UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 15, 2000

AFRICA: Red Cross looks to its own on HIV/AIDS issue

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has made a frank admission that it needs to do more in view of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, but also to tackle the disease and its effects within its own organisation and in the national Red Cross societies with which it has partnerships. In keeping with the recent HIV/AIDS focus, heightened by World AIDS Day on 1 December and the Economic Commission of Africa special conference on HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia last week, the IFRC announced a dramatic scaling up of its HIV/AIDS activities in 53 countries across Africa. It launched a donor appeal for US $10.5 million to ensure better management and support for its volunteer network in the campaign, which would focus on a "people to people, house to house" approach towards raising awareness, promoting condom use and providing support to AIDS orphans and people living with the virus.

But it also said it was working "to make the Red Cross Red Crescent a better 'home' for people in the movement living with HIV/AIDS." "We must put our own house in order by making our organisation a better place for people living with HIV/AIDS by breaking the silence around the issue. There are estimated to be over 100,000 of our volunteers in Africa living with HIV/AIDS and many more worldwide," said Francoise LeGoff, IFRC Head of Regional Delegation in Nairobi.

Crucial to the Federation's effort to "help its own" is hearing the testimony of those in the organisation who are living with the virus, and listening to those who have lost cherished colleagues and friends, according to a press statement. As part of this initiative, a number of those Red Cross volunteers living with HIV/AIDS participated in a special video made by the IFRC to promote awareness and help remove the stigma of HIV. Among them was David Mukasa, a Ugandan Red Cross volunteer. Speaking on the video, he said: "HIV is one of those things you don't lease or borrow. When you get HIV it is a done deal and, if you are not supported through it, you are always conscious of your mortality."

AFRICA: Experts meet to discuss AIDS and security

Civilian and military experts met in Stockholm this week in an effort to deal with the important question of AIDS as a security issue. The meeting, organized by UNAIDS, prepared recommendations aimed at tackling the epidemic in areas affected by conflict. The meeting, a first for UNAIDS, came only weeks after a global report disclosed that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, continued to spread rapidly in many parts of the world during 2000. According to the AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2000, a joint report by UNAIDS and the WHO, 36.1 million people worldwide are now living with HIV/AIDS, compared with 34.3 million last year. Two-thirds of them live in sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries face conflict and where the epidemic constitutes a major threat to security.

In response to the growing concern about the epidemic's impact, in January this year the United Nations Security Council for the first time discussed a health issue in the context of human security. In his statement to the Security Council session, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr Peter Piot, outlined the relationship between AIDS and war. "Humanitarian aid workers, military and police forces that are well trained in HIV prevention and behaviour change can be a tremendous force for prevention," Dr Piot said.

KENYA: World Bank approves anti-AIDS credit

The World Bank has approved a US $50 million interest-free credit to help Kenya improve its health care sector and step up the campaign against HIV/AIDS. The funds will help authorities decentralise medical services, expand the scope of anti-AIDS activities and promote reproductive health.

KENYA: Kenyan doctors own AIDS vaccine patent rights

Kenyan scientists have been allowed to jointly own patent rights for a controversial HIV/AIDS vaccine with their counterparts in Britain. The vaccine was developed by scientists from the University of Nairobi, the Medical Research Council at Oxford University and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

Phase one of the vaccine trials began in Britain in August and another trial is starting in Kenya before the end of the year. The trial has been highly controversial with British scientists reportedly saying that they should "take all the credit for the vaccine and that the Kenyan scientists did not offer any intellectual input into the research and development". The DNA vaccine is based on research carried out almost ten years ago on 50 Nairobi prostitutes, who appeared to have developed immunity to HIV through daily exposure to the virus. However, as soon as they stopped trading, their immunity waned and they became HIV-positive.

NIGERIA: US medical school donates US $25 million

United States officials said this week that the Harvard School of Public Health is to donate US $25 million to programmes to fight HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The officials said the money will be released in five grants of US $5 million dollars over 18 months.

NAMIBIA: Health progress undermined by AIDS

Namibia's health sector has experienced mixed progress since independence and even this could be wiped out by the AIDS epidemic, a report presented to Cabinet said recently. The report, tabled by Health and Social Services Minister Dr Libertina Amathila, called on government to allocate more financial resources for health management and control. The report stated that the growing problems of HIV/AIDS and other related illnesses posed the biggest challenge to the health sector in the country although the quality of health services and care have improved "tremendously".

SOUTH AFRICA: Glaxo Wellcome, government launch HIV/AIDS community centre

International pharmaceutical company Glaxo Wellcome and the department of health recently launched the Vulindlela Drop-In Centre for people living with HIV/AIDS as well as other illnesses in Sweetwaters, in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. "It is not a clinic, so there is no provision of medical care or hospital beds, but it is a place members of the community can go to with questions around health," a spokesperson for Glaxo said. About 40, 000 people are expected to benefit from this initiative in a community where the inhabitants have little access to healthcare, let alone health-related information.

SOUTH AFRICA: HIV tests for alleged sexual offenders proposed

The South Africa Law Commission has proposed that a victim of a sexual offence can have an accused tested for HIV, and have the results disclosed to the victim. The law currently provides for HIV testing only with the informed consent of the person. The commission said several reasons made it imperative to have legal intervention, including women's vulnerability to sexual violence. The proposals provide that testing of an accused must be at the insistence of the victim or a person with a material interest in the accused's HIV status.

2. Links

- The final consensus statement for action on HIV/AIDS from the African Development Forum 2000 in Addis Ababa (Dec. 3-7, 2000) and documents from the forum can be found on the Economic Commission for Africa website at: http://www.uneca.org/adf2000 Additional background and links can be found at: http://www.africapolicy.org/action/health.htm

- The US government Centre for Disease Control HIV/AIDS site. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm

- Children and AIDS International Non-Government Organisation Network (CAINN). The network was established in 1996 by NGOs and community-based organizations to promote the voices, rights and needs of children and young people infected by, affected by and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Its key objective is to promote the implementation of the UN Convention on Rights of the Child and other relevant international declarations and agreements. http://www.pedhivaids.org/education/children_living.html

- Beyond awareness campaign. The site details a wide range of communications activities undertaken as part of this national campaign. Many useful documents which are relevant in Africa and internationally. http://www.aidsinfo.co.za/

3. Research/publications

- US National Institutes of Health funding opportunity for research on gender and HIV risk. For more information please see: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-01-002.html

Susan Newcomer, DBS, NICHD, NIH Building 61e, Room 8b07, Bethesda MD 20892 301.435.6981 fax 301.496.0962 Email: newcomes@exchange.nih.gov

- Applications are invited for researchers in countries of sub-Saharan Africa. For more information please contact:

Jennifer Weir Research Associate to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning) Office of Teaching and Learning Curtin University of Technology GPO Box U1987 Perth, Western Australia 6845 Ph: (08) 9266 2193 Fax: (08) 9266 4166 Email: j.weir@info.curtin.edu.au

- World AIDS Foundation Applications - research in AIDS prevention. For more information please contact:

Willo Pequegnat Centre for Mental Health Research on AIDS NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH National Institutes of Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6-205, MSC 9619 Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (express mail: 320852) 301 443-1187; 443-9719 (FAX) Email: wpequegn@nih.gov FAX to Ms. R. Finlayson at above FAX number

4. Employment opportunities

- Research and Development Manager: Kenya National AIDS Control Council. The objectives of the Council are to reduce HIV prevalence, increase access to care and support to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Kenya and strengthen institutional capacity and co-ordination at all levels. For more information please contact: Dr M S Abdullah, MBS - abdullah@iconnect.co.ke http://www.comminit.com/vacancy237.html

- Executive co-ordinator, programme officer and a Central America project officer: International Community of Women Living With HIV/AIDS. For more information please contact: International Community of Women Living With HIV/AIDS (ICW) Country: UK Ph: 44 20 7704 0606 Fax: 44 20 7704 8070 Email: info@icw.org

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