2006

Mozambique: Healers' Practices Under the HIV Spotlight: Inter Press Service - December 21, 2006; Ruth Ansah Ayisi; MAPUTO, Dec 21 (IPS) - A motley group of about 20 men and women eyed each other tentatively as they met for the first time to discuss how they could jointly fight HIV/AIDS. On one side of the table were doctors, nurses and counsellors, who had just finished a busy afternoon discussing the treatment of people living wit
Asian Govts Push Generic Drugs: Inter Press Service - December 18, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Dec 18 (IPS) - In moves that are winning them praise, two South-east Asian governments -- in Thailand and the Philippines -- appear determined to push ahead with plans to provide cheaper generic drugs even if they incur the wrath of pharmaceutical giants. In both cases, Indi
Mauritius: "MDGs Are Only for Poor Africans": Inter Press Service - December 14, 2006; Nasseem Ackbarally; PORT LOUIS, Dec 14 (IPS) - Six years after the launch of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), many Mauritians still know nothing about them. Some have heard about the goals but are unsure of their significance. Others believe such initiatives concern only poor countries in Africa because things are different on the
Africa: A Continent of Orphans: Inter Press Service - December 13, 2006; Mario de Queiroz; LISBON, Dec 13 (IPS) - War, AIDS, malaria, cholera and famine have gradually turned Africa into a continent full of orphaned children and teenagers. According to the latest statistics released by the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ), there
Corruption in Pharmaceutical Industry Kills: Inter Press Service - December 11, 2006; Thalif Deen; UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 (IPS) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) is undertaking one of its toughest new assignments: taking on a powerful adversary in the world s multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry. The Geneva-based U.N. agency, which succeeded in piloting an international convention against the global toba
Medical Use of Marijuana Divides Italy: Inter Press Service - December 8, 2006; Francesca Colombo* - Tierramerica; MILAN, Dec 8 (IPS) - In Italy just 10 ill people have authorisation to use marijuana as therapy against pain. But that number could grow in the coming months if parliament approves a law for using this usually illegal plant for medical purposes. Federico Fantoni, 58, is a doctor -- and a quadriplegic. For the past eigh
U.S. "Gag Rule" Killing Women, Experts Say: Inter Press Service - December 7, 2006; Stephen Leahy; BROOKLIN, Canada , Dec 7 (IPS) - While world attention has focused on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, public health experts say that U.S. political interference and declining financial support for family planning, abortion and prevention of other sexually transmitted infections has contributed to shockingly high death and disab
World AIDS Day: Bureaucracy Delays Treatment in Russia: Inter Press Service - December 1, 2006; Kester Kenn Klomegah; MOSCOW, Dec 1 (IPS) - The budget for treatment of HIV and AIDS has been doubled in Russia , but patients are complaining they still do not have access to adequate treatment. Chief epidemiologist Gennady Onishchencko has blamed the bureaucracy for acute shortage of AIDS/HIV medicines. A problem in the sufficiency of an
Cuba: Conquering Vaccines - and Their Markets: Inter Press Service - December 1, 2006; Patricia Grogg; HAVANA, Dec 1 (IPS) - Deliberately putting human health before economic considerations, according to local experts, Cuba has launched full-tilt into the vaccine industry to compete on the international market with its products, some of which are unique. Cuban scientists are devoting themselves to investigating therapeu
World AIDS Day: Mozambican Children Carrying the Burden of HIV and Stigma: Inter Press Service - December 1, 2006; Ruth Ansah Ayisi; MAPUTO, Dec 1 (IPS) - Dressed in jeans and a sweater, Julia* watches cautiously as her mother talks on her behalf. But as the interview proceeds, she gains confidence and begins to speak for herself. When the psychologist told me I was HIV-positive, I was angry, says Julia in a melodic voice, without a trace of bittern
World AIDS Day-Kenya: "Children Have Received a Raw Deal": Inter Press Service - December 1, 2006; Joyce Mulama; NAIROBI, Dec 1 (IPS) - /ATT EDITORS: This report is EMBARGOED and may not be published or otherwise reproduced until 00.01 GMT, Dec. 1, 2006./ Which citizens is a government most accountable to? Those who voted it into power? Or is it more the people who re too young to cast ballots -- too short, even, to reach the tab
World AIDS Day: Challenging the "Luxury" of Abstinence: Inter Press Service - November 30, 2006; Haider Rizvi; NEW YORK, Nov 30 (IPS) - While there is no indication that the George W. Bush administration is willing to roll back its current restrictions on funding for HIV/AIDS, it may find it difficult to maintain the status quo when Democrats take charge of the U.S. Congress in January. With increasing pressure from women group
World AIDS Day-Burkina Faso: The High Cost of Not Having Free ARVs: Inter Press Service - November 30, 2006; Tiego Tiemtore; OUAGADOUGOU, Nov 30 (IPS) - I think free treatment for all (HIV) infected people is indispensable, just as safeguarding the jobs of those with HIV is a must, says Issa Kindo, a public health physician in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso . Fine words. But, what progress are authorities in this West African nation ma
World AIDS Day: The Virus Hunters: Inter Press Service - November 30, 2006; Katherine Stapp; NEW YORK, Nov 30 (IPS) - Smallpox, polio and a host of other contagious, often fatal diseases have been stopped in their tracks by simple vaccines. More than two decades into the quest to untangle the secrets of the notoriously changeable HIV virus, is there still reason for hope? IPS spoke with Mitchell Warren, execut
WORLD AIDS DAY: In Haiti, Gender Can Mean Life or Death: Inter Press Service - November 30, 2006; Amy Bracken; PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov 30 (IPS) - For a rare dose of optimism, stop by the oldest private HIV research centre in the world. Fight your way through the chaotic, filthy streets of downtown Port-au-Prince, through a crowd of men, women and children awaiting care, and you ll find Dr. Jean William Pape, smiling in a crisp whit
AIDS-Europe: Immigrant Women Face Growing Threat: Inter Press Service - November 30, 2006; Julio Godoy; PARIS, Nov 30 (IPS) - Immigrant women are becoming some of the main victims of new HIV transmissions in several European countries, especially in France , according to official figures. The French Institute for Health Surveillance (InVS, after its French name) said in a report published this week that 6,700 people were
Thailand: Stigma Mars Gains Against HIV/AIDS: Inter Press Service - November 29, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; PHUKET, Nov 29 (IPS) - The approaching Christmas has brought a rare sparkle to the eyes of a 45-year-old Thai mother coping with the stigma of being infected with HIV. She smiles as she snips away with a pair of scissors, shaping paper for a decorative ball. Sitting around a table and engaged in similar activity are th
Cote D'Ivoire: A New Approach to HIV/AIDS in the Blackboard Jungle: Inter Press Service - November 28, 2006; Fulgence Zamble; ABIDJAN, Nov 28 (IPS) - Education officials in Cote D Ivoire are revising how children are taught about the dangers of HIV/AIDS in the West African country, this as statistics from June 2006 show prevalence in schools to be at four percent. The national HIV prevalence rate is 4.7 percent, also according to the 2006 fig
Population: Maternal Mortality Goals Hit by Funds Crunch: Inter Press Service - November 23, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Nov 23 (IPS) - A scarcity of funds and a failure to translate national laws into action are undermining hopes of the world meeting a key development goal in 2015 that aims to help women, says a ranking U.N. official. The fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) will not be reached in many countries because of a
World Social Forum: "What is WSF? Something That Will Bring Me Medicine?": Inter Press Service - November 22, 2006; Joyce Mulama; NAIROBI, Nov 22 (IPS) - In just two months time the World Social Forum (WSF) will get underway in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, marking the first instance in which Africa is acting as sole host of the event. With the East African country also home to Kibera -- sometimes referred to as Africa s largest slum -- it could b
Developing Countries Asked to Pay to Treat AIDS: Inter Press Service - November 22, 2006; Mattias Creffier; BRUSSELS, Nov 22 (IPS) - Developing countries should pay their share to close the financing gap in the campaign against HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS director Peter Piot said Wednesday. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the other hand, should not impose policy options that inhibit poor countries from spend
UN Chief's Scorecard of Success and Failure: Inter Press Service - November 20, 2006; Thalif Deen; UNITED NATIONS, Nov 20 (IPS) - Less than six weeks before he steps down as secretary-general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan has come up with a political scorecard on the successes and failures of the UN s much-touted development agenda. The good news is that official development assistance (ODA) -- from rich to poor
Mozambique: Ensuring that a Jail Sentence is Not a Death Sentence: Inter Press Service - November 16, 2006; Ruth Ansah Ayisi; MAPUTO, Nov 16 (IPS) - Like most other Southern African countries, Mozambique battles a high HIV prevalence rate, with those in need of anti-retroviral medication experiencing difficulty obtaining it at the best of times. For HIV-positive prisoners, however, the situation can be worse: even those who are simply awaitin
Battle for Cheap Drugs Also Being Lost in WTO: Inter Press Service - November 14, 2006; Gustavo Capdevila; GENEVA, Nov 14 (IPS) - The only concrete result to come out of the 2001 World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial conference in Doha, Qatar appeared to be the Declaration on Intellectual Property and Public Health, since the rest of the decisions on a new round of trade talks are at a standstill. But on Tuesday, t
Haiti/Dominican Republic: Early Sex Initiation and AIDS: Inter Press Service - November 9, 2006; Diógenes Pina; SANTO DOMINGO, Nov 9 (IPS) - Early sexual initiation and a lack of prevention policies are sowing the seeds of AIDS proliferation, warns a UNICEF study carried out at locations straddling the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti . Field surveys at Ouanaminthe (Wanament)
India: Patents Case Challenges the World: Inter Press Service - November 2, 2006; Ann De Ron; BRUSSELS, Nov 2 (IPS) - Medecins Sans Frontieres and other groups campaigning for access to affordable medicines in developing countries are closely following a case filed by the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis against Indian patent law. A decision in this case can create an important precedent, with consequences
Botswana: Unemployment Surges as Government Plans Fail to Take Off: Inter Press Service - November 1, 2006; Bester Gabotlale; GABORONE, Nov 1 (IPS) - Botswana is still widely cited as Africa s economic success story, but fears are emerging of a reversal because of soaring unemployment and the sluggish implementation of government plans. The landlocked Southern African nation, sandwiched between South Africa ,
South Africa: The Prospect of Unity in the Fight Against AIDS: Inter Press Service - October 29, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 29 (IPS) - A few minutes before the deputy president of South Africa , Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, stepped into the conference hall, a participant burst into song. Soon she was joined by her colleagues in welcoming the guest of honour. Clapping hands, ululating, whistling, and swaying to and fro, more tha
Engaging Burma with Funds for HIV, TB, Malaria: Inter Press Service - October 19, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Oct 19 (IPS) - An injection of fresh funds to aid military-ruled Burma s long suffering people get relief from three killer diseases may help raise the level of engagement between the international community and the secretive junta. Primarily, Three-Disease Fund (3-D Fund) to combat AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and
Rwanda/US: Where Justice System Fails, Women Weave Peace: Inter Press Service - October 18, 2006; Rollo Romig; NEW YORK, Oct 18 (IPS) - In Rwanda , genocide widows are weaving baskets alongside the wives of war criminals, and forging their own path to reconciliation -- and economic recovery -- as the courts struggle to achieve justice. Basket weaving has been Rwanda s greatest craft, and a critical community activity, for hundr
Dominican Republic: What's To Be Done with 33,000 AIDS Orphans?: Inter Press Service - October 14, 2006; Diógenes Pina; BARAHONA, Dominican Republic , Oct 14 (IPS) - Ansi, Luisa, Sofía and Oveña lost their father to AIDS last year in this Dominican Republic town near the border with Haiti , after he was bedridden for six months. Their future looks dim as their mother was also infected with HIV by her husband.
Argentina: Sex in the Classrooms - By Law: Inter Press Service - October 11, 2006; Marcela Valente; BUENOS AIRES, Oct 11 (IPS) - For the first time in Argentina , sex education will be on the curriculum at public and private schools all over the country. Women s organisations are celebrating the passage by Congress of a key law which complements the programme on sexual health and responsible procreation instituted i
Social Setbacks as Big Oil Expands Pipelines: Inter Press Service - September 29, 2006; Emad Mekay; WASHINGTON, Sep 29 (IPS) - Predominantly foreign male workers who relocated to build massive oil and gas projects, combined with feeble gender policies, have brought prostitution, human trafficking, poverty, HIV/AIDS and greater burdens for local communities around those projects, new research finds. This array of prob
Jamaica: Hauling HIV/AIDS Out of the Closet: Inter Press Service - September 26, 2006; Michael Deibert; KINGSTON, Sep 26 (IPS) - When Jamaica s Health Ministry recently launched an anti-HIV stigma campaign titled Getting on with Life prominently featuring two HIV-positive Jamaicans speaking publicly about their experiences living with the disease, it was something of a watershed moment for groups like Jamaica AIDS Suppor
Global Fund Launched for Lifesaving Drugs: Inter Press Service - September 19, 2006; Alejandro Kirk; UNITED NATIONS, Sep 19 (IPS) - A global fund to purchase massive amounts of medicines for developing countries with money coming from solidarity flight taxes and other innovative financing systems was launched here Tuesday, sponsored by five countries. The initiative was presented by the presidents of
Africa: "There Hasn't Been Adequate Emphasis on Family Planning": Inter Press Service - September 19, 2006; Joyce Mulama; MAPUTO, Sep 19 (IPS) - The problem of limited access to contraceptives is taking centre stage at an African Union (AU) meeting currently underway in Maputo. Since Monday, health experts have been holding talks in the Mozambican capital about a plan of action that seeks to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive h
Few Graduate From U.N. Programme for the Poorest: Inter Press Service - September 14, 2006; Thalif Deen; UNITED NATIONS, Sep 14 (IPS) - When the United Nations decided in 1971 to create the concept of least developed countries (LDCs) -- a new category of member states needing special social and economic assistance from the international community -- they were described as the poorest of the world s poor . But since then,
Uganda Drafts Bill to Execute HIV Infectors: Inter Press Service - September 13, 2006; Evelyn Kiapi Matsamura; KAMPALA, Sep 13 (IPS) - In 1999, an HIV-infected 30-year-old man named Fred Mwanga shocked the country when he raped a three-month-old baby in a Kampala suburb. Even more upsetting, Mwanga s action was not an isolated incident. The rate of HIV-infected adults sexually abusing the nation s most vulnerable citizens is ri
Southern Africa: "Extreme" TB Bug Prompts Calls for Rapid Action: Inter Press Service - September 7, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Sep 7 (IPS) - For the region in the world worst-affected by AIDS it is, to say the least, an unwelcome development: an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa s south-eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, caused by a strain of the disease that resists almost all forms of treatment. To date, 52 of the 53 p
Thailand: Pharma Majors Promise Cheap HIV/AIDS Drugs: Inter Press Service - September 6, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Sep 6 (IPS) - Suddenly, people living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand are finding hope for a longer life--institutions that stood in the way are now supportive of cheaper, anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. The latest change of heart towards Thais with AIDS comes from the United States pharmaceut
A Ghastly Disease Feeds Off a Ghastlier Oppression: Inter Press Service - August 25, 2006; Stephen Leahy; TORONTO, Canada , Aug 25 (IPS) - Gender inequality has become the main driver of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially in Africa, where 70 percent of those infected are women. A new powerful international agency for women is needed to turn this situation around and address the growing problem of violence against girls and
Muslims and AIDS: Inter Press Service - August 25, 2006; Juan Michel** - Special to IPS; TORONTO, Aug 25 (IPS) - When it comes to responding to HIV and AIDS, Muslims are neither better nor worse than anyone else, but in its progressive form, Islam is certainly better prepared to respond than the Vatican, says Farid Esack. In the following interview, this South African Muslim professor and -- as he defines
Conservatives Question Safe Injection Site: Inter Press Service - August 23, 2006; Am Johal; VANCOUVER, Canada , Aug 23 (IPS) - Three former mayors of Vancouver have joined current Mayor Sam Sullivan in calling for Canada s Conservative minority government to renew the exemption which allows North America s first legal safe injection site to operate for users of heroin and other addictive drugs. The three-
Women Matter - In All of the Millennium Goals: Inter Press Service - August 21, 2006; Marcela Valente; BUENOS AIRES, Aug 21 (IPS) - In order to advance towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), gender equality cannot merely be limited to a number of specific objectives, but must be the lens through which all the targets are viewed, say experts and representatives of women s movements in Argentina .
Mother's Milk Saves Lives: Inter Press Service - August 21, 2006; Alberto Cremonesi; NEW YORK, Aug 21 (IPS) - Although experts say that breastfeeding gives children the best start in life, protecting them from life-threatening diseases and providing essential nutrients, barely a third of all infants in developing countries are exclusively breastfed for the first six months. Breast milk contains exactly
More Women, Please: Inter Press Service - August 19, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; MASERU, Aug 19 (IPS) - The annual summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) wrapped up Friday with a call to speed up the process of increasing women s representation at all levels of government in the 14-nation body. By the time we meet in Maseru again, say in ten years, I would like to see at least
Gov'ts Harshly Berated at Close of AIDS Meet: Inter Press Service - August 19, 2006; Stephen Leahy; TORONTO, Canada , Aug 19 (IPS) - Action -- not promises or pledges or more meetings -- is what will bring the HIV/AIDS pandemic under control and save tens of millions of lives, concluded delegates at the wrap-up of the 16th annual International AIDS Conference in Toronto Friday. But when it comes to taking action, go
Caribbean: HIV/AIDS Goes Primetime: Inter Press Service - August 18, 2006; Stephen Leahy; TORONTO, Canada , Aug 18 (IPS) - With persistently high HIV/AIDS rates second only to sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean is stepping up outreach efforts with a new media collaboration that will use everything from documentaries to soap operas to haul the disease out of the shadows and into public consciousness. The
As AIDS Drugs Fail, Few Have Any Alternative: Inter Press Service - August 18, 2006; Stephen Leahy; TORONTO, Canada , Aug 18 (IPS) - While modest gains have been made in lowering the cost of many life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs, these formulas no longer work for a growing number of people, who now need so-called second-line drugs that are still priced far out of reach. Thanks to generic competition and sustained pressure
"We Want to Show All Is Not Well in Zimbabwe" - SADC Protestors: Inter Press Service - August 17, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; MASERU, Aug 17 (IPS) - As the annual summit of the Southern African Development Community got underway Thursday, Zimbabwean activist Bishop Shumba was on hand in Lesotho s capital -- Maseru -- to remind regional leaders about the political and economic difficulties in his country. We want to show the world that all is
Progress on HIV Drugs Threatened by New Trade Pacts: Inter Press Service - August 17, 2006; Stephen Leahy; TORONTO, Canada , Aug 17 (IPS) - In the midst of the world s biggest HIV/AIDS conference here, close to a hundred activists launched a noisy protest over bilateral free trade agreements, which they say elevate patent protections above the right to life-extending antiretroviral drugs. The piece of street theatre hel
Southern Africa: Two Days, And Lots of Problems: Inter Press Service - August 16, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; MASERU, Aug 16 (IPS) - A call has been made for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to involve civil society in its decision-making process -- in deed, as well as in word. This comes ahead of the annual SADC summit for heads of state and government that gets underway Thursday in Lesotho s capital, Maseru.
Regime Resists HIV/AIDS Programmes: Inter Press Service - August 15, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK - While a major international conference on HIV/AIDS opened Sunday in Canada with a message to help those affected by the disease, on this side of the globe, in Burma , the ruling military regime moved to arrest sufferers and campaigners. On Friday night, a pioneering attempt by a group of Burmese living wi
Available for Serving Drinks -- Not for Sex: Inter Press Service - August 11, 2006; Joyce Mulama; NAIROBI - When next in Nairobi, spare a thought for the women who will in all likelihood serve you, if you visit a bar or two in search of a drink. Some people think that they (bar attendants) are willing to do anything that goes with the aftermath of drinking beer. Drunkards make derogatory statements and even force t
Gays' High Risk for HIV Gains Recognition: Inter Press Service - August 11, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Aug 11 (IPS) - When the Thai government accepted men who have sex with men (MSM) as a vulnerable community in the country s fight against AIDS, earlier this year, it gave them hope of being covered under HIV prevention programmes. It was an unprecedented gesture, bringing to an end over two decades of silence,
Cautious Optimism on Eve of Global AIDS Meet: Inter Press Service - August 9, 2006; Stephen Leahy; BROOKLIN, Canada , Aug 9 (IPS) - The world s largest gathering of HIV/AIDS experts and activists will meet in Toronto starting on Sunday with renewed hopes of halting the spread of this devastating disease, which an estimated 40 million people are currently living with. Their hope arises from better treatment and preve
Thais Make Cheap Generic Drug Against Bird Flu: Inter Press Service - August 4, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Aug 4 (IPS) - Having succeeded in producing cheap generic drugs to help people with HIV/AIDS enjoy longer lives, Thailand is now ready with generics capable of helping its citizens fight the onslaught of another deadly virus -- bird flu. The announcement by Thai scientists that they now have a generic version
South Africa: It's "Wait and See" for Zuma's Corruption Trial: Inter Press Service - August 1, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 1 (IPS) - While the first half of 2006 in South Africa was dominated by the proceedings of former deputy president Jacob Zuma s trial on rape charges, the second looks set to be punctuated by his corruption trial. But, only if the court case goes ahead, of course. On Monday, Judge Herbert Msimang
South Africa: To Put AIDS in the Crosshairs, Set Targets: Inter Press Service - July 25, 2006; Kristin Palitza; DURBAN, Jul 25 (IPS) - Civil society organisations in South Africa are preparing to push government to meet its commitment for setting national targets on HIV/AIDS, made at the recent United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS). The first special sessions on HIV/AIDS were held in 2001, when U.
Africa: To End Hunger -- More Aid, Quicker Aid, Smarter Aid: Inter Press Service - July 24, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Jul 24 (IPS) - Global aid agency Oxfam has called for a thorough review of efforts to end hunger in Africa, arguing that emergency assistance is often inadequate and arrives too late -- while the underlying causes of hunger are going largely unaddressed. This comes in a report titled Causing Hunger: An Ov
G8 SUMMIT: New Hope in Fighting AIDS: Inter Press Service - July 24, 2006; Kester Kenn Klomegah; MOSCOW, Jul 24 (IPS) - Leading civil society groups are seeing new hope in the fight against AIDS following decisions taken at the G8 summit earlier this month. Two non-governmental organisations involved in the fight against the disease in Russia and central Asia, the AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) and the Trans-Atl
HIV is Treatable, It's the Stigma That's Fatal: Inter Press Service - July 19, 2006; Alberto Cremonesi; NEW YORK, Jul 19 (IPS) - When thousands of delegates from around the world gather in Toronto next month for the Sixteenth International AIDS Conference, a leading human rights group has urged them to consider the following cases. The murder in June of Vivian Kavuma in Uganda by her lover after she disclosed that she wa
Asia: 'Interest in Combating HIV/AIDS Flagging': Inter Press Service - July 18, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Jul 18 (IPS) - An independent commission launched in New Delhi aims to get leaders of Asia-Pacific countries to stand up and take note of the daunting challenge posed by the spread of HIV/AIDS --including increased poverty and development setbacks. The political leadership in this region is not alive to the fa
Thailand: Denied New HIV/AIDS Drugs by MNC: Inter Press Service - July 14, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Jul 14 (IPS) - For Thais living with HIV, the country s heat and humidity have been one more enemy because the life-extending drugs they need are temperature sensitive and need to be stored in refrigerators. So news of an anti-AIDS drug that retains potency when kept under the normal tropical climatic conditio
South Africa: Youth Helping Youth: Inter Press Service - July 13, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Jul 13 (IPS) - When it comes to fighting the spread of HIV among South Africa s young people, one of the best weapons appears to be the youth itself. Just ask Zamani Cele, one of 348 students who have been trained by the University of KwaZulu-Natal s AIDS programme during the past two years. I want to mak
Treatment Plan Takes Off: Inter Press Service - July 11, 2006; Julio Godoy; PARIS, Jul 11 (IPS) - The French government has added a small tax to national and international air travel to fund a fight against disease in poor countries. A senior minister told IPS that France aims to raise eventually a billion euro a year from the tax. Money raised through the tax enforced Jul. 1 will go into UNIT
Ailing Reefs Face New Threat of Acidity: Inter Press Service - July 5, 2006; Stephen Leahy; BROOKLIN, Canada , Jul 5 (IPS) - Climate change is making the world s oceans more acidic, seriously endangering marine ecosystems, including coral reefs. Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels have already made the oceans 30 percent more acidic than they have been in millions of years, according to a
Africa: Across the Continent, Gays Face Jail Terms, Discrimination, Violence: Inter Press Service - June 23, 2006; Joyce Mulama; NAIROBI, Jun 23 (IPS) - We are here in Africa: we live in the mainstream, we pay taxes like everybody else in the mainstream, we relate with people in the mainstream. We are a naturally-occurring phenomenon in the universe, said activist Donna Smith of gay persons in Africa. The representative of the Forum for the Empo
Guatemala: AIDS Patients Suffer Epidemic of Discrimination: Inter Press Service - June 23, 2006; Alberto Mendoza; GUATEMALA CITY, Jun 23 (IPS) - Discrimination by society and employers against Guatemalans living with HIV/AIDS is deeply entrenched, say local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which note that they are often deprived of their basic rights to work, education and health. Upon the mere suspicion th
Malaysia: Transparency Missing in Free Trade Deal With US: Inter Press Service - June 12, 2006; Anil Netto; PENANG, Jun 12 (IPS) - While millions of Malaysians are engrossed with the World Cup, civil society groups are raising the alarm over a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States as negotiations get underway here on Monday. A civil society Coalition on the US FTA has coalesced and a delegation of activi
Haiti and Cuba, a Stark Contrast in AIDS Fight: Inter Press Service - June 2, 2006; Felipe Seligman; UNITED NATIONS, Jun 2 (IPS) - Although some real progress has been made to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, experts say huge gaps persist in the actions taken by governments in the region. There are countries like Brazil and Argentina , where there is a high HIV/AIDS
Kenya: Using ARVs to Fill Empty Stomachs: Inter Press Service - June 2, 2006; Joyce Mulama; NAIROBI, Jun 2 (IPS) - ARVs can change things, but they do not change my socio-economic status. Yes, I get the ARVs; but I cannot afford to put a simple meal on the table, says a man who insists on being identified only as wa Kimani. This is why I had to register at two treatment sites, so that I could get ARVs (anti-r
AIDS Summit Averts Gaze From Those Most at Risk: Inter Press Service - June 2, 2006; Thalif Deen; UNITED NATIONS, Jun 2 (IPS) - The United Nations concluded a three-day meeting of world political leaders Friday by adopting an eight-page declaration calling for strong national targets and comprehensive HIV prevention strategies to fight the deadly disease AIDS. But most civil society groups -- which demanded less ta
U.S. Lacks National Action Plan on AIDS: Inter Press Service - June 2, 2006; Juliana Lara Resende; UNITED NATIONS, Jun 2 (IPS) - Even as the U.S. tries to water down new global HIV/AIDS targets at a high-level United Nations meeting on the pandemic, it has also fallen short on commitments made five years ago to address HIV/AIDS at home, experts and civil society groups are charging. There are sub-Saharan Africa-like
Seeking Answers in the Failed Response to AIDS: Inter Press Service - May 26, 2006; Thalif Deen; UNITED NATIONS, May 26 (IPS) - The AIDS epidemic, described by the United Nations as the most destructive in human history and accounting for more than 25 million deaths so far, is still a growing threat to global progress and stability. AIDS is one of the greatest leadership challenges of our time, says U.N. Secretary
Kenya: Preventing Rape Survivors From Becoming AIDS Statistics: Inter Press Service - May 22, 2006; Joyce Mulama; NAIROBI, May 22 (IPS) - For women who are victims of rape, recovery from the violation is typically arduous and draining. When they re unable to get treatment to prevent possible HIV infection the process is even more fraught, however -- something Kenya is grappling with. Known as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), the a
Uganda: Abstinence Clashes With Reality When Women Are Powerless: Inter Press Service - May 15, 2006; Evelyn Kiapi Matsamura; KAMPALA, May 15 (IPS) - Tens of thousands of Ugandan schoolchildren have enrolled in True Love Waits clubs that promote sexual abstinence as the way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Each student member has pledged commitment to God, myself, my family, my country, my friends, my future mate and my future children to be s
South Africa: The Mystery of Discordance: Inter Press Service - May 10, 2006; Wilson Johwa; JOHANNESBURG, May 10 (IPS) - Silas Masindi* was not entirely surprised by his HIV test results. The dapper garment trader, who discovered earlier this year that he was infected with the AIDS virus, admits to using condoms somewhat erratically before he remarried three years ago. I would meet a girl, use a condom, but a
South Africa: Zuma Acquitted -- but "The Struggle Continues": Inter Press Service - May 8, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, May 8 (IPS) - As the rape trial of former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma wrapped up Monday with an acquittal for the defendant, calls were sounded for the verdict not to be seen as undermining the fight to curtail rape. Tomorrow if you go to the Johannesburg court, you ll get six other women wa
Caribbean: Gay, HIV-Positive, and Totally Fearless: Inter Press Service - May 2, 2006; Peter Richards; PORT OF SPAIN, May 2 (IPS) - When he was diagnosed with HIV in 1989, Godfrey Sealy, a Trinidad and Tobago playwright and activist, pled with Caribbean policy-makers and the general public not to relegate sex issues to the back burner.
A Weapon Against AIDS That Looks Just Like Hair Gel: Inter Press Service - April 27, 2006; Christina Scott; CAPE TOWN, Apr 27 (IPS) - Mafuta is the word used by Kennedy Mundia to describe the colourless, odourless gel that he wants 1,500 women in the Southern African country of Zambia to try out, starting next month. The word can mean a variety of things in the Ngoni language. In this case, mafuta means lotion, or moisturise
IMF Prescriptions Bad for Health, Say Activists: Inter Press Service - April 22, 2006; Emad Mekay; WASHINGTON, Apr 22 (IPS) - The Western-dominated International Monetary Fund (IMF), whose credibility with some of its largest clients is eroding because of what they consider counter-productive economic policy advice, is facing renewed accusations that its prescriptions have compounded major health crises. Similar cha
Latin America: Let's (Not) Talk About Sex: Inter Press Service - April 18, 2006; Diego Cevallos; MEXICO CITY, Apr 18 (IPS) - Although many countries in Latin America have laws stating that sex education must be made available in primary and secondary schools, these are implemented in a haphazard way, and in some cases not at all. An informal survey by IPS correspondents in Argentina ,
New Wave of HIV May Lurk Around the Corner: Inter Press Service - April 18, 2006; Lisa Soderlindh; UNITED NATIONS, Apr 18 (IPS) - A quarter century into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, researchers fear that a lack of preparedness for large-scale social changes, driven by factors like armed conflict and climate change, could lead to explosive new outbreaks affecting millions of people. Since cases of a severe pneumonia affect
Cuba: TV Serial Stirs Up Social Controversy: Inter Press Service - April 17, 2006; Orlando Matos; HAVANA, Apr 17 (IPS) - A television series which reflects on and portrays sexual behaviours and touches on the question of AIDS has provoked unusual public controversy in Cuba . Amanda, an uninformed, sexually precocious teenager under the strict control of her parents, becomes infected with HIV, the AIDS virus. The ce
Asia: Caught Between Bird Flu and Burma's Junta: Inter Press Service - April 15, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; -- Will the governments of the ten-nation Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) consider a change of tack in dealing with Rangoon, as this region battles to contain the lethal avian flu virus? BANGKOK, Apr 15 (IPS) - South-east Asian governments are caught between tackling bird flu and Burma s secretive junta
Africa: "An Opportunity to Change the Course of History": Inter Press Service - April 12, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Apr 12 (IPS) - An Africa-wide campaign has been launched to halt HIV infections, this as the continent continues to be the worst affected by AIDS globally. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ), 3.2 million of the five million new infections estimated to have occurred last
South Africa: The Shower That Washed Anti-AIDS Efforts Down the Drain: Inter Press Service - April 11, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Apr 11 (IPS) - AIDS activists have expressed concern about a remark by former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma that he minimised his risk of contracting the AIDS virus during unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman, by taking a shower afterwards. Zuma also said he believed the chance of gettin
Trinidad: Fear of HIV Leaves Many Orphans Societal Outcasts: Inter Press Service - April 11, 2006; Peter Richards; PORT OF SPAIN, Apr 11 (IPS) - When his parents died from AIDS last year, John (not his real name) did not expect to be abandoned by his surviving relatives. But the stigma surrounding the disease here remains potent. Left to fend for himself, John, 12, has become one of a growing number of young people who are being sh
Swaziland: Aid Initiatives Not to Be Taken on Faith: Inter Press Service - April 10, 2006; James Hall; MBABANE, Apr 10 (IPS) - Faith-based organisations that wish to succeed with humanitarian projects in Swaziland have been advised to take into consideration the views and sensibilities of indigenous populations, even if the benefactors believe they are on a mission from God and know what is best for the local people.
WORLD HEALTH DAY: Chronic Deficit of Health Workers: Inter Press Service - April 7, 2006; Gustavo Capdevila; GENEVA, Apr 7 (IPS) - There is a critical shortage of health workers - doctors, nurses and lab technicians - in poor countries, which most desperately need them, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned in its annual report on global health problems. A shortage of human resources has replaced financial issues as the
US: Govt Watchdog Criticises Bush's AIDS Plan: Inter Press Service - April 4, 2006; Jim Lobe; WASHINGTON, Apr 4 (IPS) - The priority given to abstinence-only strategies in U.S. Pres. George W. Bush s global HIV/AIDS programme may be undermining the overall effectiveness of his administration s multi-billion-dollar AIDS-prevention efforts, according to a study released here Tuesday by Congress Governmental Accou
ZIMBABWE: Bleak Future for Children With a Double Burden: Inter Press Service - April 4, 2006; Vusa Nyathi; HARARE, Apr 4 (IPS) - The child squirms drowsily as it struggles to roll over on the bunk bed, eventually succumbing to sleep. The skin on its face is too taught. Wisps of hair look as if they could fall out at any minute. He is just from his daily ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs), says the woman who takes care of him at F
WORLD HEALTH DAY: Mozambican Nurses to the Fore With ARV Distribution: Inter Press Service - April 3, 2006; Ruth Ansah Ayisi; MAPUTO, Apr 3 (IPS) - With World Health Day (Apr. 7) rapidly approaching, public attention is being directed this week to the widespread shortage of health workers. The theme for World Health Day 2006, Working together for health , was chosen to add momentum to efforts at resolving the crisis -- something that is nowhe
Southern Africa: A Somber Outlook on AIDS: Inter Press Service - March 24, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Mar 24 (IPS) - A former director of the United Nations Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa has painted a gloomy picture of efforts to bring the pandemic under control across the continent. There is absolutely nothing optimistic about HIV in Africa, 25 years after the virus was discovered, sai
Argentina: Transgender Community Faces Uphill Battle for Rights: Inter Press Service - March 23, 2006; Marcela Valente; BUENOS AIRES, Mar 23 (IPS) - Noelia Luna was born a man, but lives as a woman. She is unemployed, has lived with the same partner for 15 years and has three children. Her life seems fairly uneventful. But compared to other transvestites, transsexuals and transgenders in Argentina , she is a relative rarity: she is a su
Brazil to Hand Out a Billion Free Condoms: Inter Press Service - March 23, 2006; Felipe Seligman and Juliana Lara Resende; UNITED NATIONS, Mar 23 (IPS) - As a key part of its vigorous campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Brazilian government is planning to distribute over one billion condoms free of charge this year. The government campaign in Brazil is straightforward, like nowhere else in Latin America, said Frederico Meyer, a mi
NAMIBIA: No Rest - and Limited Government Support - for the Aged: Inter Press Service - March 20, 2006; Catherine Sasman; WINDHOEK, Mar 20 (IPS) - The sight of an elderly person caring for children with AIDS-related illnesses - and grandchildren who may have been orphaned by the pandemic -- has become a common one in Namibia , and the Southern African region as a whole. According to the 2004 Common Country Assessment prepared for Namibia
BURMA: Bird Flu Breaks Junta's Insularity: Inter Press Service - March 18, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Mar 18 (IPS) - After years of oppression and secretive rule, Burma s generals appear to have come up against resistance from an unlikely opponent--avian flu virus. This week s confirmation by the junta, that the South-east Asian nation is the latest to be hit by the deadly H5N1 virus, marked a dramatic departu
South Africa: ARV Programme Less Than the Sum of Its (Monetary) Parts: Inter Press Service - March 14, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNEBURG, Mar 14 (IPS) - With over five million of its 47 million citizens HIV-positive, South Africa currently has more people living with HIV/AIDS than any other country. This brings with it a heavy burden as concerns providing anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to those in need. More than 500,000 South Africans require
U.N. Women's Meet Targets AIDS, Armed Conflict: Inter Press Service - March 13, 2006; Haider Rizvi; UNITED NATIONS, Mar 13 (IPS) - The United Nations is calling for international institutions and governments worldwide to ensure equal participation of women in decision-making and to take actions to enhance their role in development. Concluding its two week annual meeting here, which continued until late on Mar. 10, th
ASIA-PACIFIC: Willing Coalition to Treat HIV/AIDS: Inter Press Service - February 28, 2006; Neena Bhandari; SYDNEY, Feb 28 (IPS) - Millions of dollars will be injected into the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS in the Asia Pacific region under a significant new partnership between the Australian government and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The Australian Government has committed 25 million US dollars over four years,
AIDS Stigma, a Major Hurdle in the Caribbean: Inter Press Service - February 27, 2006; Dalia Acosta; HAVANA, Feb 27 (IPS) - The discrimination that people living with HIV face on a day-to-day level in the Caribbean results in frequent violations of their basic rights and is a major hurdle to the implementation of anti-AIDS programmes, say U.N. officials. Prejudice based on religious, social or other reasons are exacer
Japan's Homeless Pose TB Threat: Inter Press Service - February 22, 2006; Suvendrini Kakuchi; TOKYO , Feb 22 (IPS) - For the past two years Suzuko Yasue, a diminutive but energetic woman, has been walking the streets of Tokyo, talking to Japan s growing homeless community and distributing pamphlets on the dangers of tuberculosis (TB). The homeless in Japan, mostly elderly people who live alone, are particularly
Southern Africa: AIDS Puts Funeral Traditions Under Pressure: Inter Press Service - February 17, 2006; Kristin Palitza; DURBAN, Feb 17 (IPS) - Research indicates that traditional burials for those who die from AIDS-related diseases in Southern Africa are having a severe financial effect on households in the region, notably those in rural areas. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, one in five adults in Southern A
MALAWI: "Have Men in Our Land Chosen to Become Worse Than Beasts?": Inter Press Service - February 9, 2006; Frank Phiri; BLANTYRE, Feb 9 (IPS) - When police announced recently that they had detained a man in the northern town of Karonga for allegedly killing his wife after she refused him sex, there were hopes that the arrest would send a stern warning to other husbands with violent inclinations. Apparently, it didn t. Within a week of t
U.S.: Guns Over Butter, Abroad and at Home: Inter Press Service - February 6, 2006; Jim Lobe; WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (IPS) - Despite his administration s growing concerns about preventing the collapse of states in strategic parts of the world, U.S. President George W. Bush has proposed cuts in development and disaster assistance while increasing the defence budget by almost seven percent. Under his 2007 budget reque
Thailand: Free Trade With US Will Hurt Health Care: Inter Press Service - January 31, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK , Jan 31 (IPS) - Will the hands that save the lives of Thailand s sick be tied once a free trade deal between this country and the United States is signed, later this year? That unhealthy prospect is worrying doctors in this South-east Asian country as details trickle out of the secrecy-shrouded trade talks bet
Mozambique: Many Languages, One Message: Inter Press Service - January 29, 2006; Ruth Ansah Ayisi; MAPUTO, Jan 29 (IPS) - Travel the length of Mozambique , and chances are that you ll hear a host of different languages being spoken: the official language of Portuguese, Shangana, Elomwe and Cisena to name just a few. While this might be culturally interesting, it also presents health authorities with challenges when
Morocco: Civil 'War' Over Condoms: Inter Press Service - January 26, 2006; Abderrahim El Ouali; CASABLANCA, Jan 26 (IPS) - When the Moroccan Association for the Fight Against AIDS launched a campaign last month to raise money to fight AIDS, it had no idea it would have another kind of fight on its hands. The association is now fighting Islamists who accuse it if spreading the culture of the condom through its te
Groups Worried About New US Aid Czar: Inter Press Service - January 19, 2006; Emad Mekay; WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (IPS) - The United States has unveiled a new plan for how it spends foreign aid dollars that links U.S. security to democracy and development overseas. But development activists fear the new overhaul could be ideologically motivated and criticised the appointment of a new aid director who they say ha
AIDS-LATIN AMERICA: Prejudice and Ignorance, a Deadly Alliance: Inter Press Service - January 16, 2006; Mario Osava; RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 16 (IPS) - Prejudice and lack of information about HIV/AIDS are damaging to society and to people with the disease, creating obstacles to the prevention and treatment of the pandemic, agreed the participants in a weekend conference in Brasilia. Strategies for overcoming such barriers were at the cor
WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Will the Bamako Meeting Tackle Africa's Sore Spots?: Inter Press Service - January 10, 2006; Moyiga Nduru; JOHANNESBURG, Jan 10 (IPS) - The African leg of the World Social Forum (WSF) kicks off next week in the Malian capital, Bamako, with a host of issues on the agenda: war and militarism, global trade and debt, to name just a few. The conference website where these topics are listed makes no direct mention of AIDS, howeve
UN Bodies Survive US Funding Threats: Inter Press Service - January 9, 2005; Thalif Deen; UNITED NATIONS, Jan 9 (IPS) - The United States , a major funder of the United Nations and its myriad agencies, has a longstanding notoriety for exercising its financial clout to threaten U.N. bodies refusing to play ball with Washington. Back in 1984, it withdrew from the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and C
Thai Farmers Fear Free Trade Deal With US: Inter Press Service - January 6, 2006; Marwaan Macan-Markar; BANGKOK, Jan 6 (IPS)- When United States negotiators fly into Thailand to thrash out a bilateral free trade deal, next week, they will be greeted with jeers rather than this country s famed smile of welcome. Activists opposed to the free trade agreement (FTA) view the sixth round of talks in the northern city of Chiang
Algeria: Low HIV prevalence not a problem? Think again: Inter Press Service - January 6, 2006; Kaci Racelma; Coverage of Aids in Africa typically focuses on the dire situation in countries south of the Sahara, which are home to almost two thirds of people infected with HIV globally, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids). But what of the countries that lie further north and along the Mediterranea
NAMIBIA: In Prisons, a Little Latex Could Go a Long Way: Inter Press Service - January 3, 2006; Natasha Tibinyane; WINDHOEK, Jan 3 (IPS) - A piece of legislation nearly 30 years old that outlaws male-to-male sodomy may, at first glance, appear more a target for gay rights activists than AIDS campaigners. Seen in the context of Namibia s prisons however, the 1977 Criminal Procedures Act raises questions that relate to both health an
HEALTH-PAKISTAN: Free HIV Therapy Also Lessens Stigma: Inter Press Service - January 2, 2006; Ashfaq Yusufzai; PESHAWAR, Jan 2 (IPS) - Raheela is relieved that she can finally avail of free anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Pakistan , where people living with HIV/AIDS are viewed with suspicion rather than sympathy. I can now hope to live for some more years and look after my child, who is just three now, said Raheela, whose hus

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