2003

Burundi: HIV-Positive Civil Servants to Pay 20 Percent for Arvs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 31, 2003; BUJUMBURA - The Burundian health minister, Dr Jean Kamana, has authorised the civil service insurance company Mutuelle to cover the cost of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) by 80 percent, in line with its policy on other medicines, Radio Burundi announced on Friday. Kamana signed an ordinance adding ARVs to the list of medi
Swaziland: Aids Toll Leads to Flood of Bogus 'Miracle' Cures: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 31, 2003; MBABANE [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] The authorities in Swaziland are doing little to stem a flood of bogus miracle AIDS cures in a country with one of the world s highest HIV infection rates. In a blink of an eye, it seems, Swazis have gone from deep denial of the existenc
MAURITANIA: Imams join low-key campaign against AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 29, 2003; NOUAKCHOTT, 29 December (PLUSNEWS) - HIV/AIDS is still a taboo subject in staunchly Islamic Mauritania , but awareness of the disease is growing. The authorities have recently persuaded religious leaders to start preaching about the dangers of AIDS and the need to stop its spread. While refusing to endorse the use
UGANDA: Companies slow to respond to epidemic: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 29, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 29 December (PLUSNEWS) - The success of the Ugandan government s response to the country s HIV/AIDS pandemic is now well recognised, but the corporate response to the disease is still lagging behind, according to a recently released AIDS country profile. The AIDS Profile Project, undertaken by the Univers
BURKINA FASO: Chiefs to support anti-AIDS drive: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 26, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 26 December (PLUSNEWS) - The 12 traditional chiefs of Burkina Faso s Sahel region have expressed their commitment to spreading HIV/AIDS awareness among their people, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a statement this week. At a gathering in the northeast provincial capital of Dori earlier this m
BURUNDI: HIV-positive civil servants to pay 20 percent for ARVs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 23, 2003; BUJUMBURA, 23 December (PLUSNEWS) - The Burundian health minister, Dr Jean Kamana, has authorised the civil service insurance company Mutuelle to cover the cost of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) by 80 percent, in line with its policy on other medicines, Radio Burundi announced on Friday. Kamana signed an ordinance adding
GUINEA-BISSAU: Country's First AIDS Treatment Centre Opens in Renovated Hospital: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 19, 2003; Guinea-Bissau has opened its first treatment centre for people living with HIV/AIDS in a newly refurbished hospital, which will provide antiretroviral therapy free of charge. It is is situated in the 116-bed Raoul Follerau hospital in the capital Bissau which reopened on Thursday after being completely destroyed duri
ZIMBABWE: Agriculture badly affected by HIV/AIDS: U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 17, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 17 December (PLUSNEWS) - Zimbabwe s struggling agricultural sector, already hard hit by drought, shortages of inputs and the fast-track land reform programme, has also been badly affected by HIV/AIDS. In its latest report the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU) noted that productivity has been severely affe
COTE D IVOIRE-SENEGAL: Activists warn against complacency over HIV/AIDS: U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 16, 2003; DAKAR, 16 December (PLUSNEWS) - West Africa s HIV-AIDS pandemic has often been overshadowed by the higher infection rates in southern Africa. But the World Health Organisation s (WHO) latest global HIV-AIDS update warns strongly against complacency. WHO points out that while infection rates have remained broadly stable
WEST AFRICA: African conference looks at living with AIDS at home: U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 16, 2003; DAKAR, 16 December (PLUSNEWS) - Taking as its theme More Care for Better Living , the 6th Home and Community Care Conference in Dakar, Senegal , last week highlighted the need for a far stronger, more well-rounded approach to the needs and problems of People Living with HIV/AIDS. While conference organisers made it
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN agency identifies sites for HIV/AIDS centres: U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 15, 2003; BANGUI, 15 December (PLUSNEWS) - The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun identification of 16 sites for construction of HIV/AIDS detection-prevention-treatment centres across the Central African Republic , an official told IRIN on Friday. Funding for the programme would come from the HIV/AIDS Global Fund, the UND
ZAMBIA: Getting girls back into school: U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 11, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 11 December (PLUSNEWS) - Zambian girls are defying traditional barriers, teenage pregnancy and the risk of HIV infection to go back to school to finish their education. They are doing this despite the findings of a new report that girls in sub-Saharan Africa face the highest school drop-out rate in the wo
SWAZILAND: Community provides "shoulders to cry on": U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 11, 2003; MBABANE (PLUSNEWS) - A legion of volunteer community activists in Swaziland are identifying orphans and vulnerable children - many of them affected by AIDS - and seeing to their nutritional, medical, educational and psychological needs. The community worker is called lihlombe lekukhalela , which means shoulder to cry
NAMIBIA: PWAs hopeful about treatment programme: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 10, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 10 December (PLUSNEWS) - Plans to provide anti-AIDS drugs to HIV-positive Namibians are slowly taking shape, but the pace of implementing the government s treatment programme is still cause for concern, activists told PlusNews. Things are happening, but not at the pace we want; treatment is being rolled o
ETHIOPIA: Tackling HIV/AIDS through music: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 9, 2003; ADDIS ABABA, 9 December (PLUSNEWS) - Some of Ethiopia s best-known musicians have released a song to fight widespread stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. The eight singers, who are among the country s best-known vocalists, have collaborated to produce the hit which is currently being broa
DRC: Assistance Against HIV Under Preparation: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 9, 2003; The World Bank is preparing a package worth up to US $100 million to the Congolese government to help it fight HIV/AIDS, an World Bank official said on Tuesday. Jean-Charles Kra, the World Bank representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), told IRIN in Kinshasa, the capital, that negotiations with the
ANGOLA: Irish NGO Calls for Increased Aids Prevention: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 8, 2003; The voluntary counselling and HIV testing clinic run by the Irish development agency, GOAL, in Angola s capital, Luanda, is always busy. The simple chairs in the waiting room are occupied by people from all walks of life. Dr Eduardo Fulai, the supervisor at the clinic, has heard the same story dozens of times from peop
SOUTH AFRICA: Court Ruling Favours Children Orphaned By Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 8, 2003; Orphaned HIV-positive children in South Africa will be able to access antiretroviral (ARV) treatment more easily after a High Court ruled that permission for such an intervention can now be granted by their caregivers. The decision made by the Johannesburg High Court last week was limited to three paediatrician worki
US Official Pledges to Mobilise Resources in Fight Against HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 3, 2003; US Secretary for Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson promised on Wednesday to mobilise funds for HIV/AIDS programmes in Rwanda and to secure anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs for Rwandans infected with the disease. Thompson made the pledge in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. He was on the second leg of a four-nation tour o
Resisting Condom Use As Aids Deaths Soar: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; Resistance to condom use in Swaziland has proved a perplexing failure for the government and health NGOs, a failure whose consequence is apparent in new statistics on the epidemic released by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ). We failed to learn the lesson of recent history that condoms are unpopular.
HIV/Aids Has Shaped the Crisis in the Region: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on Southern Africa has shaped the current humanitarian crisis in the region, where more than 6 million people will need food aid to survive the beginning of next year. The UN has warned that this part of the world faces the triple threat of food insecurity, weakened government capaci
ANALYSIS: Aids Orphans Come Under the Spotlight: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; Dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt, 12-year-old Sheila Daniel stood up confidently in front of a packed conference of about 200 people. We want to go to school, to have school material, to have health care, to play, to be loved, she said. One day we want to be doctors, engineers, so we can look after our families and
New Deadline for Free Anti-Retrovirals: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; Uganda s ministry of health on Monday committed itself to offering free antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to HIV/AIDS sufferers who urgently need it but cannot afford it, starting January 2004. The announcement was made at the World AIDS Day commemoration in Kampala, attended by President Yoweri Museveni and Health Minist
Unicef Urges Leaders to Join Fight Against HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; On the occasion of World AIDS Day, the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) has appealed to Somali leaders to join the fight against the disease and support the youth in tackling it, according to a press statement issued by the agency on Monday. Leaders must rise to this huge challenge and mobilise the youth, not to fight poli
ANALYSIS: Mixed Response to Aids Door-to-Door Campaign: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; The Alexandra Community Centre in Johannesburg was buzzing with activity, as a group of young people milled around the parking lot, dressed in white T-shirts with bold AIDS logos and bags slung across their shoulders. It was Friday - the fifth day of the Gauteng Province s door-to-door anti-AIDS campaign, and only two
World Health Organisation Announces Approval of Generic Antiretrovirals: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday officially approved and recommended the use of three generic versions of an antiretroviral (ARV) drug for people living with HIV/AIDS. The move will immediately help to increase availability of ARVs, by giving a seal of approval to drugs currently available for US $270 per
World Health Organisation Unveils Antiretrovirals Treatment Plan: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday unveiled a concrete plan to treat three million AIDS patients with antiretrovirals by 2005 ( 3 by 5 ). Dr Jack Chow, WHO Assistant Director General, said the figure of three million, which was half the number of people who needed ARVs, was a preliminary response to the glob
National Aids Plan Launched: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; A national strategic plan to combat HIV/AIDS was launched in Angola this week. A collaborative effort between the Angolan government and the United Nations, it will form the basis of the country s efforts to tackle the epidemic over the next five years. I think it s a very good document, since it focuses on three main
ANALYSIS: Indian Women Struggling With HIV/Aids And Disclosure: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 2, 2003; Stigma and gender inequality are helping to drive HIV/AIDS in South Africa s traditionally conservative Indian communities. Thirty-year-old Poppy Naicker is illiterate and barely able to make ends meet. But poverty and her inability to write her own name are the least of her concerns. She is HIV-positive and has been l
SOMALIA: UNICEF urges leaders to join fight against HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 1, 2003; NAIROBI, 1 December (IRIN) - On the occasion of World AIDS Day, the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) has appealed to Somali leaders to join the fight against the disease and support the youth in tackling it, according to a press statement issued by the agency on Monday. Leaders must rise to this huge challenge and mobilise
ETHIOPIA: Feature - Tackling HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 1, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DILLA, 1 December (IRIN) - As a mother leans over to breastfeed her hungry newborn baby, doctors look on anxiously knowing she could infect her child with the HIV virus. It is a dilemma medics in rural Ethiopia say they are facing almost d
ANGOLA: National AIDS plan launched: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 28, 2003; LUANDA, 28 November (IRIN) - A national strategic plan to combat HIV/AIDS was launched in Angola this week. A collaborative effort between the Angolan government and the United Nations, it will form the basis of the country s efforts to tackle the epidemic over the next five years. I think it s a very good documen
MOZAMBIQUE: AIDS orphans often fall victim to stigma and discrimination: Integrated Regional Information Networks - Friday 28 November 2003; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MAPUTO, 28 Nov 2003 (IRIN) - Dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt, 12-year-old Sheila Daniel stood up confidently in front of a packed conference of about 200 people. We want to go to school, to have school material, to have health care, to play,
Aids Treatment Must Adapted to Poor Communities, Says MSF: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 27, 2003; AIDS treatment procedures must be demystified, simplified, and adapted to the needs of the world s poorest communities in order to be effective, according to the NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). To scale up treatment on a large scale, we have to adapt treatment models to real life, Dr Morten Rostrup, President of MS
Stepping Up HIV/Aids Efforts: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 25, 2003; Lesotho will soon launch a new body to coordinate HIV/AIDS programmes and place the epidemic at the top of the government s agenda. After adopting a policy document to scale up the kingdom s response to the pandemic last month, the cabinet also agreed to the establishment of an autonomous National AIDS Commission (N
SOUTH AFRICA: Green light for national treatment plan: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 20, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 20 November (IRIN) - The South African cabinet s approval of a plan to start a national antiretroviral (ARV) programme could mean that within a year, ARVs will be available in at least one service point in all of the country s 56 health districts. Within five years, the government s treatment plan envisag
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Interview with UNAIDS Prevention and Vulnerability Advisor: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 18, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 18 November (IRIN) - As a prevention and vulnerability advisor, Aurorita Mendoza is responsible for addressing the prevention needs of some of the population groups hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Young people, who account for half of all new adult infections, were the focus of Mendoza s recent trip
Health Ministers Call for Greater Efforts to Fight HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 17, 2003; Health ministers of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS - http://www.ceeac-eccas.org/) have urged their leaders to step up efforts to battle HIV/AIDS in the central African region, with proposals including the establishment of a regional HIV/AIDS fund and the allocation of 15 percent of state budget
WEST AFRICA: World Bank Gives $16 M for Cross-Border HIV/Aids Initiative: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2003; The World Bank has approved a US $16 million grant to combat HIV/AIDS along the heavily-traveled coastal corridor between Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire , and Lagos in Nigeria . Dubbed the HIV/AIDS Abidjan-Lagos Transport Corridor project, the project aims to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among transport workers, migrants, co
BURUNDI: HIV/Aids Patients May Get Free Drugs By December: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 14, 2003; Plans are underway to provide HIV/AIDS patients in Burundi with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) free of charge by December, an official of the national AIDS body, the Conseil National de lutte contre le Sida, told IRIN. Some of our donors have allowed us to buy ARV medicine. Now, with the permission of the World Fund agai
SWAZILAND: Govt blamed for blood supply crisis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 12, 2003; MBABANE, 12 November (IRIN) - Swaziland s national blood bank is on the brink of collapse following the government s failure to honour a partnership agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Switzerland-based organisation has warned. This couldn t happen at a worse time, with the AIDS cris
NIGER: Country Opens First Aids Clinic: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 12, 2003; The government of Niger and the local Red Cross have opened a specialist out-patient clinic and public awareness centre for HIV/AIDS in the capital Niamey. The centre, which opened in October, will provide AIDS testing facilities and provide specialist medical treatment and psychological support for those who suffer f
LESOTHO: Meeting to Draw Up an 'Implementable Plan' for Orphans: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2003; Although governments have increasingly become aware of the problem of orphans and vulnerable children in Southern Africa, countries still lacked the capacity to effectively deal with the problem, a regional workshop heard on Monday. Government representatives and NGOs from Angola ,
TANZANIA: Focus On Drawing On Traditional Remedies to Fight HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 10, 2003; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] The sight conjures up stereotypical Western images of traditional African healthcare: An enormous pot sits on red-hot coals, bubbling away and giving off a pungent smell of mixed herbs. A glance inside reveals various strips of vegetation, some
HIV/Aids Prevalence 20 Percent in Certain Regions: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 5, 2003; The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) may have reached 20 percent in certain regions of the country, according to Dr Francois Lepira, director of the national programme against AIDS (Programme national de lutte contre le sida). The announcement came on Monday as the country s Ministry
Prime Minister to Chair Committee On HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 5, 2003; Interim Prime Minister Artur Sanha is to chair a new committee on HIV/AIDS as part of the new government s attempts to control the spread of the disease in Guinea-Bissau . Approved by the Council of Ministers last week, the new committee includes Health Minister Mariama Ba Biague and several leading AIDS experts.
Local Company Undertakes to Produce Anti-Retrovirals: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 5, 2003; Uganda s estimated 100,000 people living with AIDS, who are in urgent need of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) but cannot afford them could soon have access to locally produced ARVs at a cost of less than 50 US cents per day, according to a Ugandan company planning to produce the drugs. The Kampala-based Quality Chemicals (QC),
Aids-Related Deaths Rise Due to Food Crisis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 4, 2003; As food shortages across Zimbabwe continue to worsen, HIV/AIDS support groups have raised the alarm over rising malnutrition and the high incidence of HIV/AIDS related deaths in urban centres. Matabeleland AIDS Council (MAC) director, Andrew Moyo, told IRIN that the critical food situation had led to the deaths of many
New HIV/Aids Monitoring Test Could Cut Costs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 4, 2003; Scientists have come up with a faster and cheaper HIV/AIDS monitoring technique which could make treatment more affordable in developing countries. A study conducted by researchers in Zambia s University Teaching Hospital and the University College in London, has found that spots of dried blood, filter paper and inexpe
ANALYSIS: New Thinking Needed On 'Aids Orphans': Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 30, 2003; A review of research literature - 81 published and unpublished papers, books and reports - on the impact of HIV/AIDS on children in Africa has found significant gaps and biases that shape responses to AIDS-affected children. Most research is based on an assumption that an epidemic of orphans is a threat to society, con
South Africa: HIV-Testing Row in the Military: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 29, 2003; A recent row in South Africa over the deployment of HIV-positive soldiers on peacekeeping missions has turned the spotlight on the issue of HIV testing and the exclusion of HIV-positive individuals from the army. South Africa s Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota sparked controversy earlier this month when news reports
Breast Milk Bank Provides Hope for Hiv+ Babies: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 28, 2003; Orphaned babies, many of whom are HIV-positive, are getting more than basic love and shelter at a home in South Africa s port city of Durban. They are also receiving the gift of immune-boosting breast milk donated by a network of mothers in the city. The mothers voluntarily express the milk their own babies do not need
Gov't Commits to Buying Generic Anti-Retrovirals: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 27, 2003; The Ugandan health ministry made its first ever clear commitment on Sunday to buying cheap generic copies of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. We have a law in place that allows us to import generic drugs in a crisis, and we will certainly be doing this, Health Minister Jim Muhwezi, told IRIN at the 11th conference of the G
ANALYSIS: Memory Boxes to Help Say Goodbye: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 27, 2003; It can be a plump basket in an Ugandan village or a discarded box from a shop in a South African township, painted in gaudy colours with food colorant. It can be a biscuit tin decorated with shells or a square metal box with a handle and a lock. Their purpose is to hold what HIV+ parents wish to leave to their children
WFP Targets HIV/Aids Orphans in Urban Areas: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 27, 2003; The rise in the number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Zambia has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to scale up its assistance programmes in some of the country s urban centres. WFP information officer Lena Savelli told IRIN on Monday that although food security in Zambia continued to improve, there was growing
UN Day Marked in Addis Ababa: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 24, 2003; The war against HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia has yet to be won, despite the fact that infection rates remain at 2001 levels, said Dr Getachew Demeke, acting head of UNAIDS , on Friday. Ethiopia has the third-highest number of people in the world living with the HIV virus, but is now receiving massive financial support - aroun
ETHIOPIA: New anti-AIDS strategy underway: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 23, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 23 October (IRIN) - Some 400,000 Ethiopians are to benefit from an anti-AIDS programme that has successfully been applied in Germany and other European countries, the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported on Thursday. With assistance from the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the Addis Ababa
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV-positive people not banned from army: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 23, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 23 October (IRIN) - The South African cabinet has distanced itself from recent HIV/AIDS remarks by Mosiuoa Lekota, the country s Minister of Defence, a local newspaper, The Star, reported on Thursday. Lekota caused an uproar two weeks ago when he said: Anybody with the condition [HIV/AIDS] cannot be recru
NIGERIA: Prevalence rates rise despite anti-AIDS messages: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 23, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 23 October (IRIN) - A new film funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is reaching millions of people in the northern part of Nigeria with important anti-AIDS messages. The film, called Awakening , was shot on location in the northern state of Kano and is aimed at stimulating communi
MALI: Tuberculosis makes a comeback as patients fail to seek treatment: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 23, 2003; BAMAKO, 23 October (IRIN) - Tuberculosis is making a comeback in Mali , partly as a result of HIV/AIDS patients falling prey to the disease, but also because the respiratory disease is considered shameful and patients are reluctant to seek treatment, government officials said. Diallo Alima Nacko, coordinator of the Nat
MOZAMBIQUE: Food And Work for Those Living With HIV: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 23, 2003; The first six years of Elsa s life have not looked promising. She was born sick, said the girl s aunt, Elena Ze. Elsa s head seemed heavy for her small, frail frame. She had difficulty breathing and her body, including her face, were covered in rashes and sores. Elsa has AIDS-related illnesses, including stomach proble
SUDAN: PlusNews Web Special on HIV/AIDS in Southern Sudan: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 22, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 22 October (IRIN) - With real progress in peace talks offering hope of an end to almost 20 years of conflict in Sudan , an emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic could prove to be even more devastating than the civil war. AIDS is [now] more dangerous than the Arabs, said Mary Biba, a senior official of the rebel Suda
SUDAN: HIV/AIDS not as easy as ABC: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 22, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 22 October (IRIN) - About 10 young adults gathered in a tiny room at the Equatorial United Youth Development Association (EUYDA) offices in Yambio, the major town in the Western Equatorial region of southern Sudan . An interview with PlusNews had generated excitement among the group, and in an adjoining r
SUDAN: Stephen's story: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 22, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 22 October (IRIN) - On a recent Sunday, after the sermon in the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) in Yambio County in the Western Equatorial region of southern Sudan, a letter was read. One of the church priests, Pastor Henri Wandu, was seriously ill and asked his congregation to pray for him and his wife.
SUDAN: Interview with Mary Biba, SPLA/M secretary for Yambio County: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 22, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 22 October (IRIN) - Mary Biba is the only female to have been appointed as a county secretary by the Sudan People s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M). She has been instrumental in creating the Girls Education Task Force to increase literacy among girls in Yambio County and has been at the forefront of eff
SOUTH AFRICA: Is the HIV/AIDS epidemic beginning to level off?: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 22, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 22 October (IRIN) - AIDS experts have raised doubts about a new study suggesting South Africa s HIV/AIDS epidemic peaked in 2002 and was expected to level off as fewer new infections were reported. The study, published in the recent issue of the African Journal of AIDS Research, said that the epidemic in
Controversy Over New Aids Projections: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 22, 2003; AIDS experts have raised doubts about a new study suggesting South Africa s HIV/AIDS epidemic peaked in 2002 and was expected to level off as fewer new infections were reported. The study, published in the recent issue of the African Journal of AIDS Research, said that the epidemic in South Africa peaked last year with
BOTSWANA: All Public Health Facilities to Offer HIV Testing: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 20, 2003; In a bid to encourage people to begin anti-AIDS treatment early, Botswana will introduce routine HIV testing at all public health facilities next year, President Festus Mogae said on Friday. It is expected that all patients presenting with symptoms associated with HIV/AIDS will be routinely offered an HIV test, with th
CONGO: UN to Provide Anti-Retrovirals for 1,000 HIV-Positive People: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 20, 2003; The UN system in the Republic of Congo is to provide 1,000 HIV-positive people with anti-retroviral treatment, the UN country coordinator Aurelien Agbenonci has said in the capital, Brazzaville. Given the high cost of treatment, it is only by means of a strengthened national and international solidarity that we can mob
SWAZILAND: Feature on exposing child abuse: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 17, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 17 October (IRIN) - A groundbreaking study by the Ministry of Education on the effect of child abuse paints a disturbing portrait of the state of the Swazi child today, suggesting that up to 38 percent of children might be abuse surviv
ETHIOPIA: Circumcision abandoned to prevent HIV infection: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 16, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 16 October (IRIN) - In an effort to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, some 350 practitioners of ritual circumcision in Ethiopia s Gonder region have agreed to abandon the practice, as well as other forms of genital mutilation. This follows a warning by local health officials that the HIV/AIDS pandemic was aggr
ANGOLA: Making Safe Sex Cool: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 16, 2003; A trendy new youth centre is aiming to grab the imagination of Angolan teenagers, and help them steer clear of HIV infection. Educating the young about the risks of unprotected sex is vital in any HIV/AIDS prevention programme, but the Jango centre in Viana, 15 km from the capital, Luanda, goes a step further by provid
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: 20 Doctors Receive Instruction on Anti-HIV Drug Prescription: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 16, 2003; Local doctors in the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), Bangui, have ended a three-day training workshop on the prescription of anti-retrovirals (ARVs), a lecturer at Bangui University s faculty of medicine told IRIN on Wednesday. This training will allow us to have more personnel to follow and care for HIV
ETHIOPIA: Interview with UNICEF malaria expert Chris White: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 13, 2003; ADDIS ABABA, 13 Oct 2003 (IRIN) - Chris White was brought in by the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) to help in the fight against a looming malaria epidemic in Ethiopia . Here, he tells IRIN, that more international and local commitment is needed to fight malaria, and he urges African governments to stop charging tariffs on
SWAZILAND: Aid focus shifts to mitigate impact of HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2003; MBABANE, 10 October (IRIN) - The impact of HIV/AIDS on Swaziland s agricultural production has forced aid agencies to adjust their programming in a bid to mitigate the effects on food security. Food shortages in Swaziland are compounded by the country s high HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate, and it is therefore essential
TANZANIA: US donates $1.5m to UNICEF for refugee work: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 10, 2003; DAR ES SALAAM, 10 October (IRIN) - The US government has given the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) a US $1.5-million grant for humanitarian work in Tanzania , the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam announced on Thursday. UNICEF will spend the money on programmes in refugee camps in western Tanzania, where an estimated 400,000 peo
NIGER: Traditional chiefs agree to spread HIV/AIDS messages: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 9, 2003; IN GALL, 9 October (IRIN) - The 30 traditional chiefs dressed in bright-coloured gowns or boubous and turbans that covered all but their noses and eyes came to the northern Niger town of In Gall, over 1,000 km from the capital Niamey, to attend a festival. As the festivities inched towards the climax, the chiefs set as
RWANDA: Focus on genocide widows dying of HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 8, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KIGALI, 8 October (IRIN) - Mediatrice Ilibagiza, 38, is a widow and mother of three who, like thousands other Rwandan women, lost her husband during Rwanda s 1994 genocide. She was also among the hundreds of women who were raped by Hutu militia
NAMIBIA: NGO begins basic food distributions in ongoing drought: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 7, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 7 October (IRIN) - Catholic AIDS Action is to begin distributing rations of fortified E-Pap and maize meal to people affected by HIV/AIDS and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Namibia , the group told IRIN on Tuesday. Martin Zee Albert, logistics coordinator with Catholic AIDS Action, told IRIN a d
SWAZILAND: Conference Offers Solutions to Impact of Aids On Education: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 6, 2003; At the end of a week-long conference in Swaziland , African educators and US representatives called for further cooperation between the private and public sectors in the fight against HIV/AIDS in schools. We are analysing what works, and stressing innovation and proven successes over formulae, Behuel Ndlovu, director
DRC: Police, Military Resolve to Tackle HIV/Aids Within Their Ranks: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 6, 2003; Committees to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS have been created within the national army and police force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following a seminar to inform officers on the pandemic, Dr Emile Numbi Saleh, head of the sexually-transmitted infections unit of the Congo s national programme to fig
AFRICA: US assistance to alleviate impact of HIV/AIDS on education: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 2, 2003; MBABANE, 2 October (IRIN) - African educators met in Swaziland this week to discuss strategies for teachers and pupils to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS, signalling a shift from thinking of the disease as being only a health concern. HIV/AIDS is a cross-theme issue - it affects all areas of education in Africa. What
DRC: MSF introduces ARV treatment in Bukavu: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 2, 2003; NAIROBI, 2 October (IRIN) - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has begun providing free treatment with life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to HIV/AIDS patients in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the international relief NGO reported on Wednesday. The programme began with an initial enrolment
COTE D IVOIRE: Global Fund offers $18 m to fight HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - October 1, 2003; ABIDJAN, 1 October (IRIN) - The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis is to provide US $18 million to NGOs and other groups in Cote d Ivoire for activities in the field of HIV/AIDS, under an agreement between the fund and the Ivorian government health ministry. The money will be disbursed over a two-yea
SOUTH AFRICA: Govt clarifies Mbeki's statement on HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 30, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 30 September (IRIN) - The South African government has moved to diffuse the controversy sparked by comments President Thabo Mbeki reportedly made to the Washington Post that he knew nobody who had died of AIDS, nor anyone who was HIV positive. The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) rel
TANZANIA: US firm pledges support for HIV/AIDS treatment: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 26, 2003; DAR ES SALAAM , 26 September (IRIN) - A US-based pharmaceutical company has announced a partnership with the Tanzanian government to modernise the country s public health care infrastructure and develop services and care for people living with HIV/AIDS. The announcement was made during the 13th International Conference
AFRICA: Universities urged to teach HIV/AIDS awareness: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 25, 2003; ACCRA, 25 September (IRIN) - Education experts have suggested that HIV/AIDS awareness be integrated into the curriculum in African universities to reduce spiraling infection rates of the disease among students. They told a conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU)in the Ghanaian capital, Accra on Wedn
AFRICA: Male Sex Workers Face Silence, Denial And Hostility: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 25, 2003; The shroud of silence and denial surrounding male sex workers in Africa has left them unable to access services addressing HIV/AIDS and their sexual health needs, researchers say. According to a study presented on Tuesday at the 13th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA)
AFRICA: Donor support needed for religious organisations helping orphans - report: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 24, 2003; NAIROBI, 24 September (IRIN) - Donor support is needed for the increasing number of church groups and mosques looking after Africa s orphans, most of whose parents have died of AIDS-related illnesses, says a report produced by the UN Children s Fund and the World Conference of Religions for Peace. The scale of the resp
BOTSWANA: Women living with HIV caring for each other: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 23, 2003; NAIROBI, 23 September (IRIN) - HIV-positive women in Botswana have created an innovative support network through which newly diagnosed women receive individual care and companionship from other women living with the virus. Traditional care programmes often focused on treatment and counselling services, without taking i
SWAZILAND: AIDS "indaba" highlights conflicting views: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2003; MBABANE, 22 September (IRIN) - A three-day AIDS Indaba , or traditional Swazi meeting, concluded at the weekend with the enlistment of church leaders in the national campaign to combat the disease by tapping into their influence. It is good that the church leaders are getting involved, and we support the training of pa
AFRICA: Action, funding still lag behind in the fight against HIV: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 22, 2003; NAIROBI, 22 September (IRIN) - HIV/AIDS has finally reached the top of the African agenda, according to a new UNAIDS report released on Sunday. However, the increasing political attention the epidemic has received has not translated into sufficient action, as total funding for HIV/AIDS was only half of what was needed,
AFRICA: Religious leaders expose damning attitudes towards HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 21, 2003; NAIROBI, 21 September (IRIN) - African religious leaders admitted on Sunday that their own institutions were sometimes guilty of spreading the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. Christian and Muslim leaders attending the 13th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa, being held on 21-26
KENYA: Activists demand better access to antiretrovirals: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 19, 2003; NAIROBI, 19 September (IRIN) - A lobby group, the Kenya Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines, is demanding that the government provide affordable or free antiretrovirals (ARV) for Kenyans. What we want to see is an expanded programme to treat as many people as possible, said Gitura Mwaura, Chairman of the coalit
GREAT LAKES: Activists Lobby for Cheaper HIV/Aids Drugs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 17, 2003; Delegates at a conference on HIV/AIDS in Africa s Great Lakes region are exploring ways in which people living with the disease could gain greater access to affordable anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. The conference, the second of its kind in the Great Lakes, brings together delegates from Burundi , the
UGANDA: Drug price cuts yet to reach PWAs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 16, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 16 September (IRIN) - People living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda are yet to benefit from drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline s recent announcement of price cuts of up to 40 percent for anti-AIDS drugs in the developing world. Despite the pharmaceutical company s pledge, the Ugandan government has been unable to
LESOTHO: Culture Undermines Prevention Efforts in Lesotho: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 16, 2003; Social and cultural norms and traditions in Lesotho are hampering efforts to combat the rising HIV/AIDS epidemic, government officials told IRIN. Mathoriso Monaheng, Director of Administration at the Lesotho AIDS Programme Co-ordinating Agency (LAPCA), said the first case of HIV/AIDS was detected in Lesotho in 1986, w
GLOBAL: Older People And Orphans Overlooked By HIV/Aids Policymakers: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 16, 2003; HIV/AIDS policymakers are not acknowledging the key roles of senior citizens and orphans in their strategies to combat the pandemic, says an NGO report released this week. Few national HIV/AIDS policies pay adequate attention to the growing numbers of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, and even less
Sex Workers Get Vocational Training: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2003; BANGUI (IRIN) -- Sex workers in the Central African Republic completed on Saturday a five-day training session on starting and managing alternative revenue-generating activities, in an effort to help curb HIV/AIDS infection. A local NGO, the Centre for Documentation, Information and Training, conducted the training in
MOZAMBIQUE: ARV project brings improved health and renewed hope: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2003; MAPUTO, 15 September (IRIN) - A pilot project providing antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to HIV-positive people in Mozambique has had a constructive effect on the quality of life of its beneficiaries. One such beneficiary is 31-year-old Gra�a Neves, who rejected assertions that it would be difficult for Mozambicans, many o
SOUTH AFRICA: MCC softens stance on Nevirapine: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 15, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 15 September (IRIN) - South Africa s Medicines Control Council (MCC) has given pharmaceutical company Boehringer-Ingelheim a further six months to provide new data to avoid the de-registration of Nevirapine for use in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. The decision came almost two m
SOUTH AFRICA: Government releases long awaited AIDS figures: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 11 September (IRIN) - The number of HIV-positive people in South Africa increased by 12 percent last year, but the spread of the epidemic may be slowing down, according to a long-awaited report released by the government on Wednesday. The delay in releasing the data, which is usually published in April, w
African Development Fund Grants US $8.3 Million to Help Region Fight HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 11, 2003; The African Development Fund (ADF) has approved a US $8.3-million grant to finance a project in support of countries bordering the Congo, Oubangi and Chari rivers to control HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, the African Development Bank (ADB) reported on Thursday. It said the objective of the project wa
ZAMBIA: Poverty driving children into sex work: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 10, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 10 September (IRIN) - Street children and child workers in Zambia are being driven into commercial sex work, exposing them to the risk of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a report has found. HIV/AIDS and Child Labour in Zambia: a rapid assessment , released last week by the Internation
UGANDA: Helping West Nile's Poor to Become Food Secure: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 10, 2003; The UN s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has almost completed a distribution of agricultural aid to about 9,000 families affected by HIV/AIDS in Uganda s West Nile region. All of the families targeted by the donation are headed by women or children. The families are each being given a number of items to increas
BOTSWANA: Miss HIV Stigma Free 2003: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 9, 2003; Amidst cultural dance and drama performances, fourteen HIV-positive women in Botswana paraded down the runway this weekend in a beauty pageant aimed at destroying misconceptions about people living with the disease. This was a beauty contest with a difference - the judges were searching for participants who could be a
BOTSWANA: "Community Mobilisation Tool " launched: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 9, 2003; GABORONE, 9 September (IRIN) - Botswana s antiretroviral (ARV) AIDS therapy programme last week launched a tool designed to teach Batswana about HIV/AIDS and get more communities talking about treating the disease. The Interactive Community Mobilisation Tool is a flip chart, using the culturally relevant analogies of c
ETHIOPIA: US funds to help cut mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 9, 2003; ADDIS ABABA, 9 September (IRIN) - Ethiopia has been awarded US $5 million to help prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their unborn babies, officials announced on Monday. The funding is part of US President George Bush s five-year US $15-billion global initiative to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. Health Mi
AFRICA: Health gains at WHO regional committee meeting: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 8, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 8 September (IRIN) - A five-day regional health meeting ended on Friday in Johannesburg, South Africa , with African health ministers pledging to give greater attention to women s health and scale up their HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) programmes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) regional com
SWAZILAND: US mayors experience the impact of HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2003; MBABANE, 5 September (IRIN) - A delegation from the US Conference of Mayors met with their Swazi counterparts this week to discuss mutually beneficial ways to maintain contact and tackle the country s daunting HIV/AIDS dilemma. The towns of Swaziland can certainly benefit from American assistance, but this country offe
TANZANIA: Churches gather to coordinate action plan against HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 5, 2003; DAR ES SALAAM, 5 September (IRIN) - A coalition of Finnish and African churches has been meeting in Dar es Salaam over the past week to try and pool resources and create a strategy in the battle against HIV/AIDS. The network, known as Churches United in the Struggle against HIV/AIDS in Southern and Eastern Africa (CUAH
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Local agricultural knowledge key to fighting HIV/AIDS and food insecurity: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 4, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 4 September (IRIN) - The explosive impact of HIV/AIDS on food security in Africa is now well recognised. But little has been done to empower rural communities with local resources to cope with this crisis, a report has found. The tendency is for donors and NGOs to merely assist by providing aid. While thi
SWAZILAND: Feature - Business responds to AIDS challenge: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 3, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] MBABANE, 3 September (IRIN) - Alarmed by the impact of AIDS on the workforce, Swaziland s business community is taking the lead in providing health programmes to safeguard workers and management. Businesses are understanding that it can t be le
AFRICA: Hospitals are getting worse - WHO: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 3, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 3 September (IRIN) - Shortages of essential medicines and medical equipment, a staffing crisis and inadequate infrastructure are undermining the quality of hospital care across sub-Saharan Africa. This could jeopardise plans to provide anti-AIDS drugs to people living with the HI virus, delegates attendin
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Japanese NGO receives US $500,000 for HIV prevention: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 3, 2003; BANGUI, 3 September (IRIN) - A Japanese NGO, Amis d Afrique, has received US $500,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support an HIV education and prevention project in the Central African Republic , the director of the NGO, Mizuko Tokunaga, told IRIN on Tuesday. Tokunaga said the funds would be use
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: WFP distributes food to health centres, HIV-infected: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 3, 2003; BANGUI, 3 September (IRIN) - HIV-infected and affected people as well as health and nutritional centres in the Central African Republic have started receiving relief aid from the UN World Food Programme, a senior official told PlusNews on Tuesday. The WFP representative in the country, David Bulman, said in the capital
AFRICA: Activists sceptical over global drug agreement: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 2, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 2 September (IRIN) - After two years of wrangling and delays, World Trade Organisation (WTO) members last week finally agreed on a deal that eases access to generic drugs for developing countries. It will enable poorer countries to import generic versions of patented medicines from countries producing the
AFRICA: EU coordinating �600 million for vaccine clinical trials: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 2, 2003; DAR ES SALAAM, 2 September (IRIN) - The EU is leading a programme to accumulate �600 million for clinical trials in Africa that will conduct research and development on possible vaccines for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The programme, known as the Europe-Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP),
KENYA: Corruption allegations plague AIDS body: Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 1, 2003; JOHANNESBURG - 1 September (IRIN) - Kenya s AIDS NGOs are hoping that recent allegations of corruption and misappropriation in Kenya s National AIDS Control Council (NACC) will not affect the country s AIDS programmes and funding. The council s director, Dr Margaret Gachara, was suspended after she obtained an inflated
CONGO: Media Professionals Create National HIV/Aids Awareness Network: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 29, 2003; Media professionals in the Republic of Congo have created a national network to promote awareness-raising and education initiatives in an effort to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS countrywide, the group announced in the capital, Brazzaville. During a workshop organised in April 2003 for professional journalists and med
TANZANIA: World Bank Approves US $70 Million HIV/Aids Grant: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 28, 2003; The World Bank approved on Wednesday a US $70-million grant for Tanzania s multisectoral HIV/AIDS project, which is aimed at reducing the spread of the disease through working with government, non-government, civil society and community organisations. The money is intended to support the country s National Programme fo
AFRICA: What about the men?: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 27, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 27 August (IRIN) - Reproductive and sexual health services have always focused on women and girls, but little effort has gone into working with men, especially young men. The critical challenge is to curb the further spread of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by getting men to support t
BOTSWANA: Govt anti-AIDS commitment applauded: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 27, 2003; GABORONE, 27 August (IRIN) - A group of US senators on a two-day visit to Botswana have hailed the government s commitment to tackling the AIDS pandemic. I am most impressed with the political will. I hope that this political will, will serve as an example to other countries throughout the world, even beyond Africa, s
SOUTH AFRICA: Second vaccine trial given go-ahead: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 26, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 26 August (IRIN) - South Africa s Medicines Control Council (MCC) has given the go-ahead for the country s second vaccine trial, expected to kick off later this year. The vaccine, named HIVA.MVA, was designed by the University of Nairobi in Kenya and Oxford University in the U
COTE D IVOIRE: Condom machines placed in internet cafes to combat AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2003; ABIDJAN, 25 August (IRIN) - The government of Cote d Ivoire has started to place condom dispensing machines in internet cafes as part of its drive to control HIV/AIDS infection among young people, a government official said on Monday. The project, financed by Belgium and supervised by the UN Pop
ZAMBIA: HIV/AIDS information campaigns not reaching young men: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2003; JOHANNESBURG , 25 August (IRIN) - Poor, less educated young Zambian men are falling through the cracks of the country s HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, giving rise to misconceptions and folk beliefs about the disease. A Population Services International (PSI) study of young Zambian males who have dropped out of school re
AFRICA: US mayors to follow up on Bush visit: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 25, 2003; KAMPALA, 25 August (IRIN) - As a follow-up to President Bush s Africa tour last June, undertaken largely to promote the launch of his global fund on HIV/AIDS, a delegation of nine US mayors is to visit four African countries later this month. The delegation, led by Hempstead mayor James A. Garner, will travel to
SWAZILAND: Stigma and silence threaten AIDS workers' efforts: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 22, 2003; MBABANE, 22 August (IRIN) - Discouraged AIDS activists reported this week that they are not only failing to overcome the social stigma attached to people who are HIV-positive, but are losing ground in their efforts to encourage condom use. The picture is mixed. We do have new AIDS education initiatives, and programmes
UGANDA: AIDS campaigners lukewarm over new government policy: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 21, 2003; KAMPALA, 21 August (IRIN) - The Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS) - a loose group of organisations spearheading the campaign for free access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in Uganda - has said it has grave doubts about a new Ugandan government draft policy on ARVs. According to the dra
MALAWI: Demand for ARVs gives rise to grey market: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 20, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 20 August (IRIN) - The illegal sale of anti-AIDS drugs in Malawi was endangering the lives of many HIV-positive citizens who were desperate to access affordable treatment, a health official told PlusNews. Our major concern is that people are selling immune boosters and multivitamins, and cheating [HIV] po
BOTSWANA: Aids Vaccine Volunteers Need Protection, Says Rights Group: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 19, 2003; Gaborone - The Botswana human rights group, Ditshwanelo, has criticised the government for not passing legislation to protect individuals taking part in HIV/AIDS vaccine trials. Botswana is one of three sites (the other two are in the United States ) conducting phase 1 trials of a vaccine developed by the US drug c
SOUTHERN AFRICA: SADC Summit to Tackle Aids, Trade And Food Security: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 19, 2003; Dar Es Salaam - HIV/AIDS, trade-distorting subsidies and regional food security will feature high on the agenda of the upcoming meetings of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, SADC Executive Secretary Dr Prega Ramsamy said on Tuesday. Briefing journalist
ANALYSIS: Special Report On AIDS Treatment Programme: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 19, 2003; Johannesburg - The long-awaited announcement this month by the South African government that it would introduce a publicly funded national HIV/AIDS treatment plan was greeted with much celebration. With an estimated five-million HIV-positive people, South Africa s treatment programme will be the world s largest. But wh
Johannesburg: Chronology of HIV/Aids Treatment Access Debate: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 19, 2003; The South African cabinet finally approved the provision of AIDS drugs to HIV-positive citizens through the public health system on 8 August. It instructed the health ministry to act with urgency . This announcement came after months of a bitter row between South Africa s AIDS activists and the department of health, ov
Addis Ababa: Call for Better HIV/Aids Campaigns: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 15, 2003; Ethiopia must radically expand the country s voluntary testing centres if it is to curb the AIDS scourge, a conference heard on Friday. Gebeyehu Mekonnen, who heads the Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia, said offering testing to the entire population was a vital weapon in the war against the deadly virus.
UGANDA: Gov't urged to tighten laws on domestic violence: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 14, 2003; KAMPALA, 14 Aug 2003 (IRIN) - The international organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) met Ugandan ministers on Thursday in an effort to urge the government to tighten up its laws on sexual violence against women. The talks follow the release of a HRW study which shows a disturbing correlation between rape within marria
Johannesburg: Daunting Challenge for AIDS Drug Rollout: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 12, 2003; After getting the long awaited go-ahead from cabinet to start a national antiretoviral (ARV) programme, South Africa s health department is now faced with the daunting challenge of drawing up a strategy for distributing the anti-AIDS drugs to the millions of people who need them. Senior health department officials met
Maun, Botswana: Expanding ARV Therapy: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 12, 2003; The opening of a new HIV/AIDS care clinic in northern Botswana has helped extend the reach of the government s national treatment and prevention programme. The Infectious Diseases Care Clinic at Maun General Hospital was officially handed over to the government last week by the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnersh
Bangui: Bangui Gets $8 Million for HIV/Aids Patients: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 11, 2003; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has granted the Central African Republic US $8.2 million to support the government s efforts of providing cheaper treatment for HIV/AIDS-infected people, state-owned Television Centrafricaine reported on Friday. An agreement for the funding was signed on Friday in
Lusaka: Lewis Vows to Help in Accessing Funds: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 7, 2003; Stephen Lewis, the UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, on Thursday gave a personal undertaking to ensure that Zambia rapidly accesses a US $19.2 grant from the Global Fund to tackle the pandemic. I have made a personal undertaking to the government of Zambia through the president, Mr Mwanawasa, that I shall ensure
Addis Ababa: AIDS Centre Faces Closure Over Funding Problem: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 7, 2003; A pioneering AIDS research centre in Ethiopia is facing closure after the Dutch government withdrew its funding, scientists said on Thursday. Dr Tshehaynesh Messele, who heads the Ethiopian- Netherlands Aids Research Project (ENARP), said unless they received new support they could be forced shut.
Johannesburg: Generic Aids Drug Production Underway: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 7, 2003; South Africans living with HIV/AIDS will now be able to benefit from a cheaper, generic AIDS drug produced in the country, a local manufacturer announced this week. Pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare on Wednesday launched the drug, Aspen- Stavudine , its version of
Johannesburg: Youth Centres to Fight Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 7, 2003; The first of four youth centres supported by the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF)in Angola will be officially opened in the capital, Luanda, on Friday. A UNICEF statement said the Viana Youth Centre had been designed as a place where young people could enjoy themselves and also receive information on responsible sexual pra
Johannesburg: Global Fund Money Becomes Available: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 7, 2003; South Africa s National HIV/AIDS Programme received a boost on Thursday with the signing of an agreement between the government and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria, committing US $41 million to the country over two years. The country was awarded a total of $165.2 million over five years, of
SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS conference ends with emotional appeal: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 6, 2003; DURBAN, 6 August (IRIN) - South Africa s first national AIDS conference came to an emotional end on Wednesday when AIDS activist Prudence Mabele made a passionate plea to end the political game being played with the lives of HIV-positive women and their babies. Mabele was speaking during a special plenary session on th
NIGERIA: Obasanjo Launches New HIV/Aids Policy: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 5, 2003; President Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a new HIV/AIDS policy to combat the stigma attached to the disease and promote a sense of collective responsibility for fighting it. Babatunde Osotimehin, chairman of the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), said on Tuesday the new policy views HIV/AIDS as a development pro
SOUTH AFRICA: Signs of Progress On Antiretrovirals: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 5, 2003; It has become clear to delegates attending South Africa s national AIDS conference that the provision of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs through the public health sector is no longer a distant possibility. According to Department of Health Director-General Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, the findings of a controversial joint finance an
BOTSWANA: More Than Money Needed for Successful AIDS Programme: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 4, 2003; Among the lessons learnt from Botswana s antiretroviral (ARV) AIDS therapy programme is that money alone will not deliver an effective public AIDS treatment service. While funding remains a major obstacle for effective disease control in the majority of developing countries, it would be naive to believe that the curren
SOUTH AFRICA: National Aids Conference Opens: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 4, 2003; South Africa s first national AIDS conference kicked off on Sunday with a somewhat subdued opening ceremony - even the activists shouts for access to treatment were muted. But for many, this conference could not have come at a better time. Last week the country s drug regulatory body announced that it was considering
ANALYSIS: Anti-Aids Drugs Offer Little Hope: Integrated Regional Information Networks - August 4, 2003; [For Sister Tibebe Maco there is little reason to note, let alone celebrate, the first distribution of drugs to treat victims of the AIDS pandemic in Ethiopia . Neither do the hundreds of patients living with the virus that she currently looks after pay much attention. They are not for us, is their oft-repeated mantr
Teaching Teachers About Gender Violence: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 31, 2003; In a country long-sickened by the level of sexual violence, South African teachers have been encouraged to provide students with skills to cope with the dual threat of gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. The vulnerability of young girls to sexual violence is reflected in the findings of a study covering over 30,000 you
CONGO: Government Launches National HIV/Aids Council: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 25, 2003; The government of the Republic of Congo launched on Thursday its National Council for the Fight Against AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, with President Denis Sassou-Nguesso serving as the group s president. In a statement, the government said that the inauguration of the council provided irrefutable proof of th
AFRICA: The 'sugar daddy' phenomenon: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 24, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 24 July (IRIN) - Three teenage girls from a local high school in Johannesburg - South Africa s economic hub - were gathered in a local NGO office on Wednesday after watching an educational play on HIV/AIDS. The topic of discussion had generated a heated debate among the girls, and they were eager to share
AFRICA: World Bank warns of AIDS economic crisis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 24, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 24 July (IRIN) - Some African countries may face complete collapse as a reult of the economic impact of HIV/AIDS being far worse than was previously thought. The World Bank s newly-released The Long-Run Economic Costs of AIDS, study has warned that HIV/AIDS could destroy an economy within a few generation
RWANDA-TANZANIA: Case for Early HIV/AIDS Intervention in Refugee Camps: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 24, 2003; Reproductive and sexual health services, including HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention and care, should be initiated in the early stages of a refugee crisis, a joint report by UNAIDS and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recommended. The March 2003 report by
SOUTH AFRICA: Focus On World Bank Report On Impact of AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 23, 2003; South Africa could face economic collapse within a few generations unless it adopts a more urgent response to its HIV/AIDS epidemic, a new World Bank research report warned on Wednesday. According to the report The Long-run Economic Costs of AIDS: Theory and an Application to South Africa , most studies on the macroe
RWANDA: Special Envoy Promises Affordable HIV/Aids Drugs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 23, 2003; UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, said on Wednesday that Rwandans living with HIV/AIDS would in the near future have access to more affordable antiretroviral drugs. There s very intense discussion in Rwanda on having antiretroviral drugs available for treatment and the UN family is ready to help,
Government Gets US $2.8 Million for HIV/AIDS Control: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 23, 2003; The African Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US $2.8 million grant to finance Rwanda s national HIV/AIDS control plan, the bank reported on Tuesday. The grant is expected to enhance the country s institutional capacities to coordinate and implement its 2002-2006 multisectoral plan, comprising the National HIV/ADS
LIBERIA: Donor support urged for AIDS programmes: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 22, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 22 July (IRIN) - A US-based AIDS NGO on Tuesday expressed concern over donor commitment due to the current rebel onslaught on Liberia s capital, Monrovia. The Nduaka Educational Foundation (NEF) recently donated HIV/AIDS test kits and laboratory equipment to two of the country s major hospitals to tackle
AIDS Pandemic On the Rise: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 22, 2003; AIDS is spreading rapidly in Guinea , where 2.8 per cent of the population are infected with the HIV virus, according to new research that has just been published by the government. Statistics published in the official gazette following research by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) STAT-VIEW, show that 139,000 of
ETHIOPIA: Leaders Urged to Make More Effort in Fighting HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 21, 2003; Participants in an HIV/AIDS conference in Addis Ababa have called on the Ethiopian authorities to take a greater leadership role in the fight against the epidemic. The call came on Sunday at the end of the symposium, organised by the pro-government media outlet Walta along with the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Offi
AFRICA: Global Aids Fund Faces Serious Shortfall: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 16, 2003; The cash-strapped Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria fell under the spotlight on Wednesday, when ministers from 14 countries met in Paris, France , to address the fund s financial woes. The fund, which has committed US $1.5 billion to programmes in 92 countries in the last 18 months, faces a
PAKISTAN: New study suggests Afghan war has led to increase in HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 15, 2003; ISLAMABAD, 15 July (IRIN) - A recent US study has suggested that the war in Afghanistan in 2001 led to a higher HIV risk among drug users in neighbouring Pakistan and warns that immediate action is needed to prevent an epidemic. The study s principal author, Dr Steffanie Strathdee, said the report highlighted how the e
Government Ready to Distribute HIV/Aids Drugs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 15, 2003; Ethiopia is on the brink of distributing the country s first ever anti-retroviral drugs for treating HIV/AIDS - but only to people who can afford them. The life-saving drugs - which have been imported from India - will sell for around US $40 per person per month, according to the government s anti-AIDS task force on
MALAWI: Mapping out a treatment programme: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 15, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 15 July (IRIN) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) presented a challenge to African countries last year by setting a target of three million HIV-positive Africans to be on antiretroviral (ARV) HIV/AIDS therapy by 2005. Almost a year later, a workshop on scaling up access to care and treatment for people
ETHIOPIA: Government ready to distribute HIV/AIDS drugs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 15, 2003; ADDIS ABABA, 15 July (IRIN) - Ethiopia is on the brink of distributing the country s first ever anti-retroviral drugs for treating HIV/AIDS - but only to people who can afford them. The life-saving drugs - which have been imported from India - will sell for around US $40 per person per month, according to the governme
ANGOLA: Project launched to educate NGOs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 14, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 14 July (IRIN) - A campaign to educate international and national NGOs on HIV/AIDS prevention kicked off this week in Angola , a country slowly waking up to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) project, to be implemented by the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF), will help NG
TANZANIA: Call to Focus On Youth in Fight Against HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 14, 2003; Radical changes in approach to the youth are needed if Tanzania is to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, an official of the international NGO Africa Medical and Relief Foundation (AMREF) told IRIN on Friday. The official, Michael Mochaku, a specialist on adolescent sexual reproductive hea
RWANDA: Kigali seeks to integrate HIV/AIDS programmes in private, public sectors: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 11, 2003; KIGALI, 11 July (IRIN) - Rwanda s HIV/AIDS Control Commission has embarked on a campaign to integrate HIV/AIDS control programmes in the private and public sectors. We hope to achieve a high level of involvement, Dr Agnes Binagwaho, the executive secretary of the National AIDS Control Commission, said on Thursday.
MOZAMBIQUE: AU summit focuses on fight against HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 11, 2003; MAPUTO, 11 July (IRIN) - African leaders meeting in Mozambique this week for the second African Union (AU) summit said the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) was a priority for the continent, and a new regional effort which would demand greater financial support from the international community was n
TANZANIA: Focus on HIV/AIDS initiatives in mining areas: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 11, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAR ES SALAAM, 11 July (IRIN) - An international medical NGO, the African Medical and Relief Foundation (AMREF), is currently implementing HIV/AIDS projects initiated by mining companies in Tanzania , with the aim of reducing the spread of the
NAMIBIA: Frustration over delay in drug roll-out: Activists are calling for free treatment: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 10, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 10 July (IRIN) - Frustration is mounting among activists over the Namibian government s delay in providing anti-AIDS drugs to its HIV-positive citizens. The government announced in April this year that it had budgeted US $10.9 million for the purchase of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for HIV-positive people.
SWAZILAND: Data Collection an Effective Weapon in Anti-HIV/Aids Arsenal: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 10, 2003; A new information gathering programme will soon provide an essential database of medical and other humanitarian needs in the agricultural heart of Swaziland to fill gaps in the national records and bring much needed insight into how to best counter the spread of HIV/AIDS. This is about stopping AIDS at its source and
UGANDA: Activists Push for Increased Access to HIV/Aids Drugs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 10, 2003; Activists in Uganda are campaigning for increased access to life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs, ahead of US President George W. Bush s visit to the country. Bush, who will be in Uganda for four hours on Friday as part of a continental visit, has pledged to spend US $15 billion to tackle the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa.
ZIMBABWE: Interview with J. Victor Angelo, UN Humanitarian Coordinator: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 9, 2003; HARARE, 9 July (IRIN) - HIV/AIDS is the greatest barrier to progress in the developing world, according to the recently released UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report 2003. In a interview, UNDP Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator, J. Victor Angelo, spoke about how the pandemic preven
MAURITANIA: World Bank Approves US$39M for HIV/Aids And Mining: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 9, 2003; The World Bank has approved a US $39 million financial package for Mauritania to improve its mining industry and fight against HIV/AIDS, the Bank reported on Tuesday. The package consists of an $18 million credit for the mining industry, which forms the backbone of the West African country s exports, and a $21 million
TANZANIA: Remote Areas to Benefit From $5.4 Million Grant for HIV Prevention: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 9, 2003; People living in remote areas in Tanzania are due to benefit from a US $5.4 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a public-private partnership formed in 2002 to attract resources to fight the three diseases. The Fund reported on Monday that the grant would cater for HIV preventive
AFRICA: Hopes that Bush brings fulfilment of AIDS funding: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 8, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 8 July (IRIN) - As President George W Bush travels to the continent this week, the US response to Africa s HIV/AIDS pandemic will fall under the spotlight. Activists and lobby groups will be watching closely and view this trip as Bush s last chance to deliver on his US $15 billion emergency AIDS pledge.
BOTSWANA: Vaccine trials open officially: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 8, 2003; GABORONE, 8 July (IRIN) - The first trial of an experimental AIDS vaccine in Southern Africa began this week in Botswana with the enrollment and injection of the first two volunteers at the Princess Marina hospital in the capital, Gaborone. This study is a significant and hopeful step in Botswana s battle against the s
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Minister calls for tough law on HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 8, 2003; BANGUI, 8 July (IRIN) - The Central African Republic s penal code, currently under review, will provide for the punishment of people found guilty of deliberately spreading HIV/AIDS, a government minister said on Monday. Speaking during the opening of a four-day seminar on the penal code, Justice Minister Faustin Mbodou
LESOTHO: New hope in fight against HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 7, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 7 July (IRIN) - Lesotho s HIV/AIDS programme received a boost recently with the announcement of a US $12.5 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria. The country s coordinating mechanism (CCM) submitted a proposal for reducing HIV prevalence by 15 percent, by introduc
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: HIV/AIDS Study Underway At Bangui University: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 7, 2003; A study is currently in progress to determine the role of HIV/AIDS in the high death rate among lecturers and students at the University of Bangui, in the Central African Republic , an official told IRIN on Saturday. The study will show those who died of HIV/AIDS or other diseases and those who were absent because of
SWAZILAND: Truckers Change Gear in HIV Awareness: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 4, 2003; Truckers and commercial sex workers in Swaziland have been targeted in a regional HIV/AIDS prevention programme known as the Corridors of Hope initiative. Long-distance truckers, bus drivers, and taxi drivers have fallen through the cracks in previous AIDS programmes, and they now occupy the high risk category in Mi
GHANA: Government Drops Production of HIV/Aids Drugs for an Order: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 4, 2003; Ghanaian health authorities have ordered anti-retroviral drugs from undisclosed sources to cater for the treatment of 2000 HIV/AIDS patients for the next two years. We are placing this order through recognised international agencies such as UNICEF and the International Development Agency, Programme Manager of the Nati
ANALYSIS: A Way Forward On HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 2, 2003; The first time Violet Mofokeng approached other women to talk about sex and disease, it did not go well. They used to call us names and say Those people have AIDS , said the 28-year-old mother. But Mofokeng is persistent and articulate, and passionate about her work. Each week, she and 200 other volunteer educators can
KENYA: Stiff Competition for HIV/Aids Money: Integrated Regional Information Networks - July 2, 2003; About 235 NGOs are in the running for millions of dollars US $26 million to be made available for HIV/AIDS projects from the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB. The proposals are now being examined by a six-person committee, which has to submit its recommendations to the Ministry of Health by 16 July.
MALAWI: AIDS drugs on street corners: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 30, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 30 June (IRIN) - Malawi s government has issued a warning to vendors involved in the illegal sale of HIV/AIDS drugs, the Malawi Standard newspaper reported on Friday. Despite calls for their arrest, the informal businesses have maintained that these were the benefits of a liberal economy. However, the Reg
World Bank Denies Possibility of Withdrawing Aids Funding: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 30, 2003; The World Bank has denied that it threatened to withdraw funding for HIV/AIDS projects in Kenya because of allegations of corruption within the National AIDS Control Council (NACC). I was disappointed to see the totally false assertion that the Bank had threatened to cut off its assistance to fight HIV/AIDS due to conc
KENYA: AIDS Money Not Threatened By Corruption Allegations: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 27, 2003; Allegations of corruption within the Kenya National AIDS Control Council (NACC) will not affect grants due to be given to the Kenyan government by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Global Fund is not involved at all in any kind of discussion with regard to this matter, Dr Elhadj Sy, Africa Director fo
RWANDA: World Food Program Supports 39 HIV/Aids Projects: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 26, 2003; The UN World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Rwandan Ministry of Local Government, is running 39 projects in the country for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, WFP officials told IRIN on Thursday. WFP provides food for people affected by HIV/AIDS who are undergoing vocational and basic life skill
AFRICA: Condom effectiveness questioned: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 25, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 25 June (IRIN) - A new UNAIDS study has found that even when used consistently, condoms fail to protect against HIV transmission approximately one in 10 times. In previous reports, condom effectiveness against HIV was widely estimated at between 46 and 100 percent. The report s main author, Norman Hea
AFRICA: Uncontrolled ARVs could fuel drug-resistant HIV: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 25, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 25 June (IRIN) - The unregulated supply of anti-AIDS drugs in poor countries could accelerate the development of drug-resistant HIV strains, a new report has found. As the main HIV treatment provider in developing countries, the private sector had to be properly controlled to ensure that antiretrovirals (
COTE D IVOIRE: Wrangle Delays $91m Aid Package to Fight Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 25, 2003; The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has delayed the disbursement of a US $91 million grant to Cote d Ivoire because of a dispute between government departments in Abidjan over who gets to spend the money, official sources said. The Geneva-based fund has also failed to reach agreement with the Iv
ETHIOPIA: Government Criticises Attitude Towards Women's Rights: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 25, 2003; The Ethiopian government has blasted the pathetic attitude towards women s rights in the country which it says is fuelling the AIDS epidemic. It warned that social and cultural factors such as polygamy and sexual violence were exacerbating the vulnerability of the nation s women. In a statement, the information ministr
UZBEKISTAN: HIV/AIDS on the rise, experts say: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 23, 2003; ANKARA , 23 Jun 2003 (IRIN) - HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Uzbekistan , say experts. Despite a currently low HIV/AIDS prevalence, health officials believe that the country occupies one of the leading positions in the world in terms of the rate of the disease s spread. The situation with HIV/AIDS in the country is getting
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Focus on WFP/FAO assessments: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 20, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 20 Jun 2003 (IRIN) - Interventions by governments, aid agencies and NGOs have contributed to an improved food security situation in most parts of Southern Africa affected by large-scale crop failures last year. The World Food Prog
AFRICA: Women fight back against traditional land grabbing: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 19, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 19 June (IRIN) - HIV-positive women not only have to contend with the impact of the virus, but also the threat of land grabbing by relatives, prompting activists to urge governments to adopt appropriate land policies. According to findings presented during a workshop on gender and land reform in Pretoria,
HORN OF AFRICA: Feature - Women defy taboo to fight HIV: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 19, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ADDIS ABABA, 19 June (IRIN) - It s often said of Ethiopia that the country has more than its fair share of taboos. In the profoundly conservative society, steeped in ancient history, deepseated traditions abound. But on Wednesday, some of Ethio
ETHIOPIA: Women's Coalition On HIV/Aids Launched: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 18, 2003; Prime Minister Meles Zenawi urged a major change in Ethiopians sexual behaviour patterns on Wednesday to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He said relying on protective measures like condoms was not enough to stop the spread of HIV, which has already infected around three million people in Ethiopia. His call marked the lau
LESOTHO: Growth of Garment Industry Fuels Aids Concerns: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2003; Lesotho s expanding garment industry is driving economic growth, but also raising concern over the impact of HIV/AIDS on job-hungry rural people arriving in the cities looking for work. Formal employment in the garment sector grew by 50 percent in 2001 alone. Tariff- and duty-free export to US markets under the African
MOZAMBIQUE: Artists Join Anti-Aids Roadshow: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 16, 2003; In the first initiative of its kind in Mozambique , 36 of the country s top artists have joined together to participate in a roadshow known as Tudo Pela Vida (All For Life), as part of a key HIV/AIDS awareness campaign. Over a six-month period, starting on 1 August, the artists will tour in a bus along the Maputo corr
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Improvement to child nutrition halted: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 13, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 13 Jun 2003 (IRIN) - The food crisis that hit six southern African countries last year ended a regional trend throughout the 1990s of improving child nutrition, a survey by the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed. In Zimbabwe , child nutrition improved slightly between 1994 and 1999, but then deterio
ZAMBIA: AIDS charter to be released: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 13, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 13 June (IRIN) - A Zambian AIDS NGO on Friday welcomed the announcement of the country s soon-to-be-released HIV/AIDS Human Rights Charter. The November launch of the charter was announced earlier this week by its working group, Women and Law in Southern Africa. The Network of Zambian People Living with H
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS initiative for petrol attendants: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 13, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 13 June (IRIN) - The South African Petroleum Association (SAPIA) on Thursday said some 10,000 petrol attendants would benefit from its upcoming HIV/AIDS awareness programme. SAPIA said in a statement that the six-month pilot programme would be launched at 15 service stations in the KwaZulu-Natal province
SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS lobby group continues campaign: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 13, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 13 June (IRIN) - South Africa s National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) on Friday continued its campaign against local pharmaceutical companies after a temporary suspension. NAPWA recently suspended its Black Easter campaign pending talks with drug manufacturers to provide free antiret
SWAZILAND: Creating the "New Man": Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 12, 2003; Men are reconsidering their roles as husbands, fathers and family providers MBABANE, 12 June (IRIN) - Disturbed by the stereotype of a typical Swazi male as a misogynist and polygamist, Swazi men are determined to show the positive side of African male culture and are reconsidering their roles as husbands, fathers and
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Feature on regional food crisis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 12, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Food production has increased but there s still millions in need of aid JOHANNESBURG, 12 June (IRIN) - Southern Africa still requires substantial aid for at least 6.2 million people, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Food Agricultural Organ
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: WFP food aid for HIV/AIDS-affected people: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 12, 2003; BANGUI, 12 June (IRIN) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will provide enriched food rations to HIV/AIDS infected or affected people from July, to help them resist opportunistic diseases, the agency s representative in the Central African Republic (CAR), David Bulman, told PlusNews on Wednesday. Bulman said the ag
NAMIBIA: Anti-AIDS drugs to be produced locally: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 11, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 11 June (IRIN) - HIV-positive Namibians could soon be able to access cheaper anti-AIDS drugs after the government announced plans to support the local manufacture of generic medication in the country. Speaking during discussions between visiting UN Special Envoy on AIDS, Stephen Lewis, and a group of mini
SOUTHERN AFRICA: The challenge of HIV in prisons: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 11, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 11 June (IRIN) - The jail doors that slam behind a newly arrived inmate are likely to open again at some point in the future and release the ex-convict back into society. The problem of HIV/AIDS in prison, and the wider issue of penal reform, are therefore questions that should concern us all. Prison cond
SOUTH AFRICA: Optimism over possible ARV rollout: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 10, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] CAPE TOWN, 10 June (IRIN) - The Western Cape was the first province to defy South African government policy by providing AIDS drugs to HIV-positive pregnant women in the public health sector. Two years later, the rollout campaign has achieved u
INTERVIEW: Interview With Aids Economist Alan Whiteside: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 10, 2003; Professor Alan Whiteside is a leading AIDS economist based in South Africa . During a visit to Ethiopia , he spelt out the scale of the continent s crisis, explained how the enormous number of AIDS orphans could mean potential disaster, and called on African leaders to start addressing the tragedy.
SOUTH AFRICA: Health workers angered by AIDS deaths: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 9 June (IRIN) - South Africa s doctors and nurses have expressed anger over having to see people dying of AIDS-related illnesses, the South African Press Association (SAPA) reported on Friday. Health workers recently embarked on a countrywide picket urging the government to implement a national antiretrov
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS cover offered to tourists: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 9, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 9 June (IRIN) - A South African tourism group on Monday said it was offering AIDS insurance to visitors in case of exposure to HIV while on holiday in the country. The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) said its new policy was being offered to group members who wanted to protect their cl
KENYA: Number of abandoned babies rises in Kenya: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 6, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 6 June (IRIN) - A home for HIV-positive babies in Kenya on Thursday expressed concern over the rising number of abandoned babies since the beginning of 2003. Most of the babies are abandoned because they are believed to be born with HIV and their mothers are too young or poor to cope. However, the New
GHANA: Rising prevalence rate: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2003; ACCRA, 5 June (IRIN) - Health authorities in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Friday confirmed increases in the West African country s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. Ghana s National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), which conducted the 2002 HIV/AIDS Sentinel Survey, said the prevalence rate currently stands at 3.4 percent, sho
NAMIBIA: New HIV prevention methods on the shelf: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 5 June (IRIN) - A chain of popular clothing stores in Namibia has introduced a customer-service programme to help tackle HIV/AIDS, local newspaper The Namibian reported on Thursday. Jet Stores recently added the provision of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for survivors of rape to its list of club benefit
KENYA: Feature - Hope for abandoned babies: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] NAIROBI, 5 June (IRIN) - We have noticed a big increase in the abandonment of babies since the new year, says Clive Beckenham, the co-director of the New Life Home Trust for abandoned, orphaned and HIV-positive babies in the Kenyan capital, Nai
First Ladies Resolve to Combat HIV/Aids Stigmatisation: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 5, 2003; A two-day conference for African first ladies opened on Thursday in Rwanda , focusing on ways to fight HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination across sub-Saharan Africa. The first ladies from Gabon , Kenya , Rwanda and Uganda said they sought to replace stigma with su
Poverty, Mobility And HIV: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 4, 2003; Mobility is often a sign of poverty, with people travelling out of their home areas looking for fresh opportunities. But in the struggle to make ends meet, mobility can also increase vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. A study by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and CARE International has tried to identify the
AFRICA: Annan calls for more funds for the Fund: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 3, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 3 June (IRIN) - The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday appealed to the world s richest countries to contribute more towards the Global AIDS Fund. The time for additional funding has arrived, and I hope that you, the Group of Eight leaders, who played such an important role in getting the Fund up an
HIV/Aids is Affecting Development, ECA Head Says: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 3, 2003; The social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS is hampering Africa s ability to tackle deep-rooted poverty and hunger, Kinglsey Amoako, head of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said on Monday. He told experts at a joint African Development Bank/ECA symposium in Addis Ababa that they had to tackle HIV/AIDS if Mi
President Ready to Be Tested for HIV: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 3, 2003; President Mwai Kibaki has declared himself willing to be publicly tested for HIV, Kaffim Mambo, the head of public relations with the Kenya National AIDS Control Council (NACC), told IRIN on Tuesday. During a briefing session last week on the filming of an anti-HIV-AIDS advertisement, the suggestion was put to him tha
ETHIOPIA: Geldof calls on leaders to take AIDS test: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 2, 2003; ADDIS ABABA, 2 June (IRIN) - Bob Geldof has called on Ethiopia �s leaders to be tested for HIV/AIDS to prove their commitment to combating the pandemic. The musician and Third-World campaigner has offered to be tested alongside Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his key ministers before leaving the country. His call c
MOZAMBIQUE: Innovative programme helps AIDS orphans: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 2, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 2 June (IRIN) - Children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and their guardians are receiving support from a new project by the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) and the NGO HelpAge International (HAI). The project in Tete province, which has an HIV prevalence rate of 16.7 percent - higher than the national average of 13 per
SOUTH AFRICA: Feature - Treating HIV among township poor: Integrated Regional Information Networks - June 2, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] CAPE TOWN, 2 June (IRIN) - Babalwa Tembani was diagnosed as HIV-positive after being raped by her uncle. She was only 14 years old at the time and knew nothing about AIDS. After being admitted to Cape Town s Groote Schuur hospital, a nurse told
RWANDA: 2nd Pan-African Youth Conference on HIV/AIDS opens: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 30, 2003; NAIROBI, 30 May (IRIN) - The second Pan-African Youth Conference on HIV/AIDS opened in Kigali on Thursday with young people from 40 African countries participating, the Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported. Opening the six-day conference, Rwandan Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture Robert Bayigamba said the conference
NAMIBIA: Better AIDS messages needed: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 28, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 28 May (IRIN) - A large number of young Namibians do not understand the terminology used in HIV/AIDS prevention strategies, media association PRNewswire reported on Tuesday. A recent study of 100 people aged between 15 and 25 revealed that common HIV/AIDS prevention terms such as abstinence or faithfulnes
SWAZILAND: Anti-Aids Message Reaches King's Warriors: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 28, 2003; In a traditional kingdom that takes seriously its customary social structures, the anti-AIDS message is this week being targeted at young Swazi men belonging to King Mswati s warrior regiments. About 45 percent of Swazis in their twenties are HIV-positive, the highest demographic group among an adult population that of
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Integrated Response to Disaster Needed, Says Red Cross: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 28, 2003; The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an emergency appeal for Southern Africa on Wednesday. The Federation also warned that the policies of donors, governments and humanitarian agencies would soon lag behind the region s growing challenges. The interaction of HIV/AIDS, failed hea
BOTSWANA: Model for Combating HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 28, 2003; Botswana is the first country in Africa to implement widespread distribution of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs through its public health system under a programme aptly named Masa ( new dawn ), a symbol of hope for those living with HIV/AIDS. The government s year-old programme has the financial support of the African Com
Irish Rock Star Launches HIV/Aids Appeal: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 28, 2003; The Irish rock star, Bob Geldof, on Wednesday urged Ethiopia and its politicians to face up to the devastating HIV/AIDS virus. The singer and third world campaigner, now on his first official visit to Ethiopia since Live Aid in 1985, said the virus was crippling the impoverished country, and urged the population to sta
SOUTH AFRICA: Child Poverty a Major Challenge, Says Study: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 27, 2003; Poverty and HIV/AIDS are the major challenges facing children in South Africa , says a new report by the University of Cape Town (UCT). UCT s Children s Institute issued its fact sheet on childhood poverty as South Africa celebrated national Child Protection Week, which started on Monday. Poverty, unemployment and
AFRICA: New campaign to save Global AIDS Fund: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 26, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 26 May (IRIN) - A new campaign to save the cash-strapped Global AIDS Fund has been launched by the Global Network of People living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+). It Starts with Us is an initiative encouraging HIV-positive people to contribute to the Global Fund. Despite pledges of almost US $2 billion, the Fund is
BURKINA FASO: Female genital mutilation declining, says Minister: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 26, 2003; OUAGADOUGOU, 26 May 2003 (IRIN) - Twelve years after Burkina Faso launched a campaign that outlawed female genital mutilation (FGM) in 1996 and imposed heavy penalties on circumcisers, the number of women undergoing the harmful practise is declining, officials said. Mariam Lamizana, the Burkinabe Minister for Social We
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Women under-represented in media - report: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 26, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 26 May 2003 (IRIN) - Women make up an average of only 17 percent of media sources in Southern Africa although they make up 52 percent of the population, a report by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said. The Gender and Media Baseline Study, a joint initiative of MISA and Gender Links, a south
BURUNDI: Associations in Plea to Government Over HIV/Aids Treatment: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 21, 2003; Four associations fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Burundi have appealed to the government to improve access to anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) for children orphaned by AIDS. The associations made the recommendation on Tuesday during the opening of a three-day HIV/AIDS workshop in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura. First
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Factory Sets Up Fund for HIV-Infected Employees: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 21, 2003; A palm oil factory in the Central African Republic (CAR) has vowed to set up a special fund, to which all employees will contribute 1 percent of their salaries, to buy drugs for HIV/AIDS-infected employees. The announcement by the Bossongo palm oil factory followed a weeklong awareness campaign conducted by an umbrella
ANGOLA: EU funds for resettlement of returnees: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 20, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 20 May 2003 (IRIN) - The bulk of a recent US $5 million aid package to Angola is expected to go towards supporting government efforts to resettle thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to their areas of origin, the European Commission (EC) said in a statement. Almost US $4 million
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Protection for women during conflict inadequate - UNIFEM: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 19, 2003; Women are are more likely to be displaced by conflict and often face insecurity when they try to return to their homes JOHANNESBURG, 19 May 2003 (IRIN) - The standards of protection for women affected by conflict and the international response to their situations are glaring in their inadequacy , says a report commissi
BOTSWANA: HIV/AIDS Vaccine trials underway: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 16, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 16 May (IRIN) - The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) has launched an international clinical trial which will test a HIV vaccine candidate for humans in Botswana . The trials were a new stage in global HIV research, as they would be conducted simultaneously in the United State
SOUTH AFRICA: University launches AIDS research facility: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 15, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 15 May (IRIN) - The growing need for a wider African research response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic has led to the creation of a virtual institute at one of South Africa s leading universities. The concept of the University of Witwatersrand AIDS Research Institute is not to duplicate existing initiatives, but
Unicef Delivers Drugs for Aids Orphans: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 15, 2003; The UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday handed over drugs worth US $100,000 to the Ministry of Health in the Central African Republic (CAR) for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, a UNICEF official told IRIN. The beneficiaries are estimated to be 200 HIV orphans aged below 15 years, Speciose Hakizimana, the CAR UNICEF
ZIMBABWE: Focus on Voluntary Counselling and Testing: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 12, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] CHITUNGWIZA, 12 May 2003 (IRIN) - Helen (not her real name) began to suspect she was HIV-positive in August 2002, when her husband died of tuberculosis. Only 35 years old, she needs a walking stick to get around. She has lost about nine kilogra
Impact of HIV/Aids Could Be Worse Than That of Drought: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 12, 2003; Johannesburg - HIV/AIDS, more than drought conditions, has the potential for worsening Swaziland s continuing food crisis, a joint Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. HIV/AIDS is overshadowing everything, said Anthony Pope
TANZANIA: Donors pledge $26.5 million for health services: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 9, 2003; NAIROBI (IRIN) - A group of donors has pledged US $26.5 million in aid of health services in Tanzania , including the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. The technical advisor with the Danish embassy in Dar es Salaam, Finn Schleimann, told IRIN on Friday that the pledge by
ETHIOPIA: Religious leaders unite in battle against AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 9, 2003; ADDIS ABABA (IRIN) - Ethiopian religious leaders have, for the first time, united in the battle against the devastating AIDS pandemic sweeping the country. Leaders from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the chairman of the Islamic Affairs Supreme Council and the president of the Evangelical Church combined to combat the v
EAST AFRICA: Competition launched to counter HIV/AIDS stigma: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 8, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 8 May (IRIN) - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Wednesday launched a regional campaign to fight the stigma and discrimination surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Supported by the African Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAP+), the poster competition seeks t
COTE D IVOIRE: Struggle to revive health services in rebel-held north: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 8, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ABIDJAN, 8 May 2003 (IRIN) - The bullets have stopped flying in most of the rebel-held areas of northern Cote d Ivoire , but health services in the region have all but collapsed, according to relief agencies working hard to support over three m
ETHIOPIA: Interview with Orthodox church leader Abune Paulos on HIV/AIDS: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 8, 2003; ADDIS ABABA, 8 May 2003 (IRIN) - Abune Paulos is the Patriarch of Ethiopia s 30 million-strong Orthodox Church. He tells IRIN of the church s attitude towards HIV/AIDS and how it is dealing with the pandemic. QUESTION: What is the HIV/AIDS situation in this country? ANSWER: It is a tragic situation and we have to deal
CONGO: Health minister announces ARV treatment for 1,000: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 8, 2003; BRAZZAVILLE, 8 May 2003 (IRIN) - An estimated 1,000 people affected by HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Congo are due to benefit from a project initiated by the Ministry of Health to provide them with anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment. France is contributing the ARV drugs. The project was unveiled during a training seminar fo
SOUTHERN AFRICA: New approaches needed to food security: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 7, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 7 May (IRIN) - The impact of HIV/AIDS on food security in Southern Africa is now well recognised. The critical question is what can be done to halt the slide into poverty by affected households, a report released on Wednesday by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said. Even in situations wh
SOUTH AFRICA: Business in a quandary over HIV/AIDS treatment costs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 7, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 7 May (IRIN) - Workplace HIV/AIDS treatment programmes in South Africa are making catastrophic mistakes and may be doubling the cost of the epidemic on the business, a new report has found. Studies conducted by HIV consulting firm FutureForesight and the Wits Health Consortium found that businesses using
Nairobi: UN Envoy Hails HIV/Aids Policy: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 6, 2003; The UN envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa has praised the new Kenyan government s efforts to tackle the scourge. Speaking after a recent trip to Kenya, Stephen Lewis said he had a greater degree of hope and optimism about the ability of President Mwai Kibaki s government to tackle the pandemic, given the startlingly changed a
GREAT LAKES: New report on response to HIV/AIDS in conflict situations: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 6, 2003; NAIROBI, 6 May (IRIN) - A new report describing the response by humanitarian organisations to HIV/AIDS in the Great Lakes Region calls for greater coordination of efforts among different actors and accountability of donors and implementing agencies towards the populations they serve. The report, entitled The response t
KENYA: New leadership could turn epidemic around - Lewis: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 5, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 5 May (IRIN) - Since the election of a new president in Kenya , there has been a dramatic change in the level of political debate over HIV/AIDS which could have a positive impact on the epidemic, Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said. The level of commitm
Chronology of HIV/Aids Treatment Access Row: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 1, 2003; This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Following a meeting with South African Deputy-President Jacob Zuma last week, AIDS lobby group, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), announced it would suspend its civil disobedience action aimed at forcing the government to introduce a national HIV/A
ETHIOPIA: UNICEF, gov't tackling HIV/AIDS transmission to children: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 1, 2003; ADDIS ABABA, 1 May 2003 (IRIN) - The UN s Children s Fund (UNICEF) and Ethiopian government are tackling mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, which has affected as many as 200,000 children in Ethiopia. UNICEF has joined the ministry of health and the HIV/AIDS Prevention Control Office (HAPCO) to combat transmissio
ZAMBIA: Government acts against widespread abuse of girls: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 1, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 1 May 2003 (IRIN) - Human Rights Watch (HRW) has welcomed a commitment by Zambia to address allegations of widespread sexual abuse of young girls. The international rights group on Thursday reported it had received a letter from the office of President Levy Mwanawasa stating that an inter-ministerial prog
CONGO: Insufficient means to fight HIV/AIDS, says health minister: Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 1, 2003; BRAZZAVILLE, 1 May 2003 (IRIN) - Only about 100 people with HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Congo (ROC) had access to adequate treatment, Health Minister Alain Moka told medical workers during a training seminar on Monday in the capital, Brazzaville. He also said that despite the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country, the
Help for HIV/Aids Patients: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 29, 2003; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Nairobi - Jane Achieng had been married for just over four years when her husband died from AIDS. Widowed, shunned by relatives and without a job to support her and her six-year-old daughter, Achieng s life has since then dramatically changed fo
HIV/Aids Threatens Land Policy Reforms: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 24, 2003; Lesotho s current land policy reforms have focused on the commercialisation of agriculture to promote economic growth and reduce poverty. But the explosive combination of food insecurity and HIV/AIDS could derail the process, a report has warned. The report, a follow-up of a study carried out by the UN Food and Agricul
Crop And Vulnerability Assessments Will Map Needs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 23, 2003; Two assessments currently being conducted in Zimbabwe will allow the World Food Programme (WFP) to better prepare for meeting the expected food needs for the year ahead. About half of all Zimbabweans currently require food aid to survive, following poor harvests brought on by drought, HIV/AIDS and the impact of the gov
HIV/Aids Threatens Democracy: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 23, 2003; The impact of HIV/AIDS could reverse democratic gains in Southern Africa, according to a report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). A recently published research paper by the Pretoria-based institute found that lost incomes, increasing health and labour costs and decreasing productivity threatened the economic
Cheaper Drugs From India for People With HIV: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 22, 2003; Burkina Faso is to import cheaper generic drugs from India for people living with HIV under an agreement with the Chemical Industrial Pharmaceutical Laboratories (CIPLA) of India, Minister of Health Alain Yoda said on Tuesday in Ouagadougou. Where making treatment accessible to persons affected by the pandemic is co
Maasai Rising to the Challenge of HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 22, 2003; This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Maasai gatherings are usually a time for celebration and festivities. People come together from far and wide and we feast and have fun. But I think this one will be different. What we have come to discuss is serious and it is a big threat to us Ma
Activists Continue HIV/Aids Protests: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 22, 2003; South Africa s National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) on Tuesday continued a protest outside the Johannesburg offices of a drug multinational as part of its Black Easter campaign. The campaign was launched last week to convince pharmaceutical companies to provide free antiretroviral drugs in the co
BURKINA FASO: Donors pledge US $123 millions for health plan: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 18, 2003; OUAGADOUOGOU, 18 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - Burkina Faso s main donors have agreed to provide US $123 million for the implementation of the 2003-2010 National Health Development Plan (PNDS, French abbreviation). The announcement came at the end of a one-day roundtable organised on Tuesday at the request of the government, which
SOMALIA: Italian woman wins UNHCR award for work with Somalis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 16, 2003; NAIROBI, 16 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has named an Italian woman as the winner of its annual humanitarian award for her work with displaced Somalis. A UNHCR statement said Annalena Tonelli won the Nansen Refugee Award, given to individuals or organisations that have distinguished themselves in wor
ETHIOPIA: Anti-HIV/Aids Drugs to Be Produced Locally: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 15, 2003; Ethiopia is to become one of the first countries in Africa to produce its own drugs to tackle the devastating HIV/AIDS crisis, health officials told IRIN on Tuesday. The country, alongside South Africa , is to receive technological support so that it can manufacture anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs to treat patients suff
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Inter-regional trade can improve food security - SADC: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 14, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 14 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - Food gaps in some countries in the region could be filled through better inter-regional agricultural trade, said the latest Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministerial Brief on Food Security. In most years, through the combination of national maize production and opening
Unicef Warns of Social Services Collapse Due to Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 10, 2003; Ethiopia will face a collapse in social services, governance and safety nets within a decade because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) has warned. Traditional ways of coping with orphans by integrating children into extended families are being eroded because of the scale of the crisis, UNICEF
US $1.8 Billion Needed to Address Urgent Food Needs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 9, 2003; Some US $1.8 billion is required to provide food in Africa, WFP Executive Director James Morris said on Monday in a briefing to the UN Security Council in which he drew attention to the continent s needs and highlighted the link between food insecurity, peace and security. How is that we routinely accept a level of suf
Below Normal Harvest Expected: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 9, 2003; Food production in Swaziland is expected to be about 56 percent of normal output, further exacerbating the country s current food shortages. World Food Programme (WFP) emergency coordinator in Swaziland, Sarah Laughton, told IRIN on Wednesday that the picture we have is that it s definitely not a great harvest situatio
Stepping Up HIV/Aids Efforts: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 9, 2003; A special body spearheaded by the president has been created to step up Madagascar s HIV/AIDS prevention drive. Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana, who is leading the initiative, will oversee a technical committee to implement the country s HIV/AIDS campaign. Although HIV prevalence in Madagascar is less than 1 perce
Preventing HIV/AIDS transmission from mothers to babies in refugee camps: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 8, 2003; This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations In a small, poorly lit classroom in Mtendeli refugee camp, western Tanzania , 20 Burundian and Tanzanian clinicians, midwives and HIV counsellors were on the final day of a three-day training course. They had been discussing HIV/AIDS and antenatal
UGANDA: Appeal for volunteers for HIV/AIDS vaccine trials: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 8, 2003; KAMPALA, 8 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - Researchers at the Entebbe-based Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) are appealing to volunteers to come forward for HIV/AIDS vaccine trials. Chief researcher Dr Pontiano Kaleebu told IRIN that so far only 10 people were participating in the trials which began in February. The response
SOUTH AFRICA: Cheaper AIDS drugs to be made locally: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 7, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 7 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - People living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa could soon be able to access cheaper anti-AIDS drugs under a new project which will manufacture generic medication in the country. According to a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) statement, the soon-to-be launched Initiative Pharmaceut
TANZANIA: World Bank praises poverty reduction efforts: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 7, 2003; DAR ES SALAAM , 7 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - The World Bank praised Tanzania on Friday for making concerted efforts in poverty reduction, saying that its push to harmonise donor efforts in the country should be seen as a model for other developing nations. What stands out is the strong government leadership in the whole effort,
US Helps Set Up Aids Testing Centre: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 7, 2003; The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pledged almost US $500,000 for an HIV/AIDS testing centre for thousands of people in Addis Ababa. The testing centre was established by the Organisation for Social Services for AIDS (OSSA), the oldest Ethiopian NGO working on AIDS in the country. It provides H
Chief Challenges HIV/Aids Stigma: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 7, 2003; A Swazi chief shrugged off the stigma associated with AIDS in this conservative country and admitted at the weekend he was HIV-positive, surprising and pleasing activists battling the silence that often surrounds the disease. For four years now I have had the virus that causes AIDS, Chief Madelezi Masilela told a commu
HIV/Aids Crippling Public Health Sector: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 4, 2003; With an increasing number of HIV/AIDS patients seeking health care from already over-stretched public sector facilities, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is undermining the quality of care in South Africa s health system. According to The South African Health Review (SAHR) for 2002, published recently by the NGO Health Systems Tr
Unicef Focusses Attention On Crisis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 3, 2003; UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Carol Bellamy has arrived in Southern Africa to focus attention on the humanitarian crisis in the region, the agency said on Thursday. Lesotho , Malawi , Mozambique , Swaziland , Zam
New Challenge of HIV/Aids in Humanitarian Crises: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 2, 2003; This article is one of a series of reports and interviews that comprise a new Web Special on Civilian Protection in Armed Conflict. In it, IRIN explores International Humanitarian Law and principled humanitarian action, the provisions for civilian protection, the problems encountered in achieving this, and the prospect
ZAMBIA: Scepticism over AIDS drugs roll-out: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 1, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 1 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - A government programme to provide anti-AIDS drugs to HIV-positive Zambians had ignored those who needed it most and was simply a lot of hot air , activists told IRIN. Last year, the government announced that up to 10,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) would receive free antiretrovi
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Despite Iraq, food crisis still on WFP's agenda: Integrated Regional Information Networks - April 1, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 1 Apr 2003 (IRIN) - The World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday said it remained committed to feeding some 40 million people across Africa, allaying concerns that the ongoing war in Iraq may distract from the food crisis on the continent. This week WFP launched its highest ever appeal for emergency food
PAKISTAN: People living with HIV/AIDS thrown out of hospital, says NGO: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 31, 2003; ISLAMABAD, 31 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - An NGO working with people living with HIV/AIDS in Pakistan has expressed outrage after three HIV positive patients were allegedly thrown out of a hospital in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) due to discrimination. These patients were thrown out because of discrimination and ignor
Traditional Culture Spreading HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 28, 2003; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] ARUSHA, 28 March (IRIN) - Elements of traditional culture and subservient female roles in Kenya , Uganda and Tanzania are pushing HIV/AIDS infection rates up to unprecedented levels, experts said this week.
SOUTH AFRICA: Feature - tackling world's worst TB epidemic: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 26, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] JOHANNESBURG, 26 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - South Africa is said to be facing one of the worst tuberculosis (TB) epidemics in the world, with disease rates up to 60 times higher than those currently experienced in the United
Recognition of HIV/Aids Role in Humanitarian Crisis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 26, 2003; A vigorous response to HIV/AIDS within the context of the current humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe was lacking, a UN multi-agency mission has found. In its latest humanitarian situation report, the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU) based in the capital Harare, reported that the mission - which comprised representatives
TOGO: Mercy ship represents last hope for many: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 25, 2003; LOME, 25 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - Between 5,000 and 6,000 people flocked to the Kegue Stadium in the Togolese capital, Lome, on 6 March, hoping to be selected for treatment by the doctors of the Anastasis, the mercy ship that arrived at Lome port on 28 February. Some had huge tumours, others were blinded by cataracts. There w
SWAZILAND: Police take action on child abuse: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 25, 2003; MBABANE, 25 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - In a bid to better combat child abuse, the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) has provided the Swazi police with closed-circuit television systems to record witness testimonies to help in abuse cases. The 31 closed-circuit systems and video recorders donated by UNICEF last week were expected to h
HIV/Aids Awareness Programmes Increased: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 25, 2003; An international aid organisation in Ethiopia has announced it is stepping up HIV/AIDS awareness, as the country is gripped by drought, to ensure the virus does not further hamper relief efforts. Save the Children said it would target remote areas in Ethiopia, where families have been hit by the severe drought, to warn
Aids Activists Condemn Police Action: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 25, 2003; South Africa s Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Monday condemned the government s response to peaceful protestors demanding a national HIV/AIDS treatment plan. Police responded to demonstrators in the port city of Durban on Thursday by using water cannons and teargas. Some were also physically attacked, TAC national
Aids Activists Shout Down Health Minister: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 25, 2003; South African AIDS activists continued a civil disobedience campaign on Tuesday by shouting down Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang as she tried to address a conference. Blowing whistles, waving red wanted posters and shouting Murderer and Manto go to jail , some 100 members of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC)
TANZANIA: Focus on tuberculosis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 24, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] DAR ES SALAAM, 24 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - Like every other Monday and Friday morning, by 07:00 local time at least 100 people were sitting quietly on the hard benches in the tuberculosis (TB) clinic at Temeke District Hospital in the commercial capit
NIGERIA: Polio can be wiped out this year, UNICEF's Rima Salah says: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 18, 2003; LAGOS, 18 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - The eradication of the polio virus in Nigeria in 2003 is still possible with adequate political commitment to overcome resistance to immunisation, says UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) Director for West and Central Africa, Rima Salah. Salah visited Nigeria for three days last week and met top off
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Crisis Set to Continue for Some Time, EU: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 14, 2003; There was growing awareness that the humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa was as much man-made as natural and could last for some time, said the European Commission (EC). The EC said in a statement that the crisis was more than a mere cyclical accumulation of circumstances but, rather, a structural humanitarian crisi
UZBEKISTAN: OSCE States to discuss economic impact of drug trafficking: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 13, 2003; ANKARA, 13 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - The economic impact of drug trafficking will be the core topic of a two-day seminar organised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), set to open in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent on Monday. The issue of trafficking needs to be wider understood, Ivo Kersten, advisor
SWAZILAND: Widows banned from being election candidates: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 12, 2003; MBABANE, 12 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - Widows who have been bereaved within the past two years have been banned from running as candidates in this year s parliamentary election, enraging women s empowerment groups who are already bristling under cultural restrictions that regard Swazi women as legal minors. You can say that whe
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: President Lays Foundation Stone For HIV/AIDS Treatment Centre: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 11, 2003; Central African Republic (CAR) President Ange-Felix Patasse has laid the foundation stone of a US $230,000 HIV-AIDS treatment and research centre due to become operational in six months time. The centre, to be known as the Centre de Tritherapie Ambulatoire, will also train specialists in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Government Struggles to Reduce HIV/Aids Prevalence: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 11, 2003; The Central African Republic (CAR) hopes to reduce the HIV/Aids prevalence in the country from the current 14.8 percent to 5 percent in the next five years, President Ange-Felix Patasse said on Saturday. According to research carried out in December 2002 by the Institut Pasteur in the capital, Bangui, and the national
BURUNDI: WFP Concerned About HIV/Aids Rates: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 8, 2003; The World Food Programme (WFP) says it is very concerned over the high growth rates of HIV/AIDS in Burundi , which have reached 20 percent in urban areas and 7.5 percent in the countryside. Due to the ongoing civil war in Burundi, the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS is an enormous challenge, the agency said in a
SWAZILAND: Homage Paid to Women's Relief Committees: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 7, 2003; International Women s Day was celebrated in the dusty hamlet of Siphofaneni in the heart of Swaziland s drought belt when over 2,000 women, who have saved countless lives by managing food relief distributions, were paid homage for their efforts. But the day was marked by a new mission that was communicated to the women
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: HIV/AIDS centre receives equipment from UNAIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 6, 2003; BANGUI, 6 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - The national HIV/AIDS documentation, education and communication centre in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), has received computer and audiovisual equipment worth 21 million francs CFA (US $34,000) from UNAIDS , the centre s director told IRIN on Wed
ZAMBIA: Government allocates funds for new military equipment: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 5, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 5 Mar 2003 (IRIN) - The Zambian government has allocated Kwacha 20 billion (US $4 million) to enable the Ministry of Defence to buy new equipment, parliament heard this week. We haven t decided what to buy yet because the budgetary provision is quite small, said Joel Chitafu, the ministry s permanent secr
Education Sector Badly Affected By HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 4, 2003; Pass with good grades, not with AIDS is written with red letters on new rulers and diaries soon to be distributed in Namibian schools countrywide. The message is part of an intensified HIV/AIDS campaign that minces no words and with good reason. Namibia risks losing the millions of dollars that the government and dono
US Helping to Combat HIV/Aids in the Military: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 4, 2003; The US has launched a campaign to combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases in the Ethiopian military, it was announced on Tuesday. It will donate some 2.8 million Ethiopian birr [about US $325,000] to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the armed forces. The five year prevention and control programme will be carried out by the U
US $781,220 to Fight Malaria Via Combination Therapy in Zanzibar: Integrated Regional Information Networks - March 3, 2003; The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Zanzibar, Tanzania , signed a US $781,220 agreement on Thursday with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to introduce modern anti-malaria drug treatments to the islands and train its doctors and nurses. Zanzibar, located off the coast of mainland Tanzania
ANGOLA: Security challenges post-Savimbi: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 27, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 27 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - The reintegration of ex-UNITA soldiers, the resettlement of displaced people and the removal of landmines were key to continued peace in Angola , an international political think-tank said on Thursday. In its latest report on Angola the International Crisis Group (ICG) urged the gover
GUINEA-BISSAU: Support for girls' education: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 26, 2003; ABIDJAN, 26 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - UNICEF has agreed to provide Guinea-Bissau with assistance worth US $23 million under a new five-year support and cooperation programme that will continue until 2007. The programme will cover child protection, nutritional health, primary education and functional literacy, and a social comm
SOUTH AFRICA: Finance minister increases social grants: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 26, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 26 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - South Africa s Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday unveiled a range of poverty relief measures in the country s budget for the next financial year which include extending the child support grant, raising pensions and providing for a food relief fund. Pensions would go up by R6
Struggling to Cope With Hunger And HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 26, 2003; [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] TETE, 26 February (IRIN) - Sixteen years of civil war, cyclic floods and severe drought have collectively caused much hardship in Mozambique . But the current drought, affecting about 600,000 people, alongside the devastating impact of the HIV/A
HIV/Aids Researcher Praises Action of Local NGOs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 26, 2003; An HIV/AIDS researcher for Save the Children UK, Dr Vera Bensmann, has presented the findings and recommendations of a nine-month study on the humanitarian response to the pandemic in Burundi , the UN Office for the Coordination in Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday. In her presentation, delivered on
BURUNDI: Focus on child war victims in Ruyigi: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 25, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] RUYIGI, 25 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - In Burundi �s eastern province of Ruyigi, where fighting rages between the army and the country�s largest rebel group, a shelter for child victims of war and AIDS has been all but overwhelmed by the arrival of newbo
Traditional Healers, New Partners Against HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 25, 2003; Swaziland s health ministry has begun enlisting traditional healers in efforts to contain HIV and assist patients with AIDS-related illnesses. The cooperation between modern and traditional medicine reverses decades of separation, and highlights the extent of the AIDS emergency in Swaziland. We are a little behind the
Global Fund Boost for HIV/Aids Programmes: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 25, 2003; Mozambique s HIV/AIDS programme received a boost recently with the announcement of a US $54 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria. The country s coordinating mechanism (CCM) submitted a proposal which sought to scale-up existing government, community and NGO projects over five
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Lack of comparative data impedes response to crisis, WHO: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 21, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 21 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - There was an urgent need for more epidemiological surveillance throughout Southern Africa to allow for more targeted health interventions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned. Widespread food shortages - which threaten about 15 million people in Southern Africa - and the im
AFGHANISTAN: Focus on tuberculosis: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 20, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] KABUL, 20 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - Tuberculosis (TB), a contagious disease transmitted via the air, continues to be of major concern to health experts in Afghanistan . While there are no precise statistics due to problems of access, reports indicate a
SOUTH AFRICA: Focus on the "burden" of manhood: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 20, 2003; [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] PRETORIA, 19 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - It is hard to be a boy in South Africa these days. A recent survey of 30 schools in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province found that, across all races, male students and teachers experience uncertainty about their role and
NGO receives US $10,000 to train physicians in HIV/AIDS treatment: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 20, 2003; A French NGO, Hanuman, which is to train physicians in the Central African Republic (CAR) in anti-retroviral drugs prescription, says it has received US $10,000 from a pharmaceutical company towards the effort. That amount will be used to train four physicians in France late in Marc
The Impact of HIV/Aids On Agriculture: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 19, 2003; A new study has established the link between AIDS and Swaziland s current food crisis, demonstrating that the epidemic is as damaging to agricultural production as drought and outmoded land policies. The Swaziland household farming systems are vulnerable to the negative economic impact of HIV/AIDS because of the relian
FAO Appeals for Additional Aid: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 18, 2003; Amid concerns that the food situation in Southern Africa could worsen in coming months, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has appealed for an additional US $15 million to assist more than half a million vulnerable households across the region. In a statement on Monday, FAO echoed concerns raised by the Wor
Living Positively With Aids Drugs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 18, 2003; In a move considered a breakthrough for a country with high levels of stigma and discrimination, Batswana using antiretroviral (ARV) drugs have come forward to tell their stories in a series of educational videos released this week. The Patient Education videos are a collection of three 15-minute videos designed to edu
Call to Reject WTO Proposal On Drugs: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 17, 2003; Recent gains made in making HIV/AIDS treatment accessible and affordable to Kenyans are being threatened by a deal currently under discussion at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which would severely restrict access to such drugs, a group of local NGOs has warned. ActionAid Kenya, EcoNews and Medecins Sans Frontieres
Redefining Masculinity in Era of HIV/Aids: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 17, 2003; What does it mean to be a man in Southern Africa? How do young men perceive themselves as single men, husbands, fathers and breadwinners? How do these perceptions interact with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in a context of poverty and unemployment? These and related topics were discussed at a regional conference on men and HIV
Island Nation Gets Global Fund Assistance: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 17, 2003; An initiative has been launched to mitigate the potential rise in the HIV/AIDS infection rate in Madagascar . Catholic Relief Services (CRS) announced on Friday that it had received more than US $1.5 million to combat HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Madagascar. The grant, which would cover a four
"Dramatic effect" of HIV/AIDS prevention programmes: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 14, 2003; HIV/AIDS prevention programmes have had a dramatic effect on changing risky sexual behaviour, authors of a five-year study in Ethiopia said on Friday. The study, which was carried out among 1,500 factory workers in Ethiopia and started in 1997, showed a marked drop in casual sex and an increase in condom use. Prevalenc
Leading User of Anti Retrovirals: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 13, 2003; A total of 10,000 people, or one third of the 30,000 anti-retro viral (ARV) users in sub-Saharan Africa, are in Uganda , the ministry of health announced this week. Uganda has been able to achieve this because it has made a marathon roll out of Voluntary Counselling and Testing or VCT s, which is necessary if drug misu
Aids Activists to March On Parliament: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 13, 2003; South Africa s AIDS activists are preparing for a march on the opening of parliament on Friday to call for a national treatment plan to provide anti-AIDS drugs free to all those who need them. We are hoping that this will not be another march without results, we want to make the government realise that it is about time
Aids Activists Call for More US Support to Global Fund: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 12, 2003; AIDS activists have expressed concerns that the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has been undermined by last month s proposal by President George W. Bush to triple US government bilateral spending on HIV/AIDS in Africa. The Bush HIV/AIDS plan was a tremendous victory for the global movement to in
HIV/Aids Vaccine Trials Underway: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 12, 2003; Trials of a preventive HIV/AIDS vaccine began on human volunteers on Monday in Entebbe, Uganda . The vaccines are currently the only ones being tested on humans that are tailored for the subtype of HIV most common in eastern Africa - subtype A. Most other vaccines focus on the B strain, which is found in the US and Eur
INTERVIEW: Interview With UN Country Representative Sam Nyambi: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 11, 2003; Sam Nyambi is the United Nations Country Representative for Ethiopia , arriving in 1998 and heading the largest UN country team in Africa. He tells IRIN about radical changes underway to prevent future emergencies in Ethiopia. Q: Given the enormous obstacles like AIDS, poverty and the drought, what future do you see fo
King Fails to Address Key Issues: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 7, 2003; King Mswati III delivered a much anticipated speech on Friday when he opened the Houses of Parliament, but his briefest State of the Kingdom address ever avoided mentioning the on-going political crises, and offered only one new initiative to combat AIDS, poverty and the current food crisis. We all bear individual resp
Southern Africa: HIV/AIDS as a security issue: Integrated Regional Information Networks - Friday 7 February, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 6 Feb 2003 (IRIN) - The HIV/AIDS pandemic has become a human security and governance issue no less destructive than warfare itself, according to a new project aimed at exploring the impact of the disease on security in Southern Africa. The Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) on Thursday la
SWAZILAND: King fails to address key issues: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 7, 2003; MBABANE (IRIN) - King Mswati III delivered a much anticipated speech on Friday when he opened the Houses of Parliament, but his briefest State of the Kingdom address ever avoided mentioning the on-going political crises, and offered only one new initiative to combat AIDS, poverty and the current food crisis. We all bea
ETHIOPIA: WFP aid for development programmes: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 7, 2003; ADDIS ABABA (IRIN) - The UN s World Food Programme (WFP) is to plough US $56 million into development programmes in Ethiopia aimed at tackling long-term food shortages. It will target some 1.3 million people a year by rehabilitating degraded land, stopping soil erosion, regenerating forests and helping to build water p
CONGO: EU grants US $812,700 towards education, the fight against drug abuse: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 7, 2003; BRAZZAVILLE (IRIN) - The EU has granted the UN Education Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) �750,000 (US $812,700) for an 18-month programme in the Republic of Congo (ROC) entitled School reinsertion and the fight against drug abuse and sexually-transmitted diseases . According to a news release
UNDP Grants National Anti-HIV/AIDS Committee US $140,000: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 6, 2003; BANGUI,- The Central African Republic s anti-HIV/AIDS body, the Comite National de Lutte contre le Sida (CNLS), has signed an agreement with 30 NGOs granting each about one million francs CFA (about US $1,734) to help fight the pandemic, according to the CNLS acting coordinator, Marcel Massanga. Massanga, an epidemiolo
Muslim Leaders Praised for Leading By Example: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 4, 2003; Senior Muslim figures who recently underwent voluntary HIV tests were praised this week by health officials for leading by example, rather than just talking about what people should do . The leaders, who included 14 sheikhs, imams and religious teachers from around Tanzania , chose to undergo the tests following a meet
Uphill Struggle for Safe Sex Campaign: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 4, 2003; The first survey of Swazis sexual behaviour and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS has found that high awareness of the pandemic has not translated into less risk-taking behaviour, and that HIV-positive people remain unwilling to admit their status. The study was conducted at a time when Swaziland is in need of data, sai
French HIV/Aids Research Agency Offers Help: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 4, 2003; A French research body, Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida, is this week due to begin supporting services trying to minimise the spread of the herpes simplex virus (HVS) in the Central African Republic (CAR), according to an official of the agency. We have brought with us the materials worth 5,000 euros that are
Floods, Drought Impact Negatively On Children: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 4, 2003; Heavy flooding in 2000 and 2001 and a subsequent drought and food crisis have had an extraordinarily negative impact on children in Mozambique , Save the Children Fund (SCF) said in a new report. The fund said many children in Mozambique found themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty with inadequate access to basic ser
New Hope in HIV/Aids Struggle: Integrated Regional Information Networks - February 3, 2003; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria has given Namibia US $113 million over five years in what could prove to be a turning point in the country s campaign to fight the three diseases, analysts said. Namibia submitted a coordinated country proposal (CCP), which enhanced partnerships in the fight
HIV/Aids a "Horrifying New Disaster": Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 29, 2003; Although a humanitarian crisis had been mitigated in Southern Africa through swift food aid deliveries, a horrifying new disaster was looming in Southern Africa in the form of HIV/AIDS, James Morris, the UN Secretary-General s special envoy for humanitarian needs in Southern Africa warned on Wednesday. The impact of HI
UGANDA: High levels of domestic violence in rural areas: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 27, 2003; NAIROBI, 27 Jan 2003 (IRIN) - A study has shown that about one in three women living in rural areas of Uganda experiences verbal or physical threats from their partners. Fifty percent of them receive injuries as a result. Findings from the study, conducted by John Hopkins University, highlight the links between domesti
Twin Crises Devastating Families, UN Envoy: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 24, 2003; UN Secretary-General s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, James T. Morris, has highlighted the plight of women and children amid the twin crises of HIV/AIDS and food shortages. Visiting Lesotho , as part of a tour of affected countries in the region, Morris said the deadly combination of widesprea
French NGO Gets Land to Build HIV/Aids Centre: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 23, 2003; Hanuman, a French NGO campaigning against HIV/AIDS has acquired land on which an HIV therapy centre worth US $230,000 will be built. The land was granted by a presidential decree on Tuesday. A leading figure in Hanuman, Bernard Leclerc, who is also an adviser to the Central African Republic (CAR) president, told IR
SOUTHERN AFRICA: UN agencies call for "prompt" action on HIV/AIDS: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 22, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 22 Jan 2003 (IRIN) - Around 12 million of Southern Africa s 60-million people may die prematurely of AIDS alone unless prompt and decisive action is taken to respond to the region s humanitarian crisis, United Nations agencies have warned. All indications are that Southern Africa would suffer nothing shor
Slow Start to HIV/Aids Treatment Roll-Out: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 20, 2003; This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations The World Health Organisation (WHO) threw down a challenge to the international community when, at the Barcelona international AIDS conference in August, it set a target of three million HIV-positive Africans to be on antiretroviral (ARV) HIV/AIDS
HIV/Aids Funding Fails to Make the Leap: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 20, 2003; This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Hailed as a quantum leap in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has become a focal point for funding efforts to bring the epidemic to heal. But a year after issuing its first call for fu
COTE D IVOIRE: UN Humanitarian Envoy begins mission: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 16, 2003; ABIDJAN, 16 Jan 2003 (IRIN) - The United Nations Humanitarian Envoy for the Cote d Ivoire Crisis, Carolyn McAskie, begun on Thursday a mission in West Africa to evaluate the level of the crisis in Cote d Ivoire and lobby in favour of the work of the humanitarian community. McAskie, who was named Humanitarian Envoy las
SOUTH AFRICA: Understanding youth culture is key: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 15, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 15 January (IRIN) - Over 60 percent of HIV/AIDS infections in South Africa occur before the age of 25, a recent report from the South African University of Cape Town has revealed. The report focuses on high risk sexual activity among the youth and makes particular reference to South Africa. HIV/AIDS a
Warning Over High Toll of Aids Orphans: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 13, 2003; A quarter of children in Ethiopia could be orphaned by the HIV/AIDS virus within eight years, experts warned on Friday. The warning came during a conference on HIV/AIDS in Addis Ababa, where it was also revealed that 2.2 million Africans are dying of the virus each year. Alan Whiteside, head of the Health Economics and
SOUTH AFRICA: Activists condemn invitation to AIDS dissident: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 9, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 9 Jan 2003 (IRIN) - South African HIV/AIDS activists on Thursday condemned an invitation by Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to a leading AIDS dissident to address regional health ministers later this month. For the health minister to invite someone who has been castigated by the medical profes
AFRICA: Activists "frustrated" by delays in WTO talks: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 7, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 7 January (IRIN) - World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks held late last year failed to resolve the issue of access to generic medicines in developing countries after the United States blocked an agreement on granting easier access to the drugs. The United States insisted on an additional restriction, to li
HIV/Aids Activists Call for Welfare Grants, Not Food Aid: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 7, 2003; South African HIV/AIDS lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Tuesday cautiously welcomed an announcement by the government that it will provide nutritious food to people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs). TAC, however, said the government s primary focus should be on providing the necessary welfare grants to PWA
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS lobby group ends hunger strike: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 6, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 6 January (IRIN) - It was a bleak holiday season for South Africa s National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), as 14 of its members went on hunger strike calling for the uniform allocation of welfare grants and access to treatment. The fast ended on Monday, after the government urged the
ZAMBIA: Falling life expectancy: Integrated Regional Information Networks - January 2, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, 2 Jan 2003 (IRIN) - Life expectancy among Zambian adults is falling, according to the findings of two new databases, raising concerns over the impact of HIV/AIDS. The recently published Demographic Health Survey and the 2000 Census of Population and Housing have revealed a significant deterioration in adu

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