youth in post-apartheid South
New Army Act Silent on Compulsory HIV Testing: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2001; A special Law Commission mandated to review a controversial Army Act has not included compulsory HIV screening for army entrants as one of it s recommendations leaving the matter in the hands of the army policy makers to decide, Malawi s Chronicle newspaper said on Tuesday. One of the commissioners, Solicitor General S
Legislation Promises Cheaper Drugs for AIDS Patients: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2001; The Kenyan parliament on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill which looks set to reduce the cost of essential AIDS treatment significantly. The Industrial Property Bill will allow the government to import or manufacture cheaper copies of brand-name drugs, including the antiretrovirals (ARVs) used in the drug cocktail used
HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign Launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2001; Abidjan - Niger has launched an awareness campaign on the effects of HIV/AIDS with emphasis on preventive measures and social acceptance of people with the virus, the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) reported on Thursday. The campaign, which counsels fidelity among couples and voluntary testing for the virus, is being bac
Hospitals Face AIDS Crisis: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2001; Hospitals in South Africa s most AIDS-prevalent province, KwaZulu-Natal, are being overwhelmed by a growing number of AIDS patients, the country s leading medical journal said in its latest issue. The South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) reported that urban and rural clinics in the province were stretched to breaking p
Kampala Chosen for Major AIDS Training Centre: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2001; Africa s first major treatment and training centre for HIV/AIDS is scheduled to open in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, early next year, according to a press statement on Monday from the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa. The state-of-the-art centre would train medical personnel from across the con
AIDS Drugs Cost-Reduction Law Adopted: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 15, 2001; The Kenya Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines on Thursday hailed the country s parliament for unanimously passing, on Tuesday, a bill set to reduce the cost of essential AIDS treatment significantly. The Industrial Property Bill will allow the government to import or manufacture cheaper copies of brand-name dru
Government Disputes Life Expectancy Figures: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 15, 2001; Zimbabwe has dismissed as exaggerated a UN report asserting that life expectancy will drop to 27 years in a decade as a result of HIV/AIDS, the news agency IPS reported. The UNICEF Progress Report on Zimbabwe 2000, released in Harare this week, said that overall life expectancy has already dropped to 44 years from it
Legislation Promises Cheaper Drugs for AIDS Patients: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 14, 2001; Nairobi - The Kenyan parliament on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill which looks set to reduce the cost of essential AIDS treatment significantly. The Industrial Property Bill will allow the government to import or manufacture cheaper copies of brand-name drugs, including the anti-retrovirals (ARVs) used in the drug co
Diamond Giant Leads the Way: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2001; Botswana s giant diamond company Debswana has announced that all companies wishing to do business with it will be required to support the firm s progressive HIV/AIDS policy, the Botswana Gazette reported. The companies will be responsible for providing a safe working environment both physically and mentally through emp
Consultation on Stigma and HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2001; A three day consultation on stigma and HIV/AIDS began in Tanzania on Monday. The aim of the meeting was to identify concrete research priorities in order to better understand and address the problem of stigma. Attended by around 75 people, mainly from Eastern and Southern Africa, the consultation is part of a collabora
Global Fund to Concentrate On Prevention: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2001; A proposed new multi-billion dollar global health fund is expected to concentrate on AIDS prevention rather than the mass purchase of antiretroviral drugs, a UN conference in Geneva reportedly concluded on Monday. Britain s Financial Times said that the planned fund is likely to be formally launched later this month at
Make Or Break Time for Kenyan HIV/AIDS Drugs Legislation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2001; Hot on the heels of South Africa s legal victory against the drugs giants Kenya is the next African country to take on big pharmaceuticals as it seeks to push through legislation allowing the importation of cheap drugs in an effort to combat its HIV/AIDS epidemic, ActionAid said on Tuesday. It is campaigning for th
Business Grapples With AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2001; HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria should be considered part of the investment risk equation in the region but should not be reasons not to do business, Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano told the Southern African Economic Summit held in Durban, South Africa this week. IPS reported that he was backed by major Southe
WFP Organises HIV/AIDS Awareness Training for Truck Drivers: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2001; The UN World Food Programme has begun a series of innovative training sessions for its contracted truck drivers in Ethiopia to raise their awareness on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The training is aimed at some 2,300 truck drivers contracted by WFP to move relief food from the Port of
New Board for Troubled AIDS Council: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2001; Zimbabwe s Minister of Health Timothy Stamps announced this week that a new board for the National Aids Council would be appointed soon after President Robert Mugabe approves the proposed 14-member team, the Daily News reported. The previous board, chaired by Gordon Chavunduka, was dissolved in March after it was accus
Pfizer Offers Free Drugs to Poor Countries: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 8, 2001; United States pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on Wednesday that it would provide unlimited supplies of the drug Diflucan free of charge to treat HIV/AIDS sufferers in 50 of the world s poorest countries. This is a lifetime of work not just a one-day press release, Dr Henry McKinnell, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer
600,000 Ivorian Children Orphaned By AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 7, 2001; Abidjan - Some 600,000 Ivorian children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, Cote d Ivoire minister of family, women and children, Henriette Lagou, said in a report she presented on Thursday to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Her report, which was on progress made in the implementation of the UN convention on c
Mcdonalds Refuses AIDS Drugs to Raped Employer: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2001; American fast food giant McDonald s has reportedly refused to supply anti-AIDS drugs to a staff member in eastern South Africa who was raped after working a late shift. The transnational corporation refuses to supply transport for staff who knock off between midnight and 2am, and who are regularly ambushed by criminals
Up to 95 Percent of HIV-Positive Probably Ignorant of Fact: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2001; Up to 95 percent of people infected with the HIV virus in developing countries probably do not know they are carriers, making investment in preventing the virus from spreading crucial, UNAIDS executive director Peter Piot said in Geneva on Thursday. A lack of testing facilities, stigma and denial all contribute to the
One in Five Pregnant Women Suffer From HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2001; Twenty out of every 100 pregnant women who attend antenatal consultations in Mozambican health units are infected with the HIV/AIDS, Martinho Djedje, spokesperson for the Coordinating Council of the Health Ministry said in Maputo on Thursday. Djedje said that the situation is made worse because there is no systematic f
New Medicine Shown to Protect Monkeys From AIDS for 18 Months: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2001; Belgian researchers have developed a medicine that protected rhesus monkeys for 18 months from an AIDS-like sickness, Belgian radio reported on Friday. The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in Rixensart, near Brussels, developed the vaccine in its laboratories and presented it for the first time at a conference la
EU Grants 33 Million Euros to Fight HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2001; Zimbabwe will this year get a 33 million euro grant from the European Union (EU) to fight HIV/AIDS despite a call this year by the EU parliament to suspend aid to the southern African country, a commission official said on Friday. Alex Kremer, economic advisor to the European Commission delegation in Harare, said the
AIDS-Drug Cocktail to Be Given to Poor South Africans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2001; The French humanitarian group Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF) has launched an independently run and financed programme in Khayelitsha township outside Cape Town, South Africa , that provides a small group of impoverished people with AIDS access to a cocktail of three antiretroviral drugs. The programme will assess the
UNICEF to Provide US $10 Million for Health Projects: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 25, 2001; The government of Burundi and the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) have signed an agreement on funding totalling nearly US $10 million for various public health projects across the country. According to a report from the Pan African News Agency (PANA), the greater part of the funding - about US $8 million - will
Rural Communities Fight Back Against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 22, 2001; Eastern Cape - The Daliwonga clinic in South Africa s impoverished Eastern Cape province has become the area s best-known landmark. The pristine brick-built structure stands in stark contrast to the dusty thatched huts that surround it. The clinic, funded by big business, was opened a year ago by former President Nelso
New Interest in Old Ways of Healing: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 21, 2001; Representatives of the western scientific community and African traditional healers have agreed to collaborate on the use and value of herbal treatments, including for opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS. The western health institutes and World Bank also agreed to discuss ways in which to build partnershi
UGANDA: Business joins in battle against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 21, 2001; NAIROBI, 21 May (IRIN) - The Ugandan business community on Sunday joined the national struggle against HIV/AIDS by agreeing to adopt a policy to educate staff and to support those that are HIV positive in workplaces. Richard Etemesi, head of the Ugandan Business Council on AIDS (UBCOA), said that large and small firms
UGANDA: NGOs call for cheap AIDS drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 21, 2001; NAIROBI, 18 May (IRIN) - NGOs involved in HIV/AIDS interventions in eastern Uganda have appealed to the government to allow for the provision of cheap or free drugs for all those living with HIV, the semi-official Ugandan newspaper New Vision reported on Friday. The NGOs said their efforts to combat HIV/AIDS were being
Health Minister Rejects Antiretrovirals: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; The South African government has no intention of buying antiretrovirals in spite of its courtroom victory over pharmaceutical companies that were trying to block the import of generic drugs, the Mail and Guardian reported on Monday. Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said in an interview in London that her govern
Rich Countries Sceptical of Global Fund: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; The world s wealthy nations are allegedly holding off donations to a proposed UN global health fund, arguing there are not enough guarantees that the money would be spent correctly, the Associated Press said on Wednesday. Reporting from the UN conference for Least Developed Countries in Brussels, AP said that many coun
Company Explores Generic Aids Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; South Africa s largest generic drug manufacturer said on Wednesday it would seek permission from five of the world s largest pharmaceutical companies to make cut-price copies of their patented AIDS medications, the Associated Press reported. Officials of Aspen Pharmacare said they can supply high quality generic equiva
Western Cape Leads Way On Flucanozole: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; Excellent results have been achieved in the first fortnight of free Flucanozole distribution to 200 HIV/AIDS patients in the Western Cape, according to a statement this week by the provincial minister of health, Nick Koornhof. The deal enables us to distribute the anti-fungal agent free of charge in more than 90 provi
More Than Condoms Needed: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; AIDS prevention strategies in Africa are doomed to fail if they continue to emphasise condom use at the expense of other factors, IPS reported this week. Because of the over-emphasis on changing behaviour we are missing a lot, Eileen Stillwaggon, a health and development economist at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania
Tough Law to Curb AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; Zimbabwe s parliament on Thursday passed a tough sex law in a bid to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Sexual Offences Act provides for stiffer prison sentences of up to 20 years for people found guilty of knowingly infecting others with AIDS, the PANA news agency said. Under the new law, women raped and infected with H
World Vaccine Day Celebrated: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; The 4th Annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on Friday recognised the thousands of women and men worldwide who have participated in research studies to test experimental HIV vaccines, an ACTIS statement said. Since the first studies in humans in 1987, more than 12,000 individuals have stepped forward to volunteer in vaccin
A Cultural Approach to AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; Voices are growing for serious consideration of a cultural approach to the awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, the Zimbabwe-based SARDC information service said in a report this week. It argued that a cultural approach to HIV/AIDS entailed tackling the problem from a perspective of norms, traditions and other cultura
New Study About Reproductive Health Among Refugees: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2001; A new baseline study to determine reproductive knowledge among young refugees in South Africa s most populous province shows that although there is a general awareness about HIV/AIDS, specific knowledge about how the disease is transmitted and prevention strategies is alarmingly low . The study was conducted by the Cen
GREAT LAKES: Regional conference on AIDS held: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 16, 2001; NAIROBI, 16 May (IRIN) - Countries in the Great Lakes region last week held a meeting in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, to discuss ways of strengthening their collaboration in tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the region. The meeting, known as the Great Lakes Initiative on AIDS, tried to harmonise programmes and approach
Kyrgyzstan: Health officials concerned at HIV cluster: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 15, 2001; ISLAMABAD, 15 May (IRIN) - Health officials in Kyrgyzstan have expressed concern at the threat of an outbreak of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) after the identification of five more cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) - the virus that causes the disease - among intravenous drug users in the southern
HIV/AIDS Weekly Issue 27: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 11, 2001; NEWS AFRICA: Rich countries sceptical of global fund SOUTH AFRICA: Health minister rejects antiretrovirals ZIMBABWE: Tough law to curb AIDS LINKS CONFERENCES/RESEARCH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
HIV/AIDS Weekly Issue 26, 11 May 2001: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 11, 2001; NEWS AFRICA: AIDS devastating rural labour force SOUTHERN AFRICA: Mining giant to provide treatment for workers SOUTH AFRICA: IMF voices concern over impact of AIDS on economy BURKINA FASO: Drug companies cut prices KENYA: In the fight against AIDS, widows reject forced remarriage NAMIBIA: Higher HIV prevalence among p
Poverty, HIV/Aids a Challenge for Southern Africa: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 5, 2001; The Southern Africa Development Community s (SADC) 14 countries face great challenges in confronting poverty, HIV/AIDS and discrimination against women, according to the SADC Regional Human Development Report launched in Windhoek, Namibia , on Thursday. According to the UNDP s Newsfront, the report called for SADC coun
Burundi Forges Drug Deal Under UNAIDS Initiative: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 5, 2001; Burundi has signed a deal with drug makers Boehringer Ingelheim , Bristol-Myers Squibb , GlaxoSmithKline and Merck to purchase heavily discounted HIV/AIDS anti-retroviral drugs under the Accelerating Access Initiative of the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (
Three HIV/Aids Projects Receive Funds: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 5, 2001; US-based drug company Bristol Myers Squibb, in partnership with the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), announced on 28 March that they would provide about US $360,000 to fund three HIV/AIDS projects. The grants bring to more than US $40 million the total amount Bristol Myers Squibb has released throu
Konkola Copper Mines Releases HIV Report: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 5, 2001; Eighteen percent of Zambia s Konkola Copper Mines workers have been found to be HIV positive. The company s CEO has announced that a prevalence survey of HIV in Konkola s workforce, which was published recently, had been necessary to help plan future operations. It was also needed to improve the health of workers. A to
Aids Support Group Celebrates Launch: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 5, 2001; The National Association of People living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) is to launch its branch in North West province on Saturday. The support group has invited all those who are interested to the Barolong Recreation Complex from midday. In addition, a fundraising party is to be held at 21h00. For more information, e-mail: 20
South Africa And India Sign Cheap Drugs Deal: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 5, 2001; South African Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and Indian Health Minister CP Thakur signed a declaration of intent on Monday to co-operate on obtaining cheap drugs for the Southern African Development Community, Sapa reported. We will be discussing further the possibility of transferring technology and build
Women Soldiers Learn HIV Prevention: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 5, 2001; The Burundian defence ministry recently organised a two-day training seminar for women recruits on ways to avoid HIV/AIDS infection, PANA reported last Saturday. The report said Burundi had introduced new regulations which required young girls to undergo military training after completing high school. One of the traine
HIV/AIDS Weekly Issue 25, 4 May 2001: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 4, 2001; NEWS SOUTH AFRICA: SA truckers show high HIV prevalence rate ZAMBIA: Konkola Copper Mines releases HIV report NAMIBIA: Three HIV/AIDS projects receive funds BURUNDI: Burundian women soldiers learn HIV prevention SOUTHERN AFRICA: Poverty, HIV/AIDS a challenges for southern Africa AFRICA: Global AIDS fund to push drug fi
HIV-Positive Foreigners Will Be Deported: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi) - May 3, 2001; The Sudanese government has instituted measures to regulate the stay of foreigners in the country in order to limit the spread of AIDS, Al-Ra y al-Amm newspaper reported on Wednesday. The Ministry of Interior had instructed the Immigration Department to issue residency permits to foreigners only after they had been fou
HIV/AIDS Weekly Issue 24, 27 April 2001: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 27, 2001; NEWS AFRICA-HIV/AIDS SUMMIT: UN Secretary-General proposes US $7-billion fund AFRICA: SADC cautious over drug company offers NIGERIA: Apathy marks AIDS campaign KENYA: Generic AIDS drugs bill BURKINA FASO: Generics conference postponed LINKS CONFERENCES/RESEARCH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
BURKINA FASO: German help against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 20, 2001; ABIDJAN, 20 April (IRIN) - Germany has donated the equivalent of about US $2.2 million to Burkina Faso to allow it to sell condoms more cheaply, AFP reported on Thursday, quoting from a German embassy statement. The money would enable the public to buy a pack of four condoms for 50 FCFA (US $0.07).
SOUTH AFRICA: Drug companies withdraw case against government: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 20, 2001; JOHANNESBURG, 19 April (IRIN) - Pharmaceutical giants on Thursday dropped a lawsuit against the South African government over a law that could provide cheaper drugs to millions of Africans. The withdrawal ended an international battle that deeply embarrassed the companies, news reports said. The lawsuit revolving aroun
HIV/AIDS Weekly Issue 23, 20 April 2001: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 20, 2001; NEWS SOUTH AFRICA: Court victory over drug companies just the beginning ZAMBIA: Manufacturers slash prices of AIDS drugs SOUTHERN AFRICA: Health officials look to traditional healers AFRICA: Top pharmaceutical executive jumps ship to NGO ETHIOPIA: Plant extract shows promise in treatment of HIV/AIDS KENYA: More funding
BOTSWANA: IMF praises Botswana's fight against AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 16, 2001; JOHANNESBURG, 16 April (IRIN) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) praised the government of Botswana on Friday for its efforts in fighting AIDS, while expressing concern over the economic and social impact of the disease on the country, Sapa-AFP has reported. The IMF said the African nation would have to face some
ZIMBABWE: Malaria drug re-ignites AIDS origin debate: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 13, 2001; JOHANNESBURG, 13 April (IRIN) - An international research team s recent findings that chloroquine, the drug commonly used in the treatment of malaria in Zimbabwe , was an effective treatment against certain aspects of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was likely to re-ignite debate about the origins and causes of the di
BENIN: Free treatment for children with HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 13, 2001; ABIDJAN, 13 April (IRIN) - Children under the age of 10 years infected with HIV will receive free treatment under a programme mounted by Benin s government to make antiretroviral drugs accessible to HIV-infected people, PANA reported on Thursday. All other HIV-patients will be charged between FCFA 1,000 (US $1.43) and
HIV/AIDS Weekly Issue 22, 13 April 2001: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 13, 2001; NEWS MALI: Deal to increase access to drugs NIGERIA: Government orders AIDS drugs from India COTE D IVOIRE: New HIV vaccine to be tested NAMIBIA: AIDS adverts worry churches ETHIOPIA: Over 5,000 people volunteer for HIV/AIDS test SOUTH AFRICA: Professionals trained for AIDS war AFRICA: Affordable drugs for poor countri
ZIMBABWE: Chaos over alleged AIDS funds misuse: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 10, 2001; JOHANNESBURG, 10 April (IRIN) - Chaos marred the sixth congress of the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS at the weekend, the Daily News reported on Tuesday. At the meeting, near Masvingo, 200 km south of the capital Harare, the Harare branch demonstrated over alleged misappropriation of funds. Th
AFRICA: IRIN Focus on HIV/AIDS initiatives: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 2, 2001; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 2 April (IRIN) - One of the major issues discussed at the international AIDS conference in Durban last year was the question of making anti-AIDS drugs available at a more affordable price to people living with HIV/AIDS - the majori
Swaziland-AIDS: Government baulks over anti-retrovirals: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 23, 2001; UNAIDS - The national economic decline and an often slow-moving bureaucracy have prevented many of the policies being properly implemented MBABANE, 23 March (IRIN) - A United Nations initiative to provide anti-retroviral drugs for the prevention of HIV-infection in unborn children in
ERITREA: HIV/AIDS policy on peacekeepers "standard": UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 22, 2001; Nairobi - 22 March (IRIN) - The Eritrean government asked the United Nations Security Council to be understanding over a request that all peacekeepers be tested for HIV/AIDS. In a letter to the Security Council, Eritrea s Permanent Representative, Ahmed Tahir Baduri, said it was not a discriminatory practice targeted a
Small Budget For HIV/Aids Dismays Swazi Public: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 10, 2001; Nairobi - Swaziland s Finance Minister Majozi Sithole has allocated a meagre US $1.6 million to the fight against HIV/AIDS, PANA reported on Tuesday. E13 million is just not enough. I do not see much urgency in government s attitude in as far as HIV/AIDS is concerned , the Federation of Swaziland Employers executive di
Oyo Assembly Okays Sex Education: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 10, 2001; Nairobi - The Oyo State House of Assembly has approved the immediate establishment of a separate department and special fund for sex education. The approval followed a motion sponsored by Ramota Okemakinde, urging the state government to create a separate department or unit and a special fund for adequate provision for
New HIV/Aids Syllabus Announced For Schools: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 10, 2001; Nairobi - Authorities in Nairobi have announced the release of a new HIV/AIDS syllabus, said to have already been dispatched to schools and colleges throughout Kenya , according to news reports. Director of Education, Sammy Kyung, said on Thursday that most primary and secondary schools, as well as teacher-training col
Kenya Plans To Import Cheap Aids Drugs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 10, 2001; Nairobi - Adrian Sam Ongeri, Kenya s health minister, has proposed invoking a clause in World Trade Organisation regulations that would allow his country to engage in parallel importation to bring in cheaper generic AIDS drugs, news reports said on Thursday. He defended his desire to invoke the clause by noting that 60
Bill To Address HIV/Aids: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 10, 2001; Two United States senators on Tuesday introduced a measure that would help developing nations address the AIDS epidemic, Reuters reported on Thursday. The bill would make it easier for nations in which HIV/AIDS is epidemic to import generic drugs, or to find other ways to obtain cheaper medicines, the report said. The
Drug Firms Get Six Week Postponement: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 6, 2001; A court action brought by the world s biggest drug firms to stop South Africa from importing cheaper generic drugs was postponed on Tuesday until 18 April, parties to the case said. News reports said the delay was to allow the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PMA) time to respond to a court app
Women's Groups Call For Focus On Vulnerability: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 3, 2001; Women s groups are calling for more attention to women s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, saying that the impact of the disease was expected to be catastrophic . Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the UN Development Program for Women, (UNIFEM) has said that combating the disease will require special attention by governmen
Over Half Of Suicides HIV-Related: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 3, 2001; Harare - More than 250 people committed suicide in Zimbabwe last year after being diagnosed HIV-positive, Matabeleland police spokesman Assistant Inspector Adolf Jamela, was quoted in news reports as saying this week. They accounted for more than half of the 450 suicides recorded last year. University of Zimbabwe s
HIV/Aids Devastating Military: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 3, 2001; Lilongwe - The commander of the Malawi Army, General Joseph Chimbayo, on Wednesday admitted that AIDS was having a devastating effect on the country s military, news reports said. Chimbayo s remarks coincided with the publication of a new report by the London-based PANOS Institute which said Malawi s most important pub
Drug Case To Go Ahead: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 24, 2001; Nairobi - Germany s Boehringer-Ingelheim said on Thursday it would go ahead with other drug firms planning to sue the South African government to stop the uncontrolled importation of cut-price versions of patented AIDS drugs, the Web site News 24 reported. Boehringer-Ingelheim marketing director John Heath said the com
WEST AFRICA: NGO battles AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 23, 2001; ABIDJAN, 23 February (IRIN) - A coalition of West African NGOs, the Reseau ouest-africain des associations partenaires, says it will launch a project to provide medical care and social support to AIDS orphans and HIV-infected children, Le Soleil , a Dakar daily, reported on Thursday. The project, to be run from a Seneg
Agreement With Pfizer: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 23, 2001; Nairobi - The South African government has approved the supply of the AIDS drug Diflucan, paving the way for its free distribution, PANA reported. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the South African Health Department on Wednesday said the approval followed an agreement signed in December for the distribution of the anti-
AFRICA: Annan calls for more intensified effort against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 22, 2001; JOHANNESBURG, 22 February (IRIN) - Governments must intensify their fight against HIV/AIDS, the most formidable development challenge of our time , said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In a report released on Tuesday in preparation for the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June, Annan called on govern
HIV/AIDS Weekly: Issue 15: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 16, 2001; NEWS: AFRICA: Oxfam joins campaign to cut drug prices UGANDA: Vatican to give US $475,000 to Uganda s AIDS orphans BOTSWANA: HIV/AIDS booklet launched to help youth KENYA: Netherlands cuts funding to fight TB ZAMBIA: Mining company to screen workers for HIV/AIDS LINKS CONFERENCES
HIV/AIDS Weekly issue 14: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 9, 2001; AFRICA: IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly: Issue 14, 9 February 2001 NEWS AFRICA: Generic drug company offers anti-AIDS drugs to MSF MALAWI: UN urges Malawi to mount vigorous war against AIDS SOUTH AFRICA: Mining group launches impact study LINKS CONFERENCES RESEARCH
HIV/AIDS Weekly issue 13: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 1, 2001; SOUTH AFRICA: Anti-retroviral programme launched South African President Thabo Mbeki has given the go-ahead to begin implementing a pilot programme to provide free anti-retrovirals and milk powder to HIV-positive pregnant women to retard the transmission of the virus to babies, agencies reported. In a dramatic move, th
Nigeria: HIV/AIDS initiative commended: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 1, 2001; HIV prevalence among Nigeria s 110 million people is estimated at 5 percent. ABIDJAN, 1 February (IRIN) - International HIV/AIDS experts who visited Nigeria recently commended the government s strategy of putting in place a plan to develop vaccines against HIV, the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) reported on Wednesday.
SOMALIA: IRIN Focus on HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 29, 2001; In many places in Somalia , we are not just talking about people who do not know how HIV/AIDS is transmitted, we are talking about people who have never even heard of the disease MOGADISHU, 29 January (IRIN) - HIV and AIDS are words hardly ever heard in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. But the deadly disease is cert
AFRICA: IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly issue 12: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 25, 2001; AFRICA: Church leaders discuss how to contain AIDS The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) recently convened near Kampala, Uganda , with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and others to discuss how to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The AACC said that it was time for churches to become actively involved in educati
AFRICA: IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly issue 11: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 19, 2001; NEWS: SOUTH AFRICA: Drug companies to sue over generic drugs GAMBIA: Youth leaders say government needs to intensify anti-AIDS campaign KENYA: Kenyans look to celibacy to escape the ravages of AIDS LESOTHO: US to assist in fight against AIDS CAMEROON: World Bank approves new loan UNITED NATIONS: Security Council discus
CAMEROON: World Bank supports HIV/AIDS project: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 12, 2001; ABIDJAN, 12 January (IRIN) - Cameroon has received US $50-million for an HIV/AIDS prevention programme, the World Bank announced on Thursday. The loan would strengthen the capacity of local communities to fight the spread of the disease. The money would support Cameroon s national strategy for the fight against the dis
ZAMBIA-AIDS: Condom adverts deemed too explicit; "Condoms are one of the major ways of preventing the spread of AIDS": UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 12, 2001; LUSAKA, 12 January (IRIN) - The campaign to combat HIV/AIDS in Zambia hit a snag this week when the state-broadcaster pulled condom advertisements, deemed too explicit by the government, off the air. Church leaders from the Christian Council of Zambia, a powerful lobby group comprising a number of influential churches,
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV-cholera link muted: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 10, 2001; JOHANNESBURG, 10 January (IRIN) - HIV has been blamed as one of the underlying causes of the persistence of the cholera epidemic in KwaZulu-Natal which has claimed 60 lives out of some 15,500 cases since August, the South African news Web site WOZA reported. Mike Ellis, opposition Democratic Alliance spokesperson on he
NIGERIA: Northern Islamic clergy condemn AIDS seminar: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 9, 2001; ABIDJAN, 9 January (IRIN) - The council of Islamic clerics in Nigeria s northern Kano State has condemned Tuesday s planned seminar on HIV/AIDS in Kano saying it is likely to encourage sexual promiscuity and subvert Islamic values, AFP reported on Tuesday. We totally condemn the seminar and call on all Muslims not to a
UZBEKISTAN: HIV cases on the rise: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 4, 2001; ISLAMABAD, 4 January (IRIN) - A UN official in the capital Tashkent warned of an upsurge in HIV cases in Uzbekistan if proper measures were not taken to counter the threat. Intercountry program advisor for UNAIDS Rudick Adamian told IRIN on Wednesday that 228 HIV cases had been detected to date, double the amount of la
Southern Africa: Focus on safe-sex in prisons: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 4, 2001; MBABANE, January 4 (IRIN) Thousands of inmates in Southern African prisons face a constant threat of HIV-infection because conservative national authorities deny them condoms, a United Nations agency said. The United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS ( UNAIDS ) said many governments refuse to provide condoms in prisons b

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