A giant bright yellow condom was the centre of attraction in Namibia's capital, Windhoek, in November. Namibian civil society organisations - united in the fight against HIV/AIDS - had kicked off a series of activities in the run-up to World AIDS Day on 1 December. "By December 2003 over 100,000 HIV/AIDS cases were [officially] reported in Namibia," deputy health minister Dr Richard Kamwi told the crowd assembled around the condom. "Although these figures are extreme, it should be noted that it is only the tip of the iceberg."
Equity and HIV/AIDS
Final report: Malawi HIV and AIDS prevalence study
Weir S, Hoffman I, Muula A, Brown L, Jackson EF, Chirwa T, Zanera D, Kumwenda N, Kadzandira J, Slaymaker E and Zaba B: 30 June 2008
This report compared prevalence rates in Blantyre and Lilongwe, Malawi’s two major cities. It found that the rates in Blantyre were higher than those in Lilongwe, but these differences could not easily be explained, even though other sources of data, namely 2004 DHS data and 2005 and 2006 screening data from ANC clinics, confirmed the findings. Although incidence studies among the general population have not been conducted, there is some evidence from available data that the difference is caused by a real difference in HIV incidence. In-migration may have diluted prevalence, but data is inadequate to assess this issue. Lack of male circumcision was ruled out as a contributing factor. Possible contributing factors include a younger age of sexual debut and a longer gap between first sex and first marriage, as well as sex with a non-cohabitating partner, which was more common in Blantyre. Marital stability was found to be protective for women.
Financing the response to AIDS in low- and middle-income countries: International assistance from the G8, European Commission and other donor governments in 2008
Kates J, Lief E and Avila C: UNAIDS and the Kaiser Family Foundation, July 2009
This report on international AIDS assistance provides data from 2008, the most recent year available. As such, it represents funding levels reflecting budgets largely set in place before the acceleration of the current global economic crisis. The analysis is based on data provided by donor countries. It found that international AIDS assistance from the G8, the European Community and other donor governments reached its highest level to date – new commitments totalled US$8.7 billion, of which US$6.7 billion was through bilateral channels. Disbursements have increased by more than six-fold. In 2008, the United States was the largest donor in the world, accounting for 51.3% of disbursements by governments. The United Kingdom accounted for the second largest share (12.6%), followed by the Netherlands (6.5%), France (6.4%) and Germany (6.2%). Still, there was a gap of US$6.5 billion between resources available from all sources and resources needed in 2008, as estimated by UNAIDS.
Firms fail on pledge to deliver life-saving drugs
Mail & Guardian (South Africa): 13 March 2006
Major drug companies are still not making life-saving drugs available to millions of people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world, according to the charity Médécins Sans Frontières (MSF). Basic three-drug cocktails in a single pill are being slowly rolled out to some who need them, but doctors fear many of those people will die within a few years if they cannot get hold of alternative drugs that are widely available in Western countries.
First positive results from an HIV vaccine
Plus News: 24 September 2009
A six-year clinical trial in Thailand has yielded the first ever evidence that an AIDS vaccine can provide some protection against HIV infection. The trial team in Bangkok, Thailand's capital announced on 24 September that rates of HIV infection were 31% lower in trial participants who got the vaccine than in those who received a placebo. ‘These new findings represent an important step forward in HIV vaccine research,’ said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the main funder of the trial. The study began enrolling 16,000 HIV-negative men and women between the ages of 18 and 30 in October 2003. Half the volunteers received a placebo; the other half were given shots containing two different vaccines. The trial was designed to evaluate whether the combined vaccines (ALVAC-HIV and AIDSVAX) lowered HIV infection risk, and whether they had any impact on viral load [the amount of HIV circulating in the bloodstream] in the volunteers who became infected. Of 8,197 people given the vaccine regimen, 51 became infected, compared to 74 of the 8,198 volunteers who received the placebo.
Focus on drug access at HIV/AIDS meet
South-North Development Monitor (SUNS) #6299, 22 July 2007
Delegates at a major international conference on HIV and AIDS urged developed countries to help guarantee the supply of affordable drugs to combat the virus and the syndrome. Over 5,000 delegates from 130 countries were in Sydney to attend the Fourth International AIDS Society (IAS 2007) conference featuring the latest developments in HIV biology, pathogenesis, treatment and prevention science. It explored how the gap between research and practice can be bridged, particularly in developing countries that bear the brunt of the HIV pandemic.
Focus on education, gender, HIV and AIDS
Eldis HIV and AIDS Reporter
There is growing evidence that education improves the chances of girls to build a better future for themselves and their families. The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS argues that abolishing school fees, providing cash grants and introducing flexible schooling are all ways to help increase girls' enrolment in school. Policies and interventions must also take the needs of HIV positive girls into consideration. The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS calls for continued access to education for HIV positive girls, as well as systems to fight discrimination against HIV positive girls.
Food and nutrition implications of antiretroviral therapy in resource limited settings
Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA)
This technical note from the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) Project provides information and guidance about the food and nutrition implications of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource limited settings. It discusses the effects of food on medication efficacy, the effects of medication on nutrient utilisation, the effects of medication side effects on food consumption, and unhealthy side effects caused by medication and certain foods. It also outlines ways to manage the effects of these drug-food interactions, with a particular focus on food security constraints in resource limited settings.
Food security, livelihoods and HIV/AIDS
This paper is intended both for managers and technical staff working either in food security and livelihoods or in HIV/AIDS and reproductive health who require an introduction to the linkages between the two areas, and as a guide to the many issues that need to be considered when carrying out assessments (or reviewing others’ assessments) and when planning interventions. The focus is specifically on economic impacts of AIDS, and does not address important emotional, psychological and social impacts.
Forcing patients to pay for AIDS care undermines treatment success
MSF ; via Procaare
Having to pay for HIV/AIDS care increases the risk of treatment failure, according to new research from Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) presented this week at the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually transmitted infections in Africa (ICASA), in Abuja, Nigeria. The research revealed that in Lagos, Nigeria, among patients who had to pay for their own AIDS care, 44% had multiple treatment interruptions or took insufficient dosages due to lack of funds. The medical effects of this are extremely worrying.