2006

Central African Republic: Teaching street children about HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 28, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BANGUI, 28 December (PLUSNEWS) - Appalled by the deaths of their friends from AIDS-related infections, the street children of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic , did not hesitate when offered the opportunity to learn more about
Malawi: HIV/AIDS leaves young people struggling to survive: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 27, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LILONGWE, 27 December (PLUSNEWS) - Chisomo Jonasi, 12, who lives in Lirangwe, on the outskirts of Blantyre, Malawi s second city, lost both his parents to AIDS-related illnesses 18 months ago. He now spends most of his time doing odd jobs in peo
Malawi: Chiefs lead by example in response to HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LILONGWE, 21 December (PLUSNEWS) - A group of traditional leaders in Mchinji district, about 100km west of Malawian capital, Lilongwe, has become involved in HIV/AIDS awareness efforts in their communities, encouraging people to talk more openly
South Africa: Reproductive rights of HIV positive people under discussion: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 20 December (PLUSNEWS) - HIV-positive Phindile Madonsela always used a condom with her partner, but one day it broke. When it had happened before, she had gone to the local clinic and obtained emergency contraception, also known as
Kenya: Slow progress in safer-sex services for men who sleep with men: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 18 December (PLUSNEWS) - Although sex between men remains illegal in Kenya , services addressing HIV/AIDS and the sexual health needs of men who have sex with men (MSM) are slowly becoming available to this much-neglected and stigmatise
Zambia: Poor nutrition nullifies benefit of ARV treatment: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUSAKA, 18 December (PLUSNEWS) - The poor nutrition often experienced by HIV-positive Zambians on antiretroviral [ARV] drug treatment is nullifying the benefits of the medicine, health experts are warning. Whenever I take my ARVs without eating
Zimbabwe: Another setback for anti-AIDS treatment: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BULAWAYO, 14 December (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwe s health minister, HIV/AIDS activists and health experts have all warned that a recent increase in the cost of CD4 tests, which measure the strength of the immune system, will negatively affect the alr
Africa: More proof that a snip in time could save men from HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information System - December 13, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, 13 December 2006 (PlusNews) - American research bodies have called an early halt to trials of adult male circumcision in Kenya and Uganda after results showed that men who had undergone the procedure dramatically lowered their risk of contracting the HI virus. The National Institute of Allergy and Inf
Zimbabwe: Sick economy fuels growth of fake drug market: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 13 December (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwe s deteriorating health services have made room for a thriving parallel market for drugs, many of them counterfeit, warn concerned health professionals. The sale of genuine as well as fake medicines on th
Angola: Enthusiastic caregivers and silent sufferers: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] CABINDA, 13 December (PLUSNEWS) - Fear of stigmatisation in Angola is keeping people living with HIV/AIDS in hiding. Caregivers are more than willing to help but are having a hard time finding patients to take care of. People prefer to keep
Kenya: Urgent action needed to avert resistant TB - activists: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 13 December (PLUSNEWS) - Kenya risks falling victim to new, drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis (TB), found elsewhere on the continent, if the government fails to take the TB epidemic more seriously, activists have warned. Multi
Great Lakes: Appeal calls for US$84m: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 13 Dec 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - The humanitarian appeal to donors for the Great Lakes region for 2007 is aimed at alleviating the suffering of thousands in the region and improving emergency preparedness and response, a senior United Nati
Angola: Mending children broken by accusations of witchcraft: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUANDA, 13 Dec 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - A three-year old HIV-positive child, who was also suffering from malaria, was accused by neighbours of using witchcraft to kill his parents and abandoned in a coop, where scavenging chickens pecked him, blin
Iraq: Shortage of antiretroviral drugs in Kurdistan: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 12, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ARBIL, 12 December (PLUSNEWS) - Health officials in Iraq s northern Kurdistan region have said they lack antiretroviral drugs and HIV testing equipment, and that they have been instructed by health authorities in Baghdad to deport foreigners who
DRC: Healing the wounds of war at Panzi Hospital, South Kivu: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 12, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Panzi hospital in Bukavu, South Kivu Province, the only facility for fistula corrective surgery. NEW YORK, 12 Dec 2006 (IRIN) - When Anna (not her real name) came to Panzi Hospital in South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she was in h
Angola: "Witchcraft" an excuse for child abuse: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 12, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUANDA, 12 Dec 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Makiesse means happiness in Kikongo, a language spoken in northern Angola . But the early childhood of 10-year-old Makiesse Jonas was far from joyous. When he was aged just six, his stepmother accused him of
DRC: An untapped supply of HIV/AIDS treatment: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KINSHASA, 11 December (PLUSNEWS) - Thousands of people living with AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are going without treatment while the production line at a modern antiretroviral (ARV) factory in the east of the country lies larg
Swaziland: Nurses fleeing the HIV/AIDS frontline: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MANZINI, 11 December (PLUSNEWS) - Swaziland is dying. Will the last nurse on duty please turn off the lights? reads a handwritten note at a clinic in Manzini, the country s AIDS-hit commercial centre, 35km southeast of the capital, Mbabane.
Zambia: Help for child-headed homes: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUSAKA, 8 Dec 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Zambia is grappling with the growing problem of thousands of child-headed homes, created by one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. Kapiri Mposhi, a commercial hub in central Zambia, about 200km
South Africa: Prevention for positives: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 7, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 7 December (PLUSNEWS) - After Zodwa [not her real name] learned she was HIV positive, six torturous months passed before she felt able to tell her boyfriend. I had to check his mindset, she said. We were using condoms, but I worrie
OPT: No friends, few drugs and little expertise for AIDS patients: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 7, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] GAZA CITY, 7 December (PLUSNEWS) - The manner in which 14-year-old Mahmoud (not his real name) was infected with HIV was unusual - but the subsequent reaction of Palestinian society was all too predictable. I got it from a blood transfusion when
Sudan: Darfur at risk of mounting HIV/AIDS epidemic: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 7, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KHARTOUM, 7 December (PLUSNEWS) - The United Nations is raising awareness about HIV/AIDS in Sudan , but has warned that infection rates may be on the rise in the unstable Darfur region. There are suggestions that the number of people who have th
Rwanda: Need to incorporate nutrition into kids' HIV programmes: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 7, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 7 December (PLUSNEWS) - Nearly 45 percent of HIV-positive Rwandan children under five years old are severely malnourished, delegates at last month s second annual Rwandan paediatric conference on HIV/AIDS heard. Josephine Kayumba, a nut
Tanzania: African Muslim clerics divided on condom use: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] STONE TOWN, ZANZIBAR , 6 December (PLUSNEWS) - Muslim clerics from 25 African countries failed to reach consensus on the use of condoms in preventing HIV/AIDS at a meeting on the semi-autonomous Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. The Network of Afric
Egypt: Lack of official concern over silently rising HIV infections: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] CAIRO, 6 December (PLUSNEWS) - HIV/AIDS is invisible in Egypt . With an HIV prevalence rate of less than 0.1 percent, not many people in this conservative Muslim country talk about it, and even fewer know someone living with the virus. The r
South Africa: AIDS 'paradigm shift' in life insurance: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 5 December (PLUSNEWS) - A South African firm is bringing more affordable life insurance within reach of HIV-positive people otherwise struggling with limited and costly schemes. AllLife has listed regular blood tests and compliance
Pakistan: First association of people living with HIV/AIDS launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ISLAMABAD, 5 December (PLUSNEWS) - The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ) has launched Pakistan s first association of people living with HIV/AIDS. So far only a few individual NGOs with limited capacity were providing support
Malawi: Each migrating nurse costs country up to US$26 million: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 5 December (PLUSNEWS) - Malawi , one of the world s poorest countries, is losing up to US$26 million for every nurse who leaves the country in search of greener pastures, according to a new research paper. Better salaries and
Somalia: Cross-border migration an HIV/AIDS threat: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 5 December (PLUSNEWS) - Somalia s HIV prevalence of about one percent is low, but the cross-border movement of people is causing an increase in infection rates, according to Dr Fernando Morales of the UN Children s Fund s Somalia office
Swaziland: Has Swaziland turned the corner in the fight against AIDS?: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 5 December (PLUSNEWS) - The Swazi government expressed cautious optimism after a survey found that 39.2 percent of women visiting antenatal clinics tested positive for HIV, indicating that the infection rate was dropping. Medical data f
Thailand: Government to break patent on key AIDS drug: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BANGKOK, 4 December (PLUSNEWS) - Thailand is to issue a compulsory licence for Merck s patented HIV/AIDS drug Efaverenz, allowing the government to cut costs of supplying the drug by a reported 50 percent, helping it meet a growing demand for tr
Kenya: Government introduces combination therapy for PMTCT: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 4 December (PLUSNEWS) - HIV-positive pregnant women in Kenya may soon receive the AIDS drug Zidovudine, also known as AZT , alongside single-dose Nevirapine, a combination shown to significantly reduce the transmission of the v
Uganda: An HIV/AIDS campaign in crisis?: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 4 December (PLUSNEWS) - Uganda s success in lowering its HIV/AIDS level, lauded as a rare African achievement, could be unravelling. The latest UNAIDS statistics show rising prevalence, and questions are being asked about the government
South Africa: HIV/AIDS still running amok - report: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 1, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 1 December (PLUSNEWS) - HIV/AIDS continues to wreak havoc in South Africa , with the nation s youth appearing to be hardest hit, researchers said on 1 December, World AIDS Day. The nation s 15-year-olds now had a 56 percent chance
Jordan: AIDS high-risk groups must be controlled, says senior official: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] AMMAN, 30 November (PLUSNEWS) - Despite the low prevalence of AIDS in Jordan , the existence of vulnerable groups that could become infected with the virus and the difficulty in tracking them are the biggest challenges for the country s new stra
Africa: AIDS treatment still a pipe-dream - report: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 30 November (PLUSNEWS) - Global communities and national governments are failing to scale up antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in poor countries, said a group of 800 AIDS activists from more than 125 countries. In its latest report,
South Africa: 'AIDS' death certificate causes a stir: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 29 November (PLUSNEWS) - In the first case of its kind in the country, a South African pathologist has been brought before the Health Professions Council (HPCSA), a national health watchdog, for mentioning AIDS as the cause of deat
Kenya: Rising drug, alcohol abuse threatens HIV/AIDS gains: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 29 November (PLUSNEWS) - Kenya recorded a drop in HIV prevalence from 6.1 percent in 2005 to 5.9 in 2006 but rising substance abuse could reverse advances made in the fight against HIV/AIDS if left unchecked, the National Agency for the
Zambia: More than 10 girls raped every week: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 29 November (PLUSNEWS) - A Zambian nongovernmental organisation (NGO) revealed this week that it records eight cases of rape of young girls every week at its centre in the capital, Lusaka. The statistics were released by the Young
South Africa: Medical experts and religious leaders put heads together on HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 23 November (PLUSNEWS) - An unlikely meeting of science and religion took place this week when the Voices of Reason conference brought together Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders and faith-based organisations (FBOs) wit
South Africa: New social grants plan cautiously welcomed: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 23 November (PLUSNEWS) - South Africa s Department of Health confirmed on Thursday that a new social grant system was on the cards for chronically ill people, including those living with HIV/AIDS. At present, government policy stip
Rwanda: Locals taking AIDS orphans, widows under their wing: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KIGALI, 23 November (PLUSNEWS) - The continued poverty and suffering in Rwanda , 12 years after the genocide, is spurring local people to take responsibility for orphans rather than wait for handouts. I survived the genocide but my parents did
Somalia: HIV/AIDS services struggling to get off the ground: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 22 November (PLUSNEWS) - In the two years since the first voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) centre opened up in Somalia , HIV treatment, care and support has come a long way, but renewed violence threatens those gains. The wh
Swaziland: Giving parentless children an identity: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 21 Nov 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - A joint initiative between the Swaziland government and the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) to waive birth certificate fees for orphans and children in rural areas has boosted registration figures.
Africa: New figures show AIDS epidemic spreading: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 21 Nov 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - The global HIV/AIDS epidemic is expanding, according to new figures released on Tuesday by UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation (WHO), with sub-Saharan Africa still carrying the heaviest burden. Of
Malawi: Limping PMTCT programme failing infants: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ZOMBA, 21 November (PLUSNEWS) - Despite being largely preventable, mother-to-child transmission of HIV accounts for 30 percent of all new infections in Malawi and is the second major mode of transmission after unprotected sex. Every year, an est
Ethiopia: Funeral associations - for the living as well as the dead: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ADDIS ABABA, 21 November (PLUSNEWS) - Support for Ethiopian families affected by the AIDS pandemic has come from an unexpected source - local funeral associations, known as edirs. An edir is a traditional burial society to which members make mon
Swaziland: Giving parentless children an identity: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 21 November (PLUSNEWS) - A joint initiative between the Swaziland government and the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) to waive birth certificate fees for orphans and children in rural areas has boosted registration figures. Over
Uganda: HIV/AIDS rising amid extreme poverty of north's IDP camps: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 21 November (PLUSNEWS) - Rebel attacks in northern Uganda over the last 20 years have shattered basic healthcare services, hitting HIV-positive people in need of life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drugs particularly hard. The pro
Africa: UNICEF/Baylor kiddie AIDS partnership announced: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 20 November (PLUSNEWS) - Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, confirmed on Monday that it is partnering with the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) in what is set to become the single largest global effort to help children living
Zimbabwe: Child abused every hour, new data reveals: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 20 November (PLUSNEWS) - A child is abused every hour in Zimbabwe , according to new data released by a group of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) working to stop the suffering. More than 8,600 cases of child abuse were reported in Zi
South Africa: Life, love and HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 18 November (PLUSNEWS) - And life goes on ... concludes the preface to Conversations, HIV and the Family , a publication that aims to place HIV/AIDS where it belongs - in the midst of real life itself, with all its nuances and grit
Malawi: Health worker shortage a challenge to AIDS treatment: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 17, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NKHATA BAY, 17 November (PLUSNEWS) - Sarah Nafere has just finished a long night shift as the only nurse tending to 80 patients spread across two wards at Nkhata Bay Hospital in northern Malawi . She is one of just 18 nurses, five clinical offic
Swaziland: Students ignore safer sex practices, survey finds: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 17, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 17 November (PLUSNEWS) - They should be smarter, but condoms are not very popular among university students in Swaziland , which has the world s highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, according to a new survey. The study conducted over a
Africa: ARVs still scarce years after WTO declaration: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 16, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 16 November (PLUSNEWS) - Most HIV-positive people in Africa still lack access to antiretroviral (ARV) medication half a decade after a historic declaration that allowed poor nations to copy expensive branded drugs. Five years ago,
Zimbabwe: Five year plan to battle HIV/AIDS on farms launched: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 16, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 16 November (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwe s government is launching a five-year plan to combat HIV/AIDS in the agricultural sector after realising the impact of the pandemic on farming. The initiative, Zimbabwe Agricultural Sector Strategy on HI
Malawi: AIDS treatment fails to reach remote lakeshore community: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NKHATA BAY, 15 November (PLUSNEWS) - The challenges of achieving the Malawian government s goal of universal access to anti-AIDS treatment are nowhere more apparent than in Usisya, an isolated community on the northern shores of Lake Malawi, whe
Uganda: Interview with Maj Felix Kulayigye, defence force spokesman: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 15 November (PLUSNEWS) - For the past two decades the Uganda People s Defence Forces (UPDF) has been at war with rebels of the Lord s Resistance Army in the north of the country. As the conflict has dragged on, the region s HIV infectio
South Africa: Govt AIDS programme on course but people still dying: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 14 November (PLUSNEWS) - South Africa s Ministry of Health has confirmed that close to 6,000 HIV-positive people had died while receiving antiretroviral (ARV) drugs since the government rollout began in 2004. Health department spok
Burundi: Food cuts for HIV-positive people worry NGOs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BUJUMBURA, 14 November (PLUSNEWS) - AIDS advocacy groups in Burundi are worried that a decision by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to cut special feeding programmes next year for HIV-positive people will harm their long-term health
Tanzania: Muslim clerics begin meeting on gender violence, HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] STONE TOWN, ZANZIBAR, 14 November (PLUSNEWS) - Muslim clerics from 25 African countries have begun a five-day population and development meeting in Tanzania s semiautonomous island of Zanzibar, focusing on issues such as HIV/AIDS and gender viol
DRC: Ex-combatants confront the reality of HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KABARE, SOUTH KIVU, 14 November (PLUSNEWS) - Craning their necks through the window of a medical centre in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a dozen ex-combatants from the recent civil war watch images of sexually transmitted infec
Pakistan: Lonely truck drivers face HIV/AIDS threat: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LAHORE, 14 November (PLUSNEWS) - Leaning against his brightly painted truck, Muhammad Rafiq, 30, looks furtively at the two condoms he holds in his hand. I plan to use these soon, but I hope I can remember to do so when the time comes, he says,
Central African Republic: A country on the brink of an abyss: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BANGUI, 13 November (PLUSNEWS) - More than one tenth of adults in the volatile Central African Republic (CAR) are living with HIV/AIDS, but foreign assistance has been hard to come by, leaving the country struggling to mount an effective respons
Zimbabwe: Global Fund woes more than meets the eye: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 13 November (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwe s request for US$33 million from the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria has been rejected on technical grounds, with the country advised to resubmit its proposals next yea
Ethiopia: UN agency welcomes food aid but says more assistance needed: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 10 Nov 2006 (IRIN) - Welcoming a US $37-million donation from the United States to Ethiopia , an official of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said floods and drought had worsened food shortages in the country, and that
Zimbabwe: The benefits of involving men in HIV programmes: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 10 November (PLUSNEWS) - Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programmes need to involve men in care and support services, says a Zimbabwean HIV/AIDS organisation. Zvitambo, a research project that aims to improve HIV preve
India: Treatment without literacy can be dangerous: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NEW DELHI, 10 November (PLUSNEWS) - Over five million people in India are HIV-positive, but there is precious little information on drug treatment for most of the population, who are not fluent in English and live on the margins of society.
South Africa: Research is discounting myths about orphans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NEWCASTLE, 10 November (PLUSNEWS) - A few years ago Prof Timothy Quinlan was hearing horror stories about delinquency and abandonment among AIDS orphans that would spell trouble for their future social acceptance. The anecdotes were that orphans
Burundi: Compulsory HIV testing before marriage still a sore point: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BUJUMBURA, 10 November (PLUSNEWS) - The Roman Catholic Church s policy in Burundi that all couples intending to marry be tested for HIV is raising the hackles of some HIV-positive people, who claim that the measure promotes stigma. It is a
Namibia: Global Fund rejects HIV/AIDS proposal: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 10 November (PLUSNEWS) - The rejection of Namibia s latest grant request to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria has created an air of uncertainty among local nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). Peni
Liberia: Stigma blunts AIDS action: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] GANTA, 10 November (PLUSNEWS) - The bustling commercial town of Ganta, a five-hour drive from the Liberian capital, Monrovia, is emblematic of the AIDS challenge facing the country as it rebuilds after 14 years of civil war. Ganta is the hub of
Mozambique: WFP halves rations for the hungry: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MAPUTO, 10 November (PLUSNEWS) - A funding shortfall of more than 70 percent has forced the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to halve its rations to hungry Mozambicans, ahead of the critical lean season between harvests, when food stock
Togo: End of grant causes concern: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 9, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LOME, 9 November (PLUSNEWS) - Togolese nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) have warned that the end of a grant by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria could put at least 24,000 HIV-infected people at risk. It s a complete dis
Kenya: Muslim women in the north defy custom to fight AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 9, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LODWAR, 9 November (PLUSNEWS) - A group of Muslim women in the dusty town of Lodwar, northern Kenya , are breaking with tradition to speak openly about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. As in many Muslim societies, the people of
Southern Africa: HIV/AIDS threatening life expectancy - UN report: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 9, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 9 November (PLUSNEWS) - Falling life expectancy is one of the most visible effects of HIV/AIDS in many nations and has reversed human development across a large part of Southern Africa, according to a new UN report. In sub-Saharan
Tanzania: Insurance for HIV-positive employees inspires confidence: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAR ES SALAAM, 8 November (PLUSNEWS) - The availability of affordable antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in Tanzania is restoring employers confidence in the productivity of their HIV-positive staff and gaining the employees more credibility at work.
Zimbabwe: Undertakers report booming business: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 8 November (PLUSNEWS) - One sector of Zimbabwe s depressed economy is experiencing boom times. For those providing services for the dead, business is very healthy. An area on the western fringes of the central business district in the ca
Namibia: Walvis Bay harbour gives HIV an international passport: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] WALVIS BAY, 8 November (PLUSNEWS) - When fishermen arrive in the port city of Walvis Bay in Namibia , flush with money after months at sea, they don t have to go far to spend it. The small town s harbour area is littered with discos and nightclu
Angola-Zambia: Refugees return home armed with the knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MAYUKWAYUKWA REFUGEE CAMP, 8 November (PLUSNEWS) - Four years after a ceasefire ended decades of civil war in neighbouring Angola , Zambia is still home to more than 25,000 Angolan refugees awaiting repatriation. Zambia s HIV/AIDS prevalence rat
South Africa: Radio, TV and print have positive impact on AIDS - study: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 8 November (PLUSNEWS) - A new survey in South Africa has proved the positive effect of media campaigns in raising HIV/AIDS awareness. The study by four organisations, including the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health s
TOGO: End of grant raises concerns: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 7, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LOME, 7 Nov 2006 (IRIN) - Togolese NGOs warned on Tuesday that the end of a grant by the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria could put at least 24,000 HIV-infected people at risk. It s a complete disaster, we re distraught, said
Uganda: Funding shortfall to affect health programmes: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 7, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 7 November (PLUSNEWS) - Health programmes in Uganda could be disrupted following a decision by the Global Fund to exclude the country from its list of beneficiaries, a senior government official said on Tuesday The decision by the G
Mozambique: New bridge puts children at risk: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 7, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] CHIMUARA, 7 November (PLUSNEWS) - Fears of HIV/AIDS and child prostitution have gripped the towns of Caia and Chimuara on opposite sides of the Zambezi River in central Mozambique as construction of a new bridge draws in hundreds of mostly male
Zambia: Masai healers fill public health services void: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUSAKA, 6 Nov 2006 (IRIN) - Rising demand for the services of traditional healers is drawing Tanzanian Masai practitioners across the border to fill the void left by the creaking Zambian public health system, but their discounted prices are upse
Sudan: Coping with stigma in the conservative north: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KHARTOUM, 6 Nov 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Nine years ago, while working in Libya , Sudanese Professor Jalal Mohamed was diagnosed with a severe case of nostalgia. He was listless and had no appetite, but because he had passed all his physicals to w
Zimbabwe: Until death us do part - love, marriage and the virus: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BULAWAYO, 6 November (PLUSNEWS) - When Nomvula Mnkandlha, 29, met Skhumbuzo Muvhinjeva, 39, at a support group meeting for HIV positive people, in Zimbabwe s second city, Bulawayo, she was not looking for a romantic relationship. The soft-spoken
Uganda: Marching for abstinence: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 3, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 3 November (PLUSNEWS) - Thousands of Ugandans marched through Kampala recently to promote the message that Abstinence Pride is central to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Last week s event, which culminated in a reggae concert, was organised
Ethiopia: Eritrean refugees desperate for HIV services: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 2, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] SHIMELBA, 2 November (PLUSNEWS) - Every evening as the sun sets over the hills of northern Ethiopia , young couples can be seen strolling past the coffee shops and pool halls of Shimelba refugee camp. An estimated 10,000 refugees live in Shime
Kenya: HIV exacerbates malnutrition among infants in drought-prone Turkana: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 2, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LODWAR, 2 November (PLUSNEWS) - A high incidence of HIV has worsened the condition of hungry children in drought-prone Turkana region, in northern Kenya . Over the past month, seven of the 10 children admitted to a nutritional rehabilitation cen
Zimbabwe: New plan to get girls back to schools: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 1, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 1 Nov 2006 (IRIN) - A joint initiative is being launched by the United Nations, Zimbabwean government and civil society to address the legacy of girls being sidelined from education in the wake of last year s mass forced removals. The
Zambia: Getting street kids to stay on the straight and narrow: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 1, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUSAKA, 1 November (PLUSNEWS) - Dressed in baggy trousers, caps and colourful T-shirts, the toughened teens of the Back to School Project were scared. The boys, all between the ages of 14 and 18, live on the streets of Zambia s capital, Lusaka,
Southern Africa: Red Cross launches biggest ever AIDS appeal: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 1, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 1 November (PLUSNEWS) - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an appeal on Wednesday to massively expand its anti-AIDS programme in Southern Africa over the next five years. Speaking in Johan
Swaziland: Government stops grants for the elderly: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 31 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Government is blaming budgetary constraints for both its inability to provide education for the growing ranks of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and its failure to pay grants to widows and the elderly. Health
Senegal: Sexually active street children increasingly vulnerable to HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAKAR, 31 October (PLUSNEWS) - Many of the thousands of children that wander the busy streets of Dakar, the capital of Senegal , are sexually active but few have any knowledge about the risks of HIV. One sees eight-year-old children who already
Sao Tome and Principe: HIV-positive mothers reject formula feeding: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] SAO TOME, 31 October (PLUSNEWS) - Poverty and a cultural preference for breastfeeding are driving the spread of HIV from mothers to their babies in Sao Tome and Principe . The HIV rate among pregnant women on the tiny West African islands
South Africa: Govt/NGO meeting spurs hope for more effective AIDS action: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 30 October (PLUSNEWS) - A spirit of greater openness and unity between government and civil society has emerged from a two-day AIDS congress, signalling a possible end to damaging divisions in South Africa s HIV/AIDS response.
Malawi: Show us the money, says UN AIDS envoy: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LILONGWE, 30 October (PLUSNEWS) - A visiting UN envoy has accused the world s wealthiest countries of failing Malawi , which is struggling to care for more than two million orphans and vulnerable children. Where is the money? At the G8 summ
South Africa: Slow anti-AIDS care being felt in KwaZulu-Natal: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 30 October (PLUSNEWS) - For many HIV-positive people in South Africa s Embo area, southwest of the port city of Durban, accessing treatment at public health facilities is as difficult as navigating the steep and muddy paths between
Namibia: Reaching targets despite great obstacles: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] WINDHOEK, 30 October (PLUSNEWS) - Namibia has become the poster child of global treatment access efforts because it is one of the few countries to have exceeded its target in the World Health Organisation s (WHO) campaign to put three million pe
Swaziland: AIDS campaign induces behaviour change: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 27, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 27 October (PLUSNEWS) - An aggressive HIV/AIDS awareness campaign has had a positive impact on the sexual behaviour and attitudes of Swazis, a new survey has found. The study was commissioned by the National Emergency Response Council o
South Africa: Young women falling into AIDS trap: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 27, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 27 October (PLUSNEWS) - High-risk sexual behaviour has become common practice among young women and girls struggling to make end meet in the semi-rural Embo area of South Africa s KwaZulu-Natal Province. Zandile Shange, an AIDS edu
Uganda: Men in the north slow to respond to AIDS message: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 27, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KITGUM, 27 October (PLUSNEWS) - Awareness of the AIDS pandemic is generally high in northern Uganda , but the message has not hit home with some men, who are still too afraid of the stigma against the disease to seek treatment. According to
Africa: ARVs on the frontline: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 26, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 26 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Providing HIV/AIDS treatment and care in countries at peace is hard enough; extending those services to people on the run from conflict or disaster seems, on the face of it, hopelessly complicated.
Sierra Leone: Stigma and fear prevent uptake of vital services: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 26, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] FREETOWN, 26 October (PLUSNEWS) - Stigma against HIV/AIDS and fear of learning one s status are slowing the uptake of free testing and treatment services in Sierra Leone . The focus of the national response so far has been on increasing people s
Zimbabwe: Homophobia raises HIV risk for gays: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 26, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 26 October (PLUSNEWS) - Efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Zimbabwe s homosexual population are being frustrated by homophobia in the government and society. This is according to the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), a na
Sao Tome And Principe: Stigma hobbles HIV/AIDS fight: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 25, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] SAO TOME - When Maria (not her real name) took the brave step of speaking to the media in Sao Tome about her HIV-positive status, she had no idea what she was letting herself in for. Although she had her back turned to the cameras, her voice was
Tanzania: ARV rollout slowly improving: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 25, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAR ES SALAAM - After a slow start to its antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme, Tanzania has speeded up the pace, doubling the number of HIV-positive people receiving the drugs over the past 10 months. According to the National AIDS Cont
Kenya: Prisoners in remote Turkana get HIV/AIDS education: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 25, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LODWAR - On a sweltering afternoon in the crowded courtyard of Lodwar Prison, in northern Kenya s remote Turkana district, inmates jostle for positions on the floor, enraptured by rare entertainment - a short film to educate them about HIV/AIDS.
Africa: Treatment is feasible but needs careful implementation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 25, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG - Providing HIV/AIDS treatment and care in countries at peace is hard enough; extending those services to people on the run from conflict or disaster seems, on the face of it, hopelessly complicated. But even during the height of th
India: New study reveals HIV/AIDS stigma in hospitals: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 24, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NEW DELHI, 24 October (PLUSNEWS) - India s growing HIV/AIDS pandemic is putting more pressure on hospitals to provide improved levels of care, but prejudice among medical staff against HIV-positive people is keeping those most in need away, acco
South Africa: AIDS fight picks up pace in a Durban township: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 23 October (PLUSNEWS) - The Blue Roofs Clinic in Wentworth, on the outskirts of South Africa s east-coast city of Durban, is difficult to miss with its giant steel top echoing the colour of its name. Situated on the former premises
DRC: 'Sexual terrorism' in South Kivu leaves HIV in its wake: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BUKAVU, 22 October (PLUSNEWS) - In 2004 the United Nation s World Health Organisation estimated there were 25,000 survivors of sexual violence in South Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo s eastern province, but those working to rebuild shatt
Lesotho: Testing campaign struggles to get off the ground: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] QUTHING, 20 October (PLUSNEWS) - Ten months after its official launch, Lesotho s ambitious plan to take the offer of an HIV test to every village and household in the country has yet to get off the ground. The original goal of the Know Your Stat
Malawi: Illegal orphanages mushroom: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LILONGWE, 20 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - There are over a million orphans in Malawi , half of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS, according to the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF), but only 15 out of almost a thousand orphanages are registered
Swaziland: Little cheer in central bank's annual review: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE , 20 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Swaziland s decade-long economic malaise took a sharp downward turn with the central bank s disclosure this week that growth had slowed to its lowest level in 40 years. The Central Bank of Swaziland s governor, Mar
South Africa: Faith makes a difference in AIDS care: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 19, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] FISH HOEK, 19 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - When Rev. John Thomas brought churchgoers together to serve people living with HIV/AIDS seven years ago, donations came from individual pocketbooks. Their work created a buzz, and by 2001 donations were p
West Africa: Child deaths from HIV/AIDS to keep growing: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 19, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAKAR, 19 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Almost 99 percent of mothers with the HIV virus are not getting the drugs to stop them infecting their unborn children, sparking a cycle of neglect that is affecting more than 4.2 million children in West and
Ethiopia: Poverty forcing girls into risky sex work: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ADDIS ABABA, 18 October (PLUSNEWS) - The nightclubs of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, reveal a thriving sex industry, in which thousands of skimpily dressed young women trade sexual favours for cash to survive, putting them at risk of contr
Zimbabwe: Another ARV shortage looms: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 18 October (PLUSNEWS) - The government has been forced to hold off putting more HIV-positive people on its treatment programme, amid reports that anti-AIDS drug supplies could run out by December. Our problem is that, currently, we canno
South Africa: UN steps in to nudge country towards MDGs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 18 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Bottlenecks in service delivery are hampering South Africa s efforts to meet its Millennium Development Goals of eradicating poverty and halving unemployment by 2015, said the UN Development Programme (UNDP), w
Lesotho: 'Expert' patients lighten load for clinic staff: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MASERU, 18 October (PLUSNEWS) - Seated at a table recording blood samples in a tiny, overflowing waiting room at Phoholong HIV/AIDS Clinic, about 40km from Maseru, the capital, Miriam Phoofolo could be mistaken for a nurse, but she is in fact a
Southern Africa: Emergency plan to counter deadly TB stain: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] PRETORIA , 18 October (PLUSNEWS) - Cases of extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) are being diagnosed throughout South Africa and could be going undetected in other parts of the region. This emerged at a two-day workshop convened in Pre
Nigeria: "Nollywood" joins fight against HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 17, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ABUJA, 17 October (PLUSNEWS) - Actors and filmmakers from Nollywood - as Nigeria s film industry is colloquially known - have come out in support of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Cinema for AIDS , a week-long event in Abuja, the capital, was backe
Zimbabwe: Wanted - HIV-Positive Celebs to Speak Out: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 16, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Harare - Too few public figures in Zimbabwe are coming forward to be tested for HIV, so widespread stigma and discrimination are driving the epidemic underground, says a leading HIV/AIDS activist. Tendayi Westerhof, executive director of Public
Kenya: Farm Project Helps Aids Orphans Get Food, Income: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 16, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Bondo - A UN project is helping to sustain farming know-how and other life skills among Kenyan children orphaned by AIDS. The Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools project (JFFLS), which has been running for two years, teaches basic farming tech
Zimbabwe: Huge Cash Boost for PSI Anti-Aids Programme: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 13, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG - Population Services International (PSI), a nonprofit voluntary organisation, confirmed on Friday that it had received US$37 million to tackle HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe over the next five years. PSI country director Michael Chommie
Angola: WFP Pulls Out As Oil Riches Deter Donors: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 13, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Johannesburg - The UN s World Food Programme (WFP), finding it hard to mobilise donors to support Angola s hungry poor, has been forced to cut back on its feeding programmes in Africa s second-biggest oil producer. The food agency announced on
Global: Asia has more hungry kids, but most die in Africa: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 13 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Sub-Saharan Africa has fewer hungry children than Southeast Asia, where gender discrimination forces mothers to survive on poor diets, according to a food security researcher. Women in Southeast Asia eat last a
Zimbabwe: Disabled children embattled by education policy: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 13 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - A new report shows that Zimbabwe s education policy for children with disabilities is skewed, with 67 percent of disabled children having no access to any form of schooling. Clearly, children with disabiliti
Nepal: More work needed to achieve development goals - report: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KATHMANDU, 13 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Nepal , along with many other developing country in the Asia Pacific region, is falling behind in efforts to meet the UN s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said a new report A Future Within Reach jo
Ghana: Increase in HIV/AIDS treatment and care centres: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ACCRA, 13 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Forty-five-year-old butcher Amadu* eagerly looks forward to his first visit to the Tamale Government hospital s new HIV/AIDS treatment and care centre in northern Ghana . This time, he will not have to tr
Ethiopia: Confidential hotline getting people talking: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 12, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ADDIS ABABA, 12 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - It means family in Amharic, Ethiopia s main language, but the Wegen AIDS helpline s main strength is the anonymity it provides people seeking answers in a society uncomfortable with openly talking about
South Africa: Funeral homes making a killing: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 12, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 12 October (PLUSNEWS) - Funeral homes are the only winners in South Africa s struggle against one of the most severe HIV/AIDS pandemics in the world. Pierre Gouws, marketing manager of Martin s Funeral Parlour in Johannesburg, the
Southern Africa: Red Cross and Red Crescent HIV/AIDS Global Alliance launches new initiative: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 11 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a major new community-based AIDS initiative in Southern Africa, the world s worst affected region where more than 11 mi
South Africa: Communities empowered to protect children: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MACASSAR, 11 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - A project in South Africa s coastal Western Cape Province is trying to empower communities to protect their children from violence and substance abuse. Children aged between five and nine years in the wine-growing
Lesotho: OVC situation needs urgent action: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 11 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Lesotho s Department of Social Welfare says more must be done to address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Limakatso Chisepo, director of the department, told PlusNews that talks shou
Uganda: Broadcasting a message to remote northern communities: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KITGUM, 11 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Trained AIDS counsellors are few and far between in war-damaged northern Uganda , so relief agencies are turning to a local radio station to broadcast messages on prevention, treatment and care. Twenty y
Africa: European grass not always greener for HIV-positive Africans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] PARIS, 11 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - On paper France treats its 20,000 HIV-positive immigrants well - they are entitled to free healthcare, and even those whose residence status is still to be determined get free treatment after three months if
DRC: Solidarity against AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUBUMBASHI, 10 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - After losing her sister to HIV/AIDS two years ago, Kimya, an HIV-positive mother of four, felt she had no choice but to take in her sister s children, saying it was the obvious thing to do - it is solida
Sierra Leone: HIV/AIDS is here to stay and needs to be a priority: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] FREETOWN, 10 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Denial and ignorance of HIV/AIDS are still major problems in post-war Sierra Leone , hindering care and support for people living with the virus. When I tested positive in 2002 and told my family, they d n
Southern Africa: UN initiative speeds up service delivery: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 9, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 9 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Two months ago, hospitals in Botswana had to wait four months for the delivery of emergency medicines, but with the help of a UN initiative this has now been slashed to just six days. The Southern African Ca
Pastoralist Communities in Turkana Face Rising HIV Rate: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 6, 2006; Turkana in northern Kenya is the largest district in the country but poor services and low literacy have led to a high HIV prevalence rate among its pastoralist communities. Yakish Eyapan, the District AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections Coordinator, reported a rate of 11.4 percent in the area, compared to the nat
Cameroon: Imprisoned Homosexuals Face High HIV Risk: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 5, 2006; Homosexuality is a criminal offense in Cameroon . Ten days after completing a one-year prison sentence for homosexuality during which he was raped and abused, Alim died from an AIDS-related illness at the Central Hospital in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Homosexuality is a crime under Cameroonian law, punishable by
Botswana: Female condom gets a makeover: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 5 October (PLUSNEWS) - Botswana s government has turned to advertising and marketing to give the usually unpopular female condom more prominence in its fight against HIV/AIDS. Officially relaunched as Bliss by a local creative and
South Africa: Prisons AIDS survey draws mixed reaction: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 4 October (PLUSNEWS) - South African activists have cautiously welcomed government plans to gauge the impact of AIDS among inmates and prison staff by means of a national survey. The Department of Correctional Services said it aime
Southern Africa: Give peacekeepers ARVs, new study urges: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 4 October (PLUSNEWS) - As the African Union (AU) moves towards establishing a formal peacekeeping brigade, a new study has suggested the need for troops on missions to be supplied with anti-AIDS medication. Bots
Eritrea: Renewed efforts to outlaw female genital mutilation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 4 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Women in Eritrea have joined a nationwide campaign to try to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM) by lobbying for a law to ban the practice and raise mass awareness among the population, an official at the Natio
Zimbabwe: HIV-positive farmworkers are forgotten: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 3, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] HARARE, 3 October (PLUSNEWS) - Little is being done to provide treatment and care for Zimbabwean farmworkers living with HIV/AIDS since the government launched its controversial fast-track land redistribution programme in 2000. Historically expl
Asia: Regional meeting highlights vulnerability of MSM: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 3, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NEW DELHI, 3 October (PLUSNEWS) - The law in India , as in many other countries in Asia Pacific, criminalises sex between men. But as HIV and AIDS spreads across the region, governments have slowly begun to publicly acknowledge the need for well
South Africa: Businesses AIDS strategies need revisiting - SABCOHA: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 3, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 3 October (PLUSNEWS) - South Africa s Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA) says certain business sectors are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, despite having workplace initiatives in place. Citing the findings of the 2
South Africa: Civil society coalition announces new HIV/AIDS action plan: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 3, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 3 October (PLUSNEWS) - A coalition of South African civil society organisations on Tuesday revealed their response to the South African government s calls for greater unity in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The Treatment Action Ca
Congo: Strife-torn Pool slowly waking up to HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 2, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MINDOULI, 2 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - As the republic of Congo s Pool region slowly emerges from years of civil war, the lack of health services, ongoing insecurity and logistics problems have made it extremely difficult for HIV-positive people
South Africa: HIV/AIDS and water privatisation - the human impact: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 2, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 2 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Water, gathered and stored since the beginning of time in layers of granite and rock, in the embrace of dams and the ribbons of rivers - will one day, unheralded, modestly, easily and simply flow out to
Benin: Refugees from Togo sensitised to AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 2, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] COTONOU, 2 Oct 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - R�gle d or, a local nongovernmental organisation (NGO) in Benin , is taking awareness messages to thousands of Togolese nationals who fled their country when the presidential elections erupted in violence la
Congo: Isolated Sangha region falls off the map: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] PIKOUNDA, 29 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Isolated and hard to reach, rural areas in the Sangha region in the north of the Republic of Congo have fallen off the map in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. About a decade ago, the Pikounda region along the
Zimbabwe: ARV price hikes linked to private healthcare - Govt: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 29 September (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwean Minister of Health David Pariyenyatwa said on Friday he was not aware that prices of anti-AIDS drugs had been hiked, but pointed out that steep private healthcare costs were pushing more HIV-pos
South Africa: Global effort to fight deadly TB strain: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 28, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG - The World Health Organisation (WHO) will convene a global task force in Geneva in October to thrash out a battle plan against extremely drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), a deadly, drug-resistant disease that has already killed
South Africa: Zuma slammed for views on homosexuality, same-sex marriage: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 27, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 27 Sep 2006 (IRIN) - Outraged human rights activists have slammed former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma s condemnation of same-sex marriages. Zuma, perceived as a leading contender for the country s presidency, reportedl
Swaziland: Drug Shortage Brings Resurgence of Folk Remedies: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 27, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Mbabane - The unavailability of pharmaceutical drugs is forcing Swazis to rely on traditional medicines to alleviate their ailments. The government, which created the shortages by its failure to issue drug tenders to companies supplying clinics
Congo: Slim resources to counter rising HIV/AIDS level: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 27, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DOLISIE, 27 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - The Republic of Congo s official independence celebrations were held in the southwest town of Dolisie this year, highlighting an area hard-hit by the pandemic but struggling to provide HIV/AIDS services.
South Africa: Authorities rush to control illegal medicines boom: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 26, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 26 September (PLUSNEWS) - Illegal medicines might be stealing their way onto the South African market while health and Medicines Control Council (MCC) officials try to fast-track monitoring the safety and efficacy of these drugs.
Zimbabwe: Politics not need determines govt aid - rights NGO: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 26, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 26 Sep 2006 (IRIN) - Distribution of government aid is being politicised by the ruling party in Zimbabwe s eastern province of Manicaland, according to a faith-based rights organisation. The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), in a new r
Central Asia: Regional HIV/AIDS conference kicks off: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 25, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ANKARA, 25 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Participants at an international conference on combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, which opened in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, on Monday, are calling for greater regional co
Zimbabwe: HIV prevalence decline - will it last?: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 25, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 25 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - News of Zimbabwe s declining HIV prevalence rates have been met with scepticism and confusion, particularly in view of the country s economic and political climate. Can this good news be attributed to
South Africa: ARV side effect cause for concern - experts: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 22 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - The dangerous side effects of an anti-AIDS drug commonly used in South Africa have forced medical experts to re-evaluate the limited treatment options available in developing countries.
Tanzania: New roads expose remote areas to HIV - report: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAR ES SALAAM, 21 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Rural road construction in Tanzania is opening new markets and providing greater economic opportunities, but can also increase the risk of HIV transmission. When roads and bridges are built they
Pakistan: Marginalised male sex workers vulnerable to HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LAHORE, 21 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Under the illuminated Minar-e- Pakistan , the towering monument that marks the birth of the country, Pervaiz Din lays out the accessories of his trade. The tiny bottles of massage oil and aromatic colognes t
Mozambique: Recognising the reality of HIV/AIDS in prisons saves lives: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MAPUTO, 21 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - In Mozambique s Machava Central Prison, the largest jail in the country, sex between prisoners is an unavoidable reality, but little is being done to prevent it, according to inmates and medical staff. S
Kenya: Better care could be taken of AIDS orphans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 21 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Being an orphan is tough enough at the best of times, but in the working class district of Dagoretti Corner in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, it often means going without food as well as love. Felista Kibe tr
Togo: Alleged mismanagement of funds worries NGOs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LOME, 20 September (PLUSNEWS) - Togolese NGOs are circulating a petition to pressure Togolese officials to take measures to assure that funds contributed to help fight HIV/AIDS in the country are well managed after financing for their programmes
Kazakstan: Government to toughen fight against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ANKARA, 20 September (PLUSNEWS) - The Kazakh government is expected to approve a new programme worth over US $50 million to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the former Soviet republic. This is a [four-year] programme to fight the HIV/AIDS epidem
South Africa: AIDS death a concern for pregnant women: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 20 September (PLUSNEWS) - HIV/AIDS is the number one killer of new mothers in South Africa , the Department of Health said on Tuesday. In a study of 3,406 deaths of pregnant women and new mothers between 2002 and 2004, the departme
South Africa: AIDS acrimony must end - Deputy President: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 20 September (PLUSNEWS) - South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has appealed for a new spirit between government and nongovernmental organisations in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Mlambo-Ngcuka told a conference of th
Africa: Rich nations fly with airline AIDS tax: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 20, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 20 September (PLUSNEWS) - Brazil , Chile , Norway and the UK this week agreed to a US$300 million French plan to raise funds against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in Africa through an additional tax on airli
Tanzania: Early marriage puts girls at risk of HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 19, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAR ES SALAAM, 19 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Data collected by the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) shows a strong correlation between HIV/AIDS, early school exit, teenage marriage and pregnancy. Tanzanian law allows girls aged as yo
South Africa: Labour urged to demand sacking of health minister: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 19, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 19 September (PLUSNEWS) - A leading AIDS activist caused a stir by demanding the South African health minister s removal in the presence of the deputy president at a conference on Tuesday. Our government has failed us. We must spea
Pakistan: Drug injecting refugees vulnerable to HIV infection: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 18, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] PESHAWAR, 18 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - In an alley close to the historic Qissa Kahani Bazaar in Peshawar, capital of Pakistan s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Najeeb Khan, 22, crouches on his haunches beneath a flimsy shop awning. It is
Guinea-Bissau: Proposed law to ban female genital mutilation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BAFATA, 15 Sep 2006 (IRIN) - The practice of fanado, or female genital mutilation, could soon be outlawed by a new bill to be presented to the Guinea-Bissau parliament. Fanado is a traditional initiation ceremony for young girls, in which the va
Tanzania: HIV linked to injected drugs in Zanzibar - new study: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] STONE TOWN, ZANZIBAR , 15 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - A study by the government of the semiautonomous Tanzanian island of Zanzibar has uncovered a link between substance abuse, commercial sex and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Injection drug use and nee
Namibia: Govt and NGO launch joint assault against HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] WINDHOEK, 15 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - While government and civil society groups in Namibia can point to successes in the anti-AIDS drive, activists warns there is still much more to do. As the ministry of health prepared to beat its national t
South Africa: Correctional services shed light on HIV in jails: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 15 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - South Africa s Department of Correctional Services set the record straight on Friday about it being in the dark over the impact of HIV/AIDS on prison inmates. Dismissing reports that the number of HIV-
Uganda: US donates $15 million for religious-based HIV/AIDS programmes: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 15 September (PLUSNEWS) - The United States this week donated US$15 million to a religious body for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programmes in Uganda . The US Agency for International Development (USAID), with funding fro
Kenya: No time to "chill" for abstinence campaign: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 15 September (PLUSNEWS) - A huge media campaign has been urging young Kenyans to chill - or abstain from sex - in a bid to curb HIV transmission. Nime Chill - Swahili-English slang meaning I have chilled or I am abstaining - seeks to r
South Africa: Disability grants - you can choose to be sick or hungry: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] THEMBISA, 14 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - It s a rainy day in Thembisa, a sprawling township north of Johannesburg, South Africa s commercial hub, where Maria, 48, the matriarch of the Mlotswa* family, her two sisters, their 19 children and five g
South Africa: The world's biggest ARV Programme?: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 14, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 14 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - To be HIV positive and living in South Africa is to be part of a national lottery that puts your current chances of accessing antiretroviral (ARV) treatment at about 25 percent. If you cannot afford pr
DRC: Sexual violence, lack of healthcare spreads HIV/AIDS among pygmies: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] CHOMBO, 13 September (PLUSNEWS) - The forest people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marginalised at the best of times, were easy targets for the marauding soldiers and militiamen that reduced the eastern provinces to one of the world
South Africa: Officials under pressure to contain deadly TB: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG , 13 Sep 2006 (IRIN) - Health officials in South Africa are fighting to contain the spread of a deadly, drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis (TB) after an HIV-positive woman with the disease refused treatment and walked out of a Jo
Uganda: Outrage as ARVs expire in government stores: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 13, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 13 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Ugandan HIV/AIDS activists are outraged after antiretroviral (ARV) drugs worth an estimated US$500,000 recently expired in government stores while people have been dying of AIDS-linked illnesses. For drugs
Kenya: Education key to ARV adherence among refugees: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAKUMA, 11 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Anti-AIDS drugs are available to a small group of HIV-positive patients in northern Kenya s remote Kakuma refugee camp, but access is only part of the challenge: ignorance about the virus is widespread.
Uganda: HIV/AIDS comes to the big screen: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 11 September (PLUSNEWS) - Movies in Uganda are usually imported from Hollywood, India s Bollywood or Nigeria s Nollywood , but a new film sets out to develop the local industry and tackle one of the biggest stories - the AIDS pandemic.
South Africa: COSATU irked by Govt AIDS inaction: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 11 September (PLUSNEWS) - The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is to call for intensification of the government s national plan against HIV/AIDS at its upcoming national meeting. Cosatu has over and over again expres
South Africa: Health Minister easy with IMC: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 11 September (PLUSNEWS) - South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has dismissed reports that she had been sidelined after a cabinet decision to reinforce its interministerial committee (IMC) on HIV/AIDS. Deputy-Presi
South Africa: New and worryingly virulent strain of TB found: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 8 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - International and regional medical personnel have gathered in South Africa where a new, virtually untreatable form of an old disease, Tuberculosis or TB, has been found. Drug resistant TB has appear
Burundi-DRC: Providing healthcare to hard-to-reach urban refugees: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] BUJUMBURA, 8 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Health workers in Burundi are finding it hard to reach more than 17,000 Congolese refugees who have chosen to live outside official refugee camps, leaving them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
Africa: HIV/AIDS - The Granny Revolution: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, 8 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - It started with three South African grandmothers sharing their grief at the loss of their children and supporting each other to care for their orphaned grandchildren. Five years later, their group in Alexandra, a Johannesburg township, has grown to 40 and spawned dozens of oth
Ethiopia: WFP Scheme Sustaining Thousands Affected By HIV: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 7, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Nairobi - A UN World Food Programme (WFP) initiative is providing nutritional support to thousands of poor, HIV-affected families in Ethiopia , where hunger is still a major problem more than twenty years after famine killed an estimated one mi
Sudan: Fighting the HIV/Aids Enemy in Darfur: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 6, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Nairobi - A group of faith-based organisations is teaching communities affected by three years of conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan to defend themselves against HIV/AIDS. The lives of more than three million people have been disrup
Zambia: Crushing stones is not child's play: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUSAKA, 6 Sep 2006 (IRIN) - Maria Banda, just five years old, and her grandmother, Aineli, spend every day breaking stones into gravel in quarries a few kilometres from the heart of Zambia s capital, Lusaka. Hundreds of others are doing the same
South Africa: Govt AIDS gag unconstitutional - watchdog: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 6 September (PLUSNEWS) - An order by South African health director-general Thami Mseleku that provincial health officials not comment to the media on HIV/AIDS was unconstitutional, the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM),
South Africa: AIDS experts want health minister's blood: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 6, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 6 September (PLUSNEWS) - SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS experts want health minister s blood More than 60 international HIV/AIDS researchers are calling for the immediate resignation of South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
South Africa: Prison ARV ruling to be honoured - Govt: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 5 September (PLUSNEWS) - The South African government has agreed to respect a High Court ruling compelling it to provide antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to inmates at Westville Prison in the port city of Durban. Compliance followed
South Africa: Govt rethinks new TB strain claims: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 5 September (PLUSNEWS) - South Africa s department of health said on Monday that it had put systems in place to monitor the extent of an extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) strain in the east-coast province of KwaZulu-Na
South Africa: Aspen cashing in on ARV market: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 5 September (PLUSNEWS) - Africa s largest drug manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, says five times more South Africans are using its antiretrovirals (ARVs) than just over a year ago. Aspen director Stephen Saad confirmed that the numbe
Kenya: Widows Who Refuse to Be Inherited Care for Orphans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Nairobi - St Claire s Orphanage in the western Kenyan city of Kisumu also shelters widows who do not wish to follow the traditional practice of being inherited by their husbands brothers. When a man dies, his wife will be inherited by his broth
South Africa: New comic book on HIV/AIDS launched for deaf community: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ] JOHANNESBURG - Using illustrations of South African Sign Language instead of speech bubbles, a new comic book is reaching out to the deaf community with messages about HIV and AIDS, sexual violence and sexual rights. The 14-page Are Your Right
South Africa: Govt probes AIDS asylum reports: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG - The South African government said on Sunday it had contacted the Canadian authorities after reports that a large number of its HIV-positive nationals have allegedly applied for asylum in the North American country after attending
Africa: Gender inequality driving HIV - UN AIDS envoy: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI - Gender inequality and the inability of women to negotiate safe sex are behind the continued spread of the pandemic, according to Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. In some parts of the world there is terrible gende
Southern Africa: AIDS impacts on Govt resources - IDASA: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG - HIV/AIDS is placing a serious economic and political burden on electoral systems in southern Africa, a new study by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) has found. Titled The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Electoral Systems
Kenya: Public transport crews linked to HIV in schoolgirls: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI - The culture of sare , or free rides from minibus taxi crews, is one of the causes of HIV infection among Kenyan schoolgirls, according to a new survey by Merlin International, a UK-based medical relief charity. The survey revealed that
South Africa: Health department ups spending on female condoms: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG - South Africa s Department of Health has allocated R38 million (US$5 million) to increasing the distribution of female condoms this year. According to spokesperson Sibani Mngadi, the health department is to distribute three million
Zambia: Advocacy groups put HIV/AIDS on the election agenda: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ] LUSAKA - Advocacy groups in Zambia are forcing HIV/AIDS issues onto the agenda in the run-up to this month s general election. All election candidates should make clear their personal commitment to tackling HIV and AIDS because we want Zambian
South Africa: Govt calm about new TB strain: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG - South Africa s department of health says there is no need for alarm over reports of a new strain of tuberculosis (TB) in its east-coast province of KwaZulu-Natal. Earlier this year, Medical Research Council (MRC) experts stressed
Kenya: ARV Dropouts Down With Comprehensive Care: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ] Nairobi - A high level of adherence to life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) medication is possible even among poor, uneducated communities, as long as comprehensive AIDS care is provided, according to health workers. Comprehensive AIDS care in
Nigeria: Oldest and youngest carry the AIDS burden: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NEW KARU, 1 Sep 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - Sometimes when stooped and grey-haired Kuzonyawo Tanko picks up his hoe to walk to the fields and farm, he breaks down and cries at the misfortune that AIDS has brought on his family. Kuzonyawo and his wif
Botswana: Civil servants targeted in VCT drive: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 1 September (PLUSNEWS) - At least 20 percent of civil servants in Botswana are being targeted for voluntary HIV counselling and testing, said Mmaoneka Makati, assistant director of the Directorate of Public Service Management. The c
Trade Deal Could Threaten HIV/Aids Treatments - Health Experts: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ] Bangkok - Health professionals and activists fear a proposed bilateral trade deal between Thailand and the United States will hit the availability and price of life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs. Thailand has won international accolades for its ef
Congo-Kinshasa: Safe Blood for Transfusions Still Problematic: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Bukavu - Blood that has been tested and is safe for transfusion is a rarity in the South Kivu Province of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Despite a return to relative calm after a peace accord ended almost a decade of conflict i
Zambia: Bridging the gap between traditional and western medicine: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUSAKA, 31 August (PLUSNEWS) - Zambia s HIV/AIDS pandemic is helping to bridge the divide between traditional healers and practitioners of western medicine. Earlier this year the government commissioned the first clinical trials of remedies disp
Swaziland: Turning the corner on AIDS by using the youth: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 31 August (PLUSNEWS) - In the past four months Gerald Ndwandwe, 22, has buried three friends he has known since primary school. He does not want to lose any more. So many of my friends have HIV. They won t admit it, and that makes
Africa: WHO makes progress in Africa's HIV/AIDS fight: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 31 August (PLUSNEWS) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) is making steady progress in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic and improving health sectors in 46 African countries. Dr Louis Sambo, the WHO regional head for Africa, present
Uganda: Majority of Lira workers don't use condoms - report: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 31 August (PLUSNEWS) - An estimated 70 percent of workers in the informal sector in the town of Lira, northern Uganda , do not use condoms as protection against HIV/AIDS, according to a new survey by the Platform for Labour Action (PLA)
Zimbabwe: New Zealand gives amnesty to HIV-positive Zimbabweans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 31, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 31 August (PLUSNEWS) - The government of New Zealand has urged hundreds of Zimbabwean refugees who fear they may be HIV-positive to take advantage of a special scheme granting them permanent residence despite their sero-status. New
Kenya: Religious leaders spread HIV message: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 30 August (PLUSNEWS) - In the crowded shantytowns of Eastlands in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, a new voice has emerged in the fight against HIV/AIDS: Catholic, Protestant and Muslim religious leaders are now educating their members abou
Afghanistan: UNESCO helps officials to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KABUL, 30 Aug 2006 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - A two-day United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) workshop designed to help raise students awareness of HIV/AIDS has been held in Kabul. Roxanna Shapour, a UNESCO public inf
South Africa: Many HIV-positive pregnant women not receiving nevirapine - study: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 30 August (PLUSNEWS) - Nearly a quarter of pregnant women who test positive for HIV in South Africa s Gauteng Province are not receiving nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Farrah Ismail, a registra
Libya: Death penalty sought in HIV infection case: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 30 August (PLUSNEWS) - A Libyan prosecutor has demanded the death penalty for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor standing trial for the second time on charges of deliberately infecting more than 400 Libyan children with the
Uganda: NGO to give female prisoners HIV/AIDS education: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; NAIROBI, 30 August (PLUSNEWS) - Sisters United Uganda , a community-based nongovernmental organisation, has launched a fundraising campaign to improve conditions for female inmates in the country s largest jail. We visited Luzira Prison and saw children and their mothers suffering. We want to conduct health promotions
South Africa: Doctors accuse health minister of breaking the law: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 30 August (PLUSNEWS) - The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has described Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang s exaggerated emphasis on nutrition for the treatment of AIDS as regrettable and against the law. Dr Kgosi L
Ethiopia: VCT attendance on the increase: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 30 August (PLUSNEWS) - More than 200,000 people made use of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services in Ethiopia during the past fiscal year, according to Dereje Seyoum, acting head of the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office
South Africa: New AIDS death stats revealed: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 30 August (PLUSNEWS) - At least 336,000 South Africans died of AIDS-related illnesses in the past year, members of Parliament s science and technology portfolio committee learned on Tuesday. During a briefing on his organisation s
Ethiopia: Africa bears the brunt of global TB infections: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 30, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ADDIS ABABA, 30 Aug 2006 (IRIN) - Twenty-five percent of global tuberculosis cases occur in Africa although the continent s population comprises only 11 percent of the world�s total, the United Nations Secretary-General s Special Envoy to Stop
Cameroon: Stigma helps charlatans selling AIDS cures to flourish: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] YAOUNDE, 29 August (PLUSNEWS) - Many Cameroonians view HIV/AIDS as a shameful disease. Reluctant to disclose or accept their HIV positive status, they consult charlatans claiming to cure the disease, who not only fail but often worsen their clie
South Africa: SACC to mediate govt/NGOs on AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 29 August (PLUSNEWS) - The South African Council of Churches (SACC) wants to get government, business and civil society together to step up efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. Senior SACC officials were alarmed by recent reports by the AIDS
South Africa: Science mooted against disease and poverty: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 29, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 29 August (PLUSNEWS) - Africa will not meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on a number of levels without the proper science or experts in place, according to South Africa s Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi M
Zambia: Bridging the gap between traditional and western medicine: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 28, 2006; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LUSAKA, 28 Aug 2006 (IRIN) - Zambia s HIV/AIDS pandemic is helping to bridge the divide between traditional healers and practitioners of western medicine. Earlier this year the government commissioned the first clinical trials of remedies dispe
Swaziland: Critics slam findings on female sexual activity: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 28, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 28 August (PLUSNEWS) - Swazi women have more sexual partners than men, a new study has found, but critics of the controversial report say this is driven by poverty. Sixty percent of sexually active women said they had had at least two s
Cote D Ivoire: Fear and silence impede services for rape survivors: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 28, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MAN, 28 August (PLUSNEWS) - When soldiers are responsible for sexual violence, fear of reprisal largely explains the culture of silence that prevents families and communities from reporting them. The most difficult task for humanitarian workers
Kenya: Senator takes public HIV-test: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 28, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 28 August (PLUSNEWS) - United States Senator Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, took HIV tests to raise awareness of the virus in the western Kenyan city of Kisumu on Saturday as part of their 15-day African tour. According to Ken
South Africa: Government pressured to review HIV/AIDS communication strategy: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 25 August (PLUSNEWS) - In a response to the recent barrage of criticisms directed at its HIV/AIDS policies, the South African government announced plans yesterday to set up a task team to review its HIV/AIDS communication strategy.
Rwanda: Guarding against HIV in prisons: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 24, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KIGALI, 24 August (PLUSNEWS) - Kigali Central Prison (KCP), in the capital of Rwanda , has the nation s highest number of HIV-positive prisoners. This one [visitor] has been more difficult to keep out. You can t see it coming and it is impossibl
Uganda: Foreign envoys demand action against Global Fund culprits: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KAMPALA, 23 August (PLUSNEWS) - European envoys in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, have asked the government to take expeditious action against individuals, including senior politicians, accused of mismanaging HIV/AIDS grants. A group of diplomats
Malawi: When traditions become dangerous: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] LILONGWE, 23 August (PLUSNEWS) - Mzimba district in Northern Malawi has one of the country s highest HIV rates but many people still hold to the belief that wife inheritance, chokolo , is the only way of preventing relatives from grabbing proper
Zambia: Education sector losing 800 teachers to AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 23 August (PLUSNEWS) - Zambia is losing 800 teachers every year to AIDS-related illnesses, the Zambia National Union of teachers (ZNUT) has revealed. The country has had a critical shortage of teachers, and this has been worsened b
Ethiopia: WFP to provide food for HIV-affected households: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ADDIS ABABA, 23 August (PLUSNEWS) - The UN s World Food Programme (WFP) signed an agreement on Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to expand its urban HIV/AIDS programme to provide nutritional assistance to 110,000 people in 14 town
South Africa: Resistant tuberculosis on the rise: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 23, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 23 August (PLUSNEWS) - A deadly new strain of tuberculosis (TB) that is resistant to virtually all available medications is becoming increasingly common in South Africa . According to Dr Karin Weyer, of the Medical Research Council
Global: Toronto AIDS conference focuses on prevention: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 22 August (PLUSNEWS) - As the 26,000 delegates who attended the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada , prepared to head home on Friday, the pervading mood was one of guarded optimism. The conference theme, Tim
Kenya: AIDS orphans at greater risk of exploitation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 22 August (PLUSNEWS) - More than 800,000 children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic in Kenya are at a high risk of being exploited sexually and in the workplace, says the African Network for the Prevention and Protection of Child Abuse and
Tanzania: Calls for HIV policy to include the elderly: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 22 August (PLUSNEWS) - Elderly Tanzanians should be included in national HIV/AIDS policies, given their vital contribution as caregivers of people infected with the disease, said participants in a recent two-day media workshop in the co
Namibia: ARV rollout on target: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 22 August (PLUSNEWS) - Namibia s Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, says the target of providing life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to 30,000 HIV positive patients before a 2008 deadline is on course and
South Africa: US Senator criticises AIDS response: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 22 August (PLUSNEWS) - United States Senator Barack Obama has criticised South Africa s leaders for their HIV/AIDS policy, saying health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was making a terrible mistake by promoting traditional medicines
Uganda: Home-based HIV counselling and testing in camps for internally displaced: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 21, 2006; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 21 August (PLUSNEWS) - The