Freeport, Bahamas - Dr. Perry Gomez points out rows of empty beds in Princess Margaret Hospital - beds that not long ago were filled to capacity with dying AIDS patients. Nothing short of a revolution has happened, says Gomez, who runs AIDS treatment for the island nation. A year ago dying patients lay in the hospital,
After two intense years of haggling over how to provide anti-HIV care in poor countries, the World Health Organization unveiled details yesterday of a bold plan to have 3 million people in treatment by the end of 2005. Called the 3 By 5 Initiative, the plan is nothing less than historic. Though the WHO has carried out
HIV/AIDS has continued its relentless growth this year, adding 10 new HIV infections every minute, according to a report issued yesterday by the United Nations AIDS Programme. It said as many as 46 million people are infected. In its annual estimate of the size and scope of the pandemic, UNAIDS reported th
Wheeling, W.Va. - Twenty-three people in this state are on a waiting list to receive regular supplies of the drugs that so effectively keep HIV patients alive and well. When a slot opens, the first in line gains entry and gets access to a regular supply of medications. Such openings occur only when people in the progra
HIV/AIDS has continued its relentless growth this year, adding 10 new HIV infections every minute, according to a report issued Tuesday by the United Nations AIDS Programme. It said as many as 46 million people are infected. In its annual estimate of the size and scope of the pandemic, UNAIDS reported the ep
The board of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis voted yesterday to send grants of $623 million to poor countries, a $246-million decrease from grants made earlier this year. The vote came amid controversy about the U.S. commitment to fighting AIDS. The Global Fund had set a target of $3 billion
Winstone Zulu is the sixth of 13 children born to his Lusaka, Zambia , family and raised under the watchful eyes of devout Anglican Christian parents. Only he and five of his siblings remain alive today, and his parents, now elderly, are raising 18 orphaned grandchildren. Sadly, there is nothing unusual about the Zulu
In a special session of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, the World Health Organization declared a treatment state of emergency for the AIDS epidemic, putting forth an ambitious plan to provide treatment for millions in poor countries. Currently, according to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, fewer than 300
In a special session of the United Nations General Assembly Monday, the World Health Organization declared a treatment state of emergency for the AIDS epidemic, putting forth an ambitious plan to provide treatment for millions in poor countries. Currently, according to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, fewer than 300,00
In recent months, AIDS patients in China have been beaten, jailed, harassed and denied medicines that could extend their lives, say prominent AIDS and human rights activists. The episodes appear to defy the hope that arose during the country s SARS crisis, as several political leaders and opinion makers called for acr
More than 500 scientists working on AIDS and other infectious diseases learned recently that their federal grants are being reduced so that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases can meet a White House mandate to come up with a new anthrax vaccine. The move is unprecedented in the 116-year history of
The Asian world is breathing a sigh of relief. SARS, the disease that appeared with no warning seven months ago, posed a threat far beyond infection. The health of countries, not just people, was at stake. National economies, tourism, foreign investment - all were pummeled by the appearance of the virulent, previously
Beijing - Highly placed political observers in China say the SARS epidemic is forcing a lasting change in how this nation sets its priorities and discloses information about everything from diseases to military matters. If the Beijing government can stamp out the epidemic before the end of the summer, they say, the pow
Beijing -- New York scientist Dr. David Ho, noted for his AIDS research, has seen promising results in the lab using an HIV drug against the SARS virus. Three weeks ago, Ho and colleagues in New York and Hong Kong discovered that the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus uses mechanisms to gain entry to a cell that a
Beijing -- In a dingy four-story building on a dark alley in this city s poorest district, 40 scientists toil through the day and night in the quest to understand and defeat the SARS virus. They know other researchers around the globe have greater resources, and all are essentially competing, aiming to be first to iden
Beijing -- A small but potentially intriguing clue has emerged in the SARS fight, even as China s epidemic continues to spiral. From the Beijing perspective, the epidemic couldn t look worse. The city added 152 cases Tuesday. More residential complexes were placed under quarantine, bringing the total of sequestered res
China shut down a major hospital here Thursday -- one with more than 2,000 employees and 1,200 beds -- ringing the block with police tape and masked, armed guards to prevent anyone from entering or exiting because of concerns over SARS. The government early Friday then ordered 4,000 people to stay home in quarantine
Hong Kong - In a city besieged by a mysterious new virus, toddlers wear Pokemon and Winnie the Pooh face masks, teenaged sweethearts hold latex-gloved hands, television offers regular messages assuring the people that the territory will survive. And economic disaster looms. Hong Kong, which has a population of
Two laboratories in the United States and Canada have figured out the complete genetic code of the virus suspected of causing the respiratory disorder SARS, a step essential to developing diagnostic tests and treatments. The findings are remarkable because of their speed - by comparison, it took nearly three years to f
The first potential AIDS vaccine tested in large numbers of people has proven a failure, though its manufacturer, VaxGen , says there is some evidence that the product may be effective among blacks and Asian Americans. Overall, AIDSVax - the first anti-HIV vaccine to complete Phase III clinical trials - offered no prot
The first potential AIDS vaccine tested in large numbers of people has proven a failure, though its manufacturer, VaxGen , says there is some evidence that the product may be effective among blacks and Asian Americans. Overall, AIDSVax -- the first anti-HIV vaccine to complete Phase III clinical trials -- offered no pr
A petite Zulu woman in traditional attire nervously stepped to the microphone, addressing 5,000 scientists, doctors and AIDS activists at the 10th Conference on Retroviruses. I am living in a country with one of the highest HIV rates in the world, said Zinhle Thabethe, a young South African singer. You know the statist
Boston - HIV patients surviving for years on antiviral medicines appear to be at high risk for heart disease, including fatal heart attacks. The risk of a heart attack increases by 26 percent for each year patients remain on antiviral medicines, researchers announced yesterday at the 10th Conference on Retroviruses her
Boston -- A tiny, apparently harmless virus that is commonly found in people all over the world seems to keep patients who are infected with the AIDS virus alive and healthy for years. Though the discovery of the virus, called GBV-C, was made in 1996, and some scientists offered evidence of its relationship with HIV a
Boston - One dose of a drug that may soon be used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in thousands of pregnant women in Africa and other poor regions causes the virus to mutate and concentrate in breast milk, a small study found. The research presented yesterday at the 10th Conference on Retroviruses raised
Boston - The American HIV epidemic may be back on the upswing, with more people becoming infected, both through homosexual and heterosexual transmission, CDC officials said yesterday at the 10th Human Retrovirus Conference. After several years of declining AIDS numbers in the United States , thanks to successful dru
Stung and surprised by criticism of his $15 billion proposal for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, President George W. Bush Friday asked Americans to reach out with compassion to those with the disease, and expressed support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
The five-year, $15-billion AIDS program announced by President George W. Bush Tuesday night sends only $200 million a year to the global AIDS fund - a decrease from current funding - and earmarks the rest on treatment and prevention campaigns for 14 chosen nations in Africa and the Caribbean. The current U.S. donation
Davos, Switzerland - Microsoft founder Bill Gates yesterday announced a $200-million challenge to the world s scientists, aimed at increasing the amount of research on diseases that afflict the world s poor. The latest philanthropic venture from the software billionaire aims to create a panel of scientists who will est
A pharmaceutical company will shortly announce the results of large clinical tests of an AIDS vaccine, and it plans to seek Food and Drug Administration approval for the product. If the initial results indicate even a modicum of success, investors will react swiftly, said Robert LeBoyer, a senior biotechnology analyst
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