[hivaids-twg] Fwd: Today's News (2009.11.26ex)

[HIV-TWG Moderator]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Diaz, Clara <diazc at unaids.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 7:48 PM
Subject: Today's News (2009.11.26ex)
To:




Please find attached the following AIDS-related articles compiled by UNAIDS







*UNAIDS*

1. Xinhua News, China - *China** confronts "severe task" of AIDS prevention,
treatment: Vice Premier*

2. El Mundo, Spain - *"Los casos de sida se han duplicado en toda Europa''*

3. El Colombiano - *Sida: freno a la infección*

4. Nature, UK - *New HIV cases on the decline *

5. BMJ, UK - *New HIV infections down 17% in past eight years *

6. El Periódico, Spain - *El sida se estabiliza con 33 millones de
infectados  ** *



*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*

1. Times of Zambia - *PMTCT Will Save Humanity From Extinction, Says
Thandiwe  *

2. Times LIVE, SA - *Exciting model: AIDS treatment at home by lay
counsellors gets good results *

3. Times LIVE, SA - *Lesotho ARV programme excellent example for SA *

4. IRIN PlusNews - *Africa**: Poor Scorecards On Aids Responses for Women *

5. New Times, Rwanda - *Tanzania** MPs Exalt Rwanda's Fight Against HIV/Aids
 *

6. Le Potentiel, Congo-Kinshasa - *Selon un rapport de l'Onusida - Le nombre
de nouvelles infections par le Vih a diminué de 17 % *



*ASIA** AND PACIFIC*

1. Beijing News - *Chinese contracting aids through heterosexual contact*

2. Dawn, Pakistan - *HIV prevalence increasing *

3. Times of India - *School denies admission to HIV-positive children *

4. Kathmandu Post - *AIDS campaign launched *

5. News Agency 24, Kyrgyzstan - *Global Fund allocates Kyrgyzstan $28M to
fight AIDS *



*EUROPE***

1. IPS Terra Viva-Europe - *DEVELOPMENT: 'MDGS IGNORE HUMAN RIGHTS IN
POVERTY FIGHT' *

2. The Independent, UK - *Leading article: Aids treatment sets the standard*

3. The Guardian, UK - *Question time: Annie Lennox*

4. Tribune de Genève - *Sida: les trithérapies font reculer l’épidémie  *

5. LE VIF.be/L’Express - *VIH en Belgique : trois infections diagnostiquées
par jour*



*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*

1. Radio Jamaica - *HIV/AIDS dominate Commonwealth meeting*

2. El Diario, Mexico - *Se duplican contagios de Sida en las mujeres *

3. O Estado de S. Paulo, Brazil - *Indústria oferece acordo a hemofílicos*



*NORTH AMERICA*

1. Los Angeles Times - *On HIV and AIDS: Six assessments about where we go
from here *

2. US News & World Report - *Pentagon Helping 80 Countries With AIDS
Prevention*

3. Los Angeles Times - *Study links Latino immigrants' HIV testing to level
of adaptation to U.S. culture *



*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*

1. UNAIDS - UNAIDS welcomes legal registration of Viet Nam Network of People
Living With HIV





===========================



*UNAIDS*



===========================



*China confronts "severe task" of AIDS prevention, treatment: Vice Premier**
**Xinhua News, China*

25/11/2009



BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Despite the slower spread of the HIV epidemic,
China still faced "a severe task" of AIDS prevention and treatment, Vice
Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday.



    "China is still confronted with a severe task of AIDS prevention and
treatment, although the spread of the epidemic has slowed down thanks to the
joint efforts of government, professionals and the public," Li said in a
meeting with Executive Director of Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) Michel Sidibe.



    Before his meeting with the vice premier, the UNAIDS chief went to
Shanghai to launch the UN 2009 AIDS epidemic update on Tuesday.



    China has 560,000 to 920,000 people infected by HIV virus and 97,000 to
112,000 AIDS patients by the end of 2009, according to estimates by the
Ministry of Health and the UNAIDS.



    "We will continue to consolidate AIDS prevention and treatment among
high-risk groups in key areas," Li told Sidibe.



    Li said China would improve the disease detection and treatment and
fully implement policies of free treatment and humane care.



    Li highlighted the country's efforts to step up AIDS awareness education
among the public and mobilize social forces in disease prevention and
control in a bid to minimize the AIDS impact.



    As AIDS is a major disease and social issue facing the whole humanity,
Li called for concerted efforts of the international community.



    He pledged China's commitment to stronger international cooperation,
saying the country will expand information and technology exchanges, share
experience in prevention and treatment, shoulder international obligations
and contribute to the health and security of human.



    China now has 276 AIDS control programs jointly operated with more than
40 foreign governments or international organizations, involving 3.58
billion yuan in fund.



    Sidibe, who was on his first China visit since serving as UNAIDS chief
in January 2009, said the vice premier's meeting with him "showed the
country's commitment to this cause."



    Their meeting came days ahead of the World AIDS Day which falls on Dec.
1 every year.



    Sidibe, also under Secretary General of the United Nations, praised
China's efforts in AIDS prevention and treatment and called for stronger
cooperation between the United Nations and China.



    Founded in 1996, UNAIDS is an innovative joint venture of the United
Nations, bringing together the efforts and resources of 10 UN system
organizations in AIDS response to help the world prevent new HIV infections,
care for people living with HIV, and mitigate the impact of the epidemic.



    With its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the UNAIDS Secretariat
works on the ground in more than 80 countries worldwide. Its Beijing office
started operation in 1996.

Editor: Mu Xuequan



*2** *

*"Los casos de sida se han duplicado en toda Europa''**
**El Mundo Suplemento, Spain***

26/11/2009



ISABEL F. LANTIGUA



Lleva menos de un año al frente de ONUSIDA -el organismo de la ONU que lucha
contra el VIH-, pero conoce bien los devastadores efectos que el sida ha
provocado, principalmente, en África, su lugar de origen. Tras 25 años
trabajando por la salud pública, Michel Sidibé (Mali, 1952) se levanta cada
mañana con un sueño: «Conseguir un mundo libre de VIH». Un reto que se
antoja harto difícil, pues los últimos datos sobre la epidemia indican que
en el mundo viven 33,4 millones de seropositivos. Sin embargo, él no tira la
toalla y explica SALUD cuáles son los desafíos.



Pregunta.- ¿Qué cifras destacaría del nuevo informe sobre la evolución de la
enfermedad?

Respuesta.- A finales de 2008, 33,4 millones de personas vivían con VIH en
el mundo, 2,7 millones contrajeron el virus y dos millones fallecieron.
Estas cifras evidencian que estamos ante una epidemia global muy seria. Sin
embargo, hemos visto progresos. Las nuevas infecciones han descendido un 17%
en los últimos ocho años. En África subsahariana se han contabilizado
400.000 infecciones menos que en 2001 y también ha habido un importante
descenso en Asia. Quiere decir que los esfuerzos realizados en la prevención
empiezan a marcar la diferencia. Pero aún no estamos siendo lo bastante
rápidos para mantener al virus a raya. Todavía nos enfrentamos a 7.400
nuevos casos al día y por cada dos personas que empiezan el tratamiento,
otras cinco adquieren el VIH.



P.- ¿Cuáles son los objetivos más inmediatos para ONUSIDA?

R.- Lo primero es reconocer que hay múltiples epidemias que han cambiado con
el tiempo. La transmisión es distinta ahora de lo que era hace una década.
En Asia, el sida se concentraba al principio en los usuarios de drogas
mientras que hoy está afectando principalmente a parejas heterosexuales.
Otros cambios similares se han visto en África y Europa del Este. Debemos
adaptarnos cuanto antes a estas variaciones.



P.- ¿Qué ha hecho la comunidad internacional para prevenir la transmisión
del virus?

R.- Gracias a todos los esfuerzos hemos logrado un tremendo progreso en el
acceso al tratamiento. Una buena noticia es la prevención de la transmisión
vertical, de madres a hijos. Al proporcionar la terapia a las mujeres
seropositivas embarazadas hemos evitado 200.000 nuevas infecciones en bebés
desde 2001. El número de huérfanos por culpa de la enfermedad también ha
descendido. No obstante, aún queda mucho por hacer.



P. Más de cinco millones de personas con VIH que necesitan tratamiento
siguen sin acceso a los fármacos, ¿por qué?

R.- En la actualidad, cuatro millones de seropositivos reciben la terapia
antirretroviral, lo que supone un aumento del 36% en sólo un año. Pero es
cierto que a pesar de todo, aún hay cinco millones de personas con VIH que
necesitan medicamentos y no los tienen. Hay muchas cosas que podemos hacer
para mejorar la situación. Primero, el precio de los fármacos debe bajar,
sobre todo los de segunda línea. Asimismo, los ciudadanos tienen que saber
cuál es su estado serológico, si tienen o no el virus para así acceder al
tratamiento (el 69% de los infectados desconoce que lo está). También
debemos mejorar los servicios de salud de los países pobres y asegurar la
correcta distribución de las medicinas.



P.- ¿La gente joven se preocupa por esta enfermedad o no?

R.- Es difícil generalizar. Los jóvenes son una prioridad para ONUSIDA. En
algunos países hemos visto un incremento en el número de adolescentes y
jóvenes que usan preservativos para prevenir el VIH, pero en otros lados ha
ocurrido lo contrario y las infecciones se han multiplicado.



P.- Algunos estudios señalan un aumento del sida entre la población
inmigrante. ¿Es una situación que viven muchos países?

R.- Sí. Los inmigrantes están en el grupo de población con más riesgo de
infectarse, básicamente porque sus necesidades específicas, en términos de
prevención de enfermedades, no están siendo cubiertas por los distintos
gobiernos.



P.- ¿Cuál es el perfil de los nuevos pacientes en los países ricos?

R.- Las epidemias en Norteamérica y Europa Central y Occidental se centran
sobre todo en hombres que tienen sexo con otros, inmigrantes y usuarios de
drogas. Entre 2000 y 2007, la tasa de nuevos casos de sida en Europa se ha
duplicado y es una tendencia muy preocupante.



*4*

*Sida: freno a la infección**
**El Colombiano*

26/11/2009



Resumen De Agencias   -  Ginebra, Suiza



La prevención empieza a mostrar resultados. Así al menos se desprende de los
datos presentados por Onusida en su informe anual sobre el comportamiento de
esta epidemia en el mundo.



Las infecciones por el virus VIH disminuyeron en los últimos ocho años un 17
por ciento, por lo que la epidemia del sida está retrocediendo, informó esta
agencia de las Naciones Unidas.



El retroceso se debe sobre todo al descenso de las infecciones en África
Subsahariana (15 por ciento). Pero en el contexto más cercano la noticia no
es tan alentadora, pues en Latinoamérica la epidemia de sida se mantiene
estable (0,6%) a pesar de que ha habido un incremento de casos en los
últimos ocho años. En 2001, en la región vivían 1,6 millones de personas con
el virus del sida, mientras en el 2008 esta cifra ha aumentado a 2 millones.



Globalmente, sin embargo, los nuevos datos señalan que las nuevas
infecciones sí se pueden controlar.



"La buena noticia es que tenemos pruebas de que el descenso que estamos
viendo (en muchas regiones) se debe, en parte, a la prevención contra el
virus VIH", dijo Michel Sidibé, director ejecutivo de Onusida.Poblaciones en
riesgo

Los datos de la agencia revelan que en 2008 se registraron 2,7 millones de
nuevas infecciones, y dos millones de fallecimientos.



Una de las cifras más preocupantes es la que tiene que ver con los niños.
Ese mismo año, alrededor de 430.000 infantes nacieron con VIH, llevando a
2,1 millones el total de menores de 15 años que viven con el virus del sida.



Los jóvenes, agregó Onusida en su informe, representan alrededor del 40 por
ciento de todas las nuevas infecciones con VIH en el mundo.



Los datos proporcionados por Onusida señalan que la población en riesgo no
es la misma que se indicó hace más e 20 años, cuando apenas se empezaba a
conocer la infección.



Y, aunque sí hay aumentos drásticos en aumento drástico en el número de
infecciones nuevas entre quienes utilizan drogas inyectables, es un error
creer que el hecho de ser heterosexual o estar casado es un factor de
protección.



En Colombia, incluso, la infección ha aumentado en la población femenina por
la promiscuidad masculina.



En el país, según los datos registrados en las Estadísticas de la vigilancia
en Salud Pública del Instituto Nacional de Salud, se encuentra un aumento en
el número de casos reportados de VIH.



Mientras al finalizar el año pasado se reportaban 4.512 casos, 41 de ellos
en Antioquia; en lo que va corrido de 2009 se registran ya 6.710 nuevas
infecciones, 1.281 en el departamento.



Acceso a los medicamentos

En relación al tratamiento para luchar contra la enfermedad, más de 4
millones de personas en los países de ingresos bajos y medianos tuvieron
acceso en 2008, lo que constituye un aumento respecto a los 3 millones que
lo recibieron en el 2007, indica Onusida.



Esto representa una sobrevida importante para los pacientes que logran
mantener bajo control su infección, sin embargo, más de la mitad de las
personas que necesita medicinas que les pueden salvar la vida no las están
obteniendo, de acuerdo a la actualización para el 2009 del informe sobre la
epidemia del sida.



"El principal problema que estamos enfrentando hoy es la inequidad. Es muy
importante que no sigamos teniendo cada año 400.000 bebés nacidos con VIH en
Africa", precisó Sidibe.



"Esto es algo que el mundo puede alcanzar. Es por eso que estamos haciendo
un llamado a la virtual eliminación de la transmisión de madre a hijo para
el 2015", puntualizó.



"Más de cinco millones de personas necesitan tratamiento y no lo están
recibiendo", precisó Teguest Guerma, director interino del departamento de
VIH/Sida de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.



*5*

*New HIV cases on the decline**
**Nature, UK*

25/11/2009



Cross posted from Nature's Spoonful of Medicine blog. Written by Elie
Dolgin.



The death toll from AIDS has topped 25 million people, but new infections
are dropping sharply, according to a report released yesterday by the Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health
Organization (WHO).



First, the bad news: according to the new report, titled AIDS Epidemic
Update 2009, last year some 2.7 million people became infected with the
virus. That brings the total number of people living with the disease to
around 33.4 million worldwide.



The good news is that this rate of new HIV infection has been reduced by 17%
over the past eight years. Since 2001, HIV incidence has fallen by 15% in
sub-Saharan Africa and 25% in East Africa. In South and South East Asia, HIV
infections declined by 10% in the same time period.



The report also concluded that the number of AIDS-related deaths has dropped
by more than 10% over the past five years. That change, it says, is due in
large part to more widespread availability of life saving anti-retroviral
treatments.



The report’s rosy glow is no license for complacency, however. "This is a
sign that HIV infection prevention efforts are making a difference, but
we're still not moving fast enough to break the trajectory of the virus,"
UNAIDS deputy executive director Paul De Lay said at a press conference.



For example, a new case study published in this month’s issue of the journal
AIDS describes a particularly nasty strain of HIV that killed a previously
healthy 20-year-old within 6 months of infection, even though the virus
didn’t show up on standard antibody tests. So, while infections and deaths
may be on the decline overall, clinicians and researchers need to stay
vigilant to detect the next trick up HIV’s sleeve.



"It is now a morel imperative that we sustain and strengthen the global
response to this epidemic," Teguest Guerma, acting director of the WHO's
HIV/AIDS department, said at the press conference



*6*

*New HIV infections down 17% in past eight years**
**British Medical Journal, UK*

25/11/2009



John Zarocostas

1 Geneva



The number of new HIV infections globally has been reduced by 17% in the
past eight years largely because of more effective prevention policies, say
new estimates released this week by UNAIDS and the World Health
Organization.



"Most of this progress has been in sub-Saharan Africa where there were 400
000 fewer infections in 2008 than in 2001," Paul deLay, UNAIDS deputy
executive director, told reporters.



In 2008, the agencies estimate there were 33.4 million people living with
HIV, 2.7 million were infected with the virus, and 2 million people died of
AIDS related illnesses, he said.



"This is clear evidence that we still have a very serious epidemic on our
hands."



The report says that sub-Saharan Africa remains the most heavily infected
region and in 2008 accounted for 67% of all people living with HIV (22.4
million), for 1.9 million new infections, and for 72% (1.4 million) of all
AIDS related deaths.



Commenting on the declining trend in new infections, Dr deLay also noted:
"We’re also seeing good progress in East Asia and South East Asia, and this
represents a clear sign that focused HIV prevention efforts are beginning to
make a difference."



But the UNAIDS official admitted that in some areas, such as eastern Europe,
new infections are on the rise. Ukraine and Russia are seeing an increase.
Overall, however, the epidemic is stabilising and has been for the past five
to six years, he added.



The increase in the number of people with the disease was the result of a
decrease in the number of deaths, not an increase in the number of new
infections. More people were living with the infection than previously,
because of more effective treatment.



The joint report estimates that more than 4 million people received
antiretroviral treatment in 2008, or 42% of those in need of treatment, up
from 33% the year before.



Margaret Chan, WHO director general, said international and national
investment in a scale up of HIV treatment had yielded concrete and
measurable results. "We cannot let this momentum wane. Now is the time to
redouble our efforts, and save many more lives."



Teduest Guerma, director of HIV/AIDS at WHO, said the improved access to
antiretrovirals is showing some impact and added that globally about 2.9
million lives had been saved because of access to antiretroviral treatment.



But Dr Guerma also highlighted that more than 5 million people need
antiretroviral treatment and are not receiving it. In Botswana where the
coverage of antiretroviral treatment is close to 80%, deaths fell by 50%
from 2003 to 2007, she said.



The report also concludes that the epidemic is changing and that prevention
efforts are not keeping pace with this shift. It says data show that few
prevention programmes exist for people over 25 years, married couples or
people in stable relationships, widowers, and divorcees, even though HIV
prevalence in these groups has been found to be high in many sub-Saharan
countries.



Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b5070

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AIDS epidemic update is available at www.unaids.org



*8*

*El sida se estabiliza con 33 millones de infectados  **
**El Periódico, Spain*

25/11/2009



ANTONIO M. YAGÜE, MADRID



Un total de 33,4 millones de personas viven con VIH en el mundo. La cifra no
baja con respecto a otros años. Pero lo que podría parecer negativo, no lo
es. Que haya el mismo número de enfermos significa que los seropositivos
pueden vivir cada vez más. De hecho, el número de nuevas infecciones se ha
reducido en el mundo en un 17% en ocho años, según las estimaciones hechas
públicas ayer por Onusida y la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).

El balance ofrece otros datos positivos. En el África subsahariana, que
concentra al 60% de los afectados en el mundo, se ha registrado un descenso
del 15% en el número de contagios. Y en Asia oriental, zona en la que se
espera una explosión de nuevos casos, la bajada ha sido del 25%. En total.
en el 2008, según calcula Onusida, se han infectado 2,7 millones de
personas. Otros 2 millones han muerto por causas relacionadas con la
enfermedad. «El mal ha entrado en una fase más endémica, más estable, en
buena parte debido a la educación y la prevención», valoró Paul de Lay,
director ejecutivo del organismo.



150.000 ESPAÑOLES// En Madrid, Tomás Hernández, nuevo director del Plan
Nacional sobre el Sida, consideró una buena noticia la ralentización de la
enfermedad, sobre todo si se compara con lo que ocurría hace una década.
Según el responsable de la lucha contra la enfermedad del Ministerio de
Sanidad, se calcula que en España hay actualmente entre 120.000 y 150.000
personas viviendo con el virus del sida.

Aproximadamente un tercio de los españoles que padecen la enfermedad no
saben que están infectados. Esto, según Hernández, supone un problema tanto
para su salud como para la prevención del VIH a nivel general, sobre todo
cuando es facilísimo hacerse la prueba.



===========================



*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*



===========================



*PMTCT Will Save Humanity From Extinction, Says Thandiwe  **
**Times of Zambia*

26/11/2009



FIRST Lady Thandiwe Banda has said that Prevention of Mother-to-Child
Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS is the surest way of saving humanity from
extinction.



Speaking at the official opening of the Organisation of African First Ladies
Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), Mrs Banda said Africa should not continue to lose
more lives when it was able do something.



"We have chosen to go the preventive way, for we all believe that to prevent
infants from contracting the virus is the surest way of saving humanity from
extinction," she said.



Mrs Banda said the workshop under the theme "Maternity Protection as a
Preventive and Care Strategy Against Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV"
was being held under a strategy to capture the virus at the source.



She said that the workshop which had attracted first ladies from
neighbouring countries demonstrated the collective zeal to build bridges
across borders in order to arrive at a common destination.



Facts, figures and statistics about HIV/AIDS, no longer made news because
the scourge had been around for more than two decades.



Mrs Banda said the world should accept the reality of HIV/AIDS which was a
positive indicator of dealing with the stigma associated with the disease
because a lot of money had been pumped in to find a lasting solution.



She also commended the media for consistency in writing on issues related to
HIV/AIDS and that, they had been great and loyal soldiers in the fight
against the disease.



She challenged the media to help champion the cause of maternity protection
as a preventive measure because there was need for concerted efforts to
reduce or eliminate the transmission of HIV/AIDS to infants.



She said while OAFLA was ready to learn about means and ways of speeding up
the ratification of Convention 183 of 2000 on maternity protection, the
issue was also for employers, governments and the labour movement.



OAFLA president and Ethiopian first Lady Woizero Azeb Mesfin commended her
Zambian counterpart for hosting the workshop at a regional level as it would
strengthen the organisation's effectiveness.



Mrs Mesfin said during the last five years, OAFLA member countries had been
working on increasing the uptake of PMTCT because almost 90 per cent of
infections from mother-to-child occurred in Africa.



She said that the role of OAFLA was to ensure that member countries took
opportunities to increase awareness and commitment to bring all stakeholders
together to ensure that no child in Africa was born with the virus.



National Aids Council (NAC) director Ben Chirwa commended the African first
ladies for joining the cause on PMTC because it had made a difference in
Zambia from the time it was introduced.



United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNPFA) country representative
Duah Owusu-Sarfo said that although first ladies had no official positions
in government, they were influential in decision making.



The workshop was also attended by South African first lady Nompumelelo Zuma,
a representative of Namibian first lady Penehupifo Pohamba, former Zambian
first ladies Vera Tembo and Maureen Mwanawasa.



*2*

*Exciting model: AIDS treatment at home by lay counsellors gets good results
**
**Times LIVE; SA*

25/11/2009



Claire Keeton



A new Ugandan study offers great hope for people with AIDS in rural areas in
Africa needing antiretroviral treatment.



The trial tested a model in which lay-trained counsellors, not doctors or
nurses, treated people at home – and they were as healthy as the patients
being treated in clinics.



The cluster randomised trial took place in 44 areas in Jinja, Uganda.



The results, published in the Lancet journal online this week, suggested:
“This home-based HIV-care strategy is as effective as is a clinic-based
strategy.



“(This) could enable improved and equitable access to HIV treatment,
especially in areas with poor infrastructure and access to clinic care.”



The researchers found after two and a half years that:

*Home-based ART by trained lay workers achieved equal health gains;

*Reduced mortality, hospital admission and viral supression were used to
measure health gains;

*Patient costs were cut by half or more in the home-based care;

*Home-based care cost the health service slightly less.



Supporting the model, an editorial in Lancet stated: “This result provides
compelling evidence for rolling out home-based ART to complement
facility-based delivery and facilitate access.



“(This is true) especially in rural settings with weak health systems,
shortage of clinical staff , and poor patients for whom transport cost and
lost work-time provide obstacles to treatment initiation and adherence.”



The results are exciting but Uganda has one huge advantage over South
Africa. Stigma around HIV/AID is far less prevalent and people are much more
open about having the virus.



*3*

*Lesotho ARV programme excellent example for SA**
**Times LIVE, SA*

17/11/2009



Lesotho is successfully doing nurse-initiated AIDS treatment at a primary
health care level, a study in the current issue of the Journal of the
International AIDS Society shows.



And Lesotho is doing better than South Africa despite having fewer
resources.



Patients in Lesotho are starting treatment earlier than in South Africa – at
CD4 counts of below 350 instead of below 200.



Their programme is using tenofovir in its first line regimen, which is
better for patients.



Once again MSF – which initiated a programme in Lusikisiki in the Eastern
Cape – is a major player in this rural care and treatment programme.



MSF, the Lesotho Health Ministry and the Christian Health Association of
Lesotho rolled out the decentralized HIV/AIDS care programme in a rural area
with 14 clinics and one district hospital.



“More than 13 243 people have been enrolled in HIV care (5% children), and
5376 initiated on ART (6.5% children), 80% at primary care level,” according
to the study – and the results are encouraging.



“The proportion of adults arriving sick (CD4 <50 cells/mm3) decreased from
22.2% in 2006 to 11.9% in 2008.



“Twelve-month outcomes are satisfactory in terms of mortality (11% for
adults; 9% for children) and loss to follow up (8.8%).



“At 12 months, 80% of adults and 89% of children were alive and in care,
meaning they were still taking their treatment; at 24 months, 77% of adults
remained in care.”



*Journal of the International AIDS Society full-text:
http://www.jiasociety.org/content/12/1/23*



*5*

*Africa: Poor Scorecards On Aids Responses for Women *

*IRIN PlusNews*

25/11/2009



Johannesburg — That women and girls are particularly vulnerable to HIV and
AIDS is well established, but a new report reveals how little we know about
what countries are doing, or not doing, to address their vulnerability.



The Scorecard on Women, released on 23 November by non-profit organization
AIDS Accountability International (AAI), assessed responses to the specific
needs of women in the context of the AIDS epidemic, and the extent to which
governments are meeting their commitment to report on those responses.



In 2001, UN member states unanimously adopted the Declaration of Commitment
on HIV/AIDS, which included specific targets for prioritizing women in AIDS
responses. However, the Scorecard finds that three-quarters of countries are
failing to report basic information on HIV services for women and girls.



Globally, HIV is the leading cause of death in women of reproductive age.
The 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update, released by UNAIDS this week, noted that
women accounted for approximately 60 percent of new HIV infections in
sub-Saharan Africa - the region worst-hit by the pandemic - with girls and
young women at particularly high risk.



In the nine southern African countries most affected by HIV, prevalence
among young women aged 15-24 years was about three times higher than among
men of the same age.



"Women's vulnerability to HIV in sub-Saharan Africa stems not only from
their greater physiological susceptibility to heterosexual transmission, but
also to the severe social, legal and economic disadvantages they often
confront," the UNAIDS report pointed out.



The Scorecard on Women rates countries on their reporting of six key
elements in an AIDS response tuned to the needs of women, including the
collection of HIV data specific to women; progress in ensuring that women
have equal access to HIV services; and the impact of national responses on
reducing infections among women and facilitating their access to treatment.



An overall score reflects the extent of data provided on each element:
countries reporting on all six are characterized as "responsive"; those
reporting on only some are described as "aware"; those failing to
acknowledge women's particular vulnerabilities to HIV infection are
"unfocused".



Countries with the highest HIV burdens were doing the best job of reporting
data detailing their female-centred AIDS efforts, with 67 percent earning
the "responsive" rating.



However, the authors noted that a high score for reporting did not
necessarily reflect good performance in delivering HIV services for women.
Relatively good reporting by South Africa, for example, contrasted with a
poor record in improving the maternal mortality of HIV-positive women, or
curbing high rates of violence against women.



There was also a disturbing lack of data on the situation of young girls,
and what countries were doing to address their particular vulnerabilities.
"Because of the almost total lack of data ... this is a scorecard on women,
and not on women and girls," they commented.



Dean Peacock, co-director of Sonke Gender Justice, a South African-based NGO
that was among several organizations providing input to the Scorecard,
welcomed the effort to hold countries more accountable in implementing their
HIV/AIDS commitments to women.

"There's been widespread recognition that gender inequality is a contributor
to HIV and AIDS, and lots of rhetorical commitments made, but very uneven
follow-through," Peacock told IRIN/PlusNews.



He said the Scorecard would provide advocacy groups with useful leverage
when pushing countries to reach the UN Millennium Development Goals and
other internationally agreed AIDS targets.



Elizabeth Mataka, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on AIDS in
Africa, commented: "Women matter, and it is time all governments acted on
their commitments to protect women and girls from HIV/AIDS."

*[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations
]*



*6*

*Tanzania MPs Exalt Rwanda's Fight Against HIV/Aids  **
**New Times, Rwanda*

26/11/2009





Gashegu Muramira



Kigali — A group of Tanzanian Members of Parliament has commended the
ongoing efforts in the fight against HIV/Aids, saying that Rwanda is a
country that offers unique solutions aimed at controlling the scourge.



The twelve-man delegation is in the country on a study tour aimed at sharing
experiences as well as focusing on the role of parliament in providing
leadership for an effective response to HIV/AIDs.



Lediana Mng'ong'o a legislator representing Iringa region, said that she was
impressed by how authorities in Rwanda have enabled thousands of people have
access to antiretroviral drugs; a task she said still challenges many
countries.



Mng'ong'o, a member of Tanzania's Parliamentary Standing Committee on
HIV/Aids, added that Rwanda also offers unique procurement measures for
patients looking for drugs.



"I was impressed by the one-stop centre for medicine at CAMERWA that also
offers ARVs," the legislator, who is also head of the delegation said
yesterday shortly after visiting UNAIDS offices.



She added that the kind of sharing knowledge, lessons learned and best
practices amongst political leadership will go a long way in finding new
ways of addressing old problems in HIV/Aids.



Millicent Obaso, another member of the delegation, said that Rwanda is doing
very well in the 'task shifting initiative' where well trained nurses are
given authority to provide ARV's to patients.



"This is good for countries to emulate because we always think that the task
of giving out drugs should be left to highly qualified doctors," Obaso said.



She also said that Rwanda, unlike many countries, has performed well in
concurrently handling treatment and prevention measures, adding that
countries usually excel in handling one of the two.



The visit, by the legislators, was supported by the U.S President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID).



*7*

*Selon un rapport de l'Onusida - Le nombre de nouvelles infections par le
Vih a diminué de 17 %**
**Le Potentiel, Congo-Kinshasa*

26/11/2009



Lisette LUBAMBA



Kinshasa — Le nombre de nouvelles infections par le Vih a diminué de 17 %
ces huit dernières années. Telles sont les nouvelles données publiées, le
mardi 24 novembre dernier, par le Programme commun des Nations Unies sur le
Vih/Sida (Onusida), avec l'appui de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé
(OMS) dans son rapport intitulé.



« Le point sur l'épidémie de Sida en 2009 ». Ceci constitue un des progrès
les plus remarquables en Afrique subsaharienne. Le Sida sort de son
isolement grâce aux efforts pour instaurer l'accès universel à la
prévention, au traitement, aux soins et au soutien.



En effet, depuis 2001, date de la signature de la Déclaration d'engagement
des Nations Unies sur le Vih/Sida, le nombre de nouvelles infections en
Afrique subsaharienne a baissé approximativement de 15 %, soit environ 400
000 nouvelles infections de moins en 2008.



Par ailleurs, née en Asie orientale, l'incidence a diminué de près de 25 %
et, en Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est, de 10 % sur la même période. En Europe
orientale, après une augmentation spectaculaire de nouvelles infections chez
les toxicomanes par voie intraveineuse, l'épidémie s'est considérablement
stabilisée. Pourtant, dans certains pays, des signes montrent que
l'incidence du Vih croît de nouveau.



« La bonne nouvelle, c'est que nous avons des preuves que les baisses que
nous observons sont dues, au moins en partie, à la prévention », se félicite
Michel Sidibé, directeur exécutif de l'Onusida.



Il faut souligner que, pour la première fois, la parution est double et le
rapport Unaids Outlook examine la manière dont les études sur les «modes de
transmission» changent l'approche pour les efforts de prévention. Sur ce, ce
nouveau rapport, présenté comme un magazine, cherche des idées et moyens
innovants d'utiliser les données recueillies dans le rapport épidémiologique
qui l'accompagne.



En outre, concernant l'accès universel à la prévention, au traitement, aux
soins et au soutien, l'Onusida et l'OMS estiment que, depuis l'avènement des
traitements efficaces en 1996, quelque 2,9 millions de vies on pu être
sauvées.



En effet, les données du Point sur l'épidémie de Sida montrent qu'à 33,4
millions, [31,1 millions-35,8 millions], le nombre de personnes vivant avec
le Vih dans le monde n'a jamais été aussi élevé. Cela s'explique par la
prolongation de leur survie, grâce aux effets bénéfiques des thérapies
antirétrovirales, et par la croissance démographique. Il faut noter que le
nombre de décès dû au Sida a baissé de plus de 10 % ces cinq dernières
années, davantage de personnes accédant désormais aux traitements
indispensables à leur survie. Ce qui entraîne également une baisse du nombre
d'enfants récemment devenus orphelins, cela du fait que leurs parents vivent
plus longtemps.



Par ailleurs, le Dr Margaret Chan, directeur général de l'OMS a fait savoir
que les investissements internationaux et nationaux pour l'extension des
traitements du Vih ont donné des résultats concrets et mesurables. « Nous ne
devons surtout pas relâcher l'action et c'est, au contraire, le moment de
redoubler d'efforts et de sauver encore beaucoup plus de vies », a-t-il
indiqué.



Ce rapport stipule que les thérapies antirétrovirales ont aussi eu un effet
significatif pour la prévention des nouvelles infections chez l'enfant.
Environ 200 000 nouvelles infections chez l'enfant ont pu être évitées
depuis 2001. Cela du fait que le nombre de mères séropositives ont désormais
accès au traitement qui leur évite de transmettre le virus à leurs enfants.



*=======================*

* *

*ASIA** AND PACIFIC*

* *

*=======================***



*Chinese contracting aids through heterosexual contact**
**Beijing News*

25/11/2009



Heterosexuals are at greatest risk amongst those engaging in unsafe sex
practices in China.



The new trend is worrying Chinese health officials, who are having to devise
strategies to stave off an epidemic.



AIDS was the top killer among infectious diseases in China for the first
time last year.



A United Nations report has said that 40 percent of new HIV infections
diagnosed in China were acquired through heterosexual contact, with
homosexual sex accounting for 32 percent and most of the remainder related
to drug abuse.



The rate of infections through heterosexual sex in China tripled between
2005-2007 while the number of infections through homosexual sex has more
than doubled.



UNAIDS claims similar trends in Asia and Africa highlight the need to focus
on populations most at risk, such as migrants and sex workers.



*2*

*HIV prevalence increasing**
**Dawn, Pakistan*

25/11/2009



By Amin Ahmed



ISLAMABAD: The prevalence of HIV is increasing in Pakistan at a time when
the epidemic generally appears to be stabilising in Asia, according to the
2009 AIDS epidemic update published by UNAIDS.



Injecting drug users in Asia have reported high rates of risk behaviour and
among those surveyed in Pakistan two-thirds reported sharing needles.



Nearly 45 per cent of transvestites surveyed in Pakistan said they had
experienced discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, and 40
per cent had experienced physical abuse or forced sex.



Although a recent study found low HIV prevalence (1 per cent) among
transvestites, 58 per cent had sexually-transmitted infections, with 38 per
cent having multiple infections. Only a few used condoms.



According to the update, 4.7 million people in Asia were living with HIV in
2008, including 350,000 infected over the previous year. Asia’s epidemic
peaked in the mid-1990s and annual HIV incidence has subsequently declined
by more than half. Regionally, the epidemic has remained somewhat stable
since 2000.



An estimated 330,000 AIDS-related deaths took place in Asia. While the
annual number of AIDS-related deaths in South and South-East Asia in 2008
was approximately 12 per cent lower than the mortality peak in 2004, the
rate of HIV-related mortality in East Asia continues to increase, with the
number of deaths in 2008 more than three times higher than that in 2000.



Notwithstanding its comparatively low HIV prevalence, the economic
consequences of AIDS will force an additional six million households in Asia
into poverty by 2015 unless national responses are significantly
strengthened, the Commission on AIDS in Asia reports.



With the growth in transmission among the low-risk heterosexual population,
vigilance was needed to prevent the epidemic from entering a new period of
growth, the report said.



As of December 2008, 37 per cent of those in Asia needing antiretroviral
therapy were receiving it, somewhat below the global average of 42 per cent
for all low- and middle-income countries. This represents a sevenfold
increase in treatment access in five years.



While discrete populations — primarily injecting drug users and sex workers
and their clients — have accounted for most HIV infections, onward sexual
transmission to the female partners of drug users and the clients of sex
workers is becoming increasingly apparent.



According to national surveys, the percentage of national populations
selling sex ranges from 0.2 per cent to 2.6 per cent of the female
population, depending on the country. Although the total population of
female sex workers in the region is relatively small, the number of male
clients is much greater.



More than 4.5 million people in Asia are estimated to inject drugs. With an
estimated 2.4 million drug injectors, China is estimated to have the world’s
largest population of injecting drug users.



Indications suggest that the epidemic among men who have sex with men is
expanding in Asia. An estimated 21,000 children under the age of 15 were
newly infected with HIV in Asia in 2008. Mother-to-child transmission has
been responsible for a relatively modest share of new HIV infections in the
region.



Incarcerated populations in Asia appear to have a substantially higher HIV
prevalence than the general population. Access to antiretroviral therapy or
harm reduction services is limited in most prison settings in the region.



*3*

*School denies admission to HIV-positive children**
**Times of India*

26/11/2009



Sumati Yengkhom



KOLKATA: Little Samir wants to go back to school. Just like him, one of the
few things 11-year-old Anjan misses the most is playing cricket with his
schoolmates. But both have been unable to attend school for almost a year
now. The little boys have one crime' in common. Anjan and Samir are carriers
of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). And the school where they have
sought admission has denied them entry.



As the nation gears up to celebrate World AIDS Day on December 1 with much
fanfare, these two traumatised boys, who will obviously be away from the
spotlight on that day, will be cursing their fate. Anjan and Samir are on
the verge of losing an academic year. Neither the West Bengal State AIDS
Control and Prevention Society (WBSACPS) nor the school education department
has come to their rescue.



"Every morning when I see other kids going to school, I have an urge to pick
up my school bag, too. Then I realise I have no school to go to," said Samir
(12).



Samir stays with 38 other HIV-positive children in Anandaghar, in the
southern fringes of the city, that houses HIV-positive children who have
been orphaned. Samir was brought here in 2007 after he lost both parents to
AIDS. After his father's death, Samir and his mother were made to live in a
cow-shed in their Bongaon house when relatives came to know about their HIV
status. In a year, Samir lost his mother, too.



"He would initially stay aloof, and stare blankly. Along with counselling
and other therapies, the boy came out of the trauma after he started
attending a nearby primary school in Langolberia," said Kallol Ghosh,
secretary of the Organisation For Friends Energy & Resources (OFFER), an NGO
that runs Anandaghar.



Anjan, from Howrah's Domjur, landed in Anandaghar in 2008 after losing both
his parents to AIDS. The two boys attended a primary school in Gobinadapur
from where they passed class IV. Their ordeal started when Anadaghar
officials sought their admission in Langolberia Suraj Smriti Vidyamadir, the
nearest high school, in April.



The moment the school authorities found that they lived in Anandaghar and
hence, HIV-positive, admission was denied, giving the alibi that parents of
other children objected. When numerous appeals to the school committee
failed, OFFER started sending repeated appeals to WBSAPCS and the school
education department, seeking their intervention, but to no avail.



"Next academic session, 10 of our children need to move from primary school
to high school. And if such is the apathy, it is like asking them to get
confined, away from the mainstream," said Ghosh. They are, however, not new
to such apathy. Two years ago, 13 children of Anandaghar were barred from
attending the primary school nearby. But with intervention from various
quarters, the school was finally forced to take these children back.



When contacted, WBSACPS project director Sushanta Sen said he did not
remember receiving a letter regarding the case of the two boys. "We try our
best to mediate whenever children of Anandaghar are in problem. For the case
of these two boys, I will have to look into the file," said Sen.



School education minister Parha De, who was once the health minister, said
he was aware of the problem. "We are trying to resolve it. But the issue is
sensitive and if publicised, these children might face further problem. It
is better to keep it under the carpet for now," he added.



When each day is precious for these children, the two boys have spent seven
long months without attending school, much to the agony of Samir and Anjan.
"I have not been able to bat like Dhoni all these days. For what fault can I
not go to school?" wondered Anjan.



(Names of both the children have been changed to protect their identities)



*4*

*AIDS campaign launched**
**Kathmandu Post*

25/11/2009



An HIV/AIDS awareness programme was held in the Capital on Wednesday by
Varun Beverages, Pepsico International, and Mitra Samaj. The programme, a
corporate social responsibility programme, aimed at creating awareness about
the spread of HIV and prevention of AIDS. Rakesh K.C. of Pepsico
International said that this programme is aimed directly at all levels of
workers, including truck drivers and loaders who may be most susceptible to
acquiring the virus. The programme also saw a presentation on the status of
HIV/AIDS in Nepal, means of transmission of the virus, and preventive
measures. Similarly, a small drama and a condom demonstration were also
conducted. According to the National Centre for AIDS and STD control, there
are 14,320 Nepalis living with the HIV virus, and of them, 2,493 people
currently have AIDS. The campaign also involves distribution of free condoms
to the impact population



*5*

*Global Fund allocates Kyrgyzstan $28M to fight AIDS**
**News Agency 24, Kyrgyzstan*

24/11/2009



By Aizada KUTUEVA



Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has allocated Kyrgyzstan
over $28 million to combat AIDS as a part of the seventh round of financing,
Talgat Subanbekov manager of the fund in Kyrgyzstan said at the session of
the Country Multisectoral Coordination Committee Thursday.



The round reportedly started on January 1, 2009 and is due to complete at
the end of 2013. “As of today, about $4 million has been already used. The
major part of the funds was assigned for work with vulnerable population
groups. About $1 million was spent on assistance to injection drug users:
opening of syringe exchange and methadone substitution therapy centers.
Besides, hospices and social hostels are opened in the republic. As for
health care system, we take measures to improve efficiency of AIDS services:
buy equipment, establish laboratories,” Subanbekov said.



The manager outlined that the rest finances would be transferred later on.
“The fund will allot over $1 million according to 2008-2009 plan,” he added.




*========================*



*EUROPE***



*========================*



*DEVELOPMENT: 'MDGS IGNORE HUMAN RIGHTS IN POVERTY FIGHT'**
**IPS Terra Viva-Europe*

24/11/2009



Neena Bhandari interviews IRENE KHAN, secretary general of Amnesty



SYDNEY (IPS) - As the number of people living in poverty swell to over two
billion, Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Khan makes a strong
argument for human rights to be made central to development and eradication
of poverty.



In her book, ‘The Unheard Truth: Poverty and Human Rights’, she reveals
through personal reflection and case studies why poverty is the worst form
of human rights abuse: One billion people live in slums, one woman dies
every minute in childbirth, 2.5 billion people have no access to adequate
sanitation services, at least 963 million people go to bed hungry every
night, and 20,000 children die a day from hunger.



Khan, who was in Australia last week and visited the Utopia Homelands in
central Australia—a group of aboriginal communities comprising an estimated
45,000 population—drove home the crucial link between poverty and human
rights when she called attention to the indigenous people’s dire living
conditions in one of the world’s most developed countries.



"For a country which, by human development standards, is the third most
developed in the world and one which has emerged from the global financial
crisis comparatively unscathed, such a level of poverty is inexcusable,
unexpected and unacceptable," she said.



Khan, who is also the first woman and Asian to head the world’s largest
human rights organisation for the past eight years, debunks the idea that
freedom of market, economic growth, more aid and investment is the panacea
for everything.



A graduate of Harvard Law School and winner of several prestigious awards,
including the 2006 Sydney Peace Prize, Khan hopes the debate on poverty will
also focus on fighting deprivation, exclusion, insecurity and powerlessness.




IPS: In your view economic solutions alone cannot fully address the problem
of poverty. Do we need to change the way we view poverty and formulate
policies to tackle poverty?

IRENE KHAN: We see that discrimination, insecurity and voicelessness, the
powerlessness of the poor as well as deprivation from basic needs play a
very big part in keeping people poor. These issues—deprivation,
discrimination, insecurity and voicelessness—are human rights problems and
therefore you need a human rights strategy to tackle poverty.



IPS: You have provided a critique of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
in your book. Worldwide, the number of people living in extreme poverty this
year is now estimated to be 55 to 90 million, higher than was forecast
before the recession. Will denying human rights pose a significant barrier
to achieving MDGs?

IK: The Millennium Development Goals have some advantages. They are focused.
They allow entire international communities to work together and address
some of the key development problems.



However, the weakness of the MDGs is that they don’t recognise that rights
play a part in getting people out of poverty. So the MDGs don’t deal with
discrimination, gender violence and participation of people in the
development process. These are key issues that need to be tackled if we are
to address poverty.



If you look at the MDGs, they are failing. Governments are failing;
countries are failing to achieve the goals that have been set. One reason,
not the only reason, why they are failing is their failure to address the
human rights issue. Yes, Amnesty International believes that the MDGs need
to be made more effective by incorporating the human rights approach. It’s
the how, the Goals tell you what, but it doesn’t tell you how and human
rights provide the how.



IPS: In the book you relate various instances of how, when poor people have
no voice, they are excluded and unable to demand even the basic rights due
to them. Are states failing the poor?

IK: What I am saying in the book is that you need to have respect for
economic, social and cultural rights, but also need to have respect for
civil and political rights if you are going to eradicate poverty. To that
extent you do need a government that is ready to be held accountable; you do
need a transparent system of governance, and you do need space in which
people can participate for an effective poverty eradication strategy.



IPS: What is the goal of your book coming at a juncture when there are many
more poor people even in the developed countries following the global
financial crisis?

IK: The purpose of this book is to change the debate on poverty, to insert a
human rights dimension in the poverty debate and to make the point that
economics is not the only factor that needs to be taken into account in
either defining poverty or resolving it.



IPS: Seventy percent of the world’s poor are women. The United Nations
Population Fund report released a few days ago has said poor women bear the
climate burden and have been worst hit and overlooked in the climate debate.
Coming to another issue very close to your heart is that of maternal
mortality. How do you think the world should address this major problem?

IK: The tragedy is that the figures of maternal deaths globally have not
shifted since the early 1990s. For almost two decades there has been very
little progress, and that is the tragedy. Half a million women die in the
prime of their life giving birth, and that is not a disease. And when a
woman dies, the impact on the family is enormous.



The problem again why it has been so difficult to address maternal mortality
is because it is very closely linked to the social status of women, to the
secondary status of women in many situations and inability of women to
access maternal health care.



Health systems have to take into account the views of women. It has to be
culturally sensitive. It has to be where the women are, especially in rural
areas you need to provide birth attendants, specialist emergency obstetrics
care. And finally, there has to be accountability. Women have to be able to
hold decision makers accountable for the provisions of health care.



IPS: You recently visited an Aboriginal town ironically named Utopia in the
Northern Territory of Australia. Were you shocked to see people living in
Third World conditions in a First World country? What should Australia and
other countries be doing for their indigenous populations?

IK: Yes, I was shocked because there is no reason for people to be living in
those kinds of conditions. It is a rich country with resources and
opportunities and therefore people should not have to live like that.



Well, the Australian Government has put forward plans like 'Bridging the
Gap’. There are a lot of resources available there. The Minister (for
Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin) has described all the measures that have
been taken there, but the key factor on which there needs to be more focus
is these people and communities itself have to be involved in designing
these projects.



IPS: Do you think today’s media is fair and unbiased in highlighting the
cause of the poor or do you think in a way it has compounded their misery?

IK: I think the problem with the media is that good news is not news and
therefore when there are success stories about how communities managed to
improve their situation—that is not reported in the media.



The other issue is that media tends to look for sensational stories, so
there is a tendency to sensationalise things, and in some cases some
populist media also seem to demonise poor people or minorities and therefore
entrench the prejudice that exist, particularly in societies where there is
a history of injustice.



IPS: Your book has a compelling title, ‘The Unheard Truth: Poverty and Human
Rights’? What does ‘Unheard Truth’ signify?

IK: The truth is that empowerment of people, respect for human right, is the
way to overcoming poverty. That is the truth, but it is not being heard.
Experience shows that when you respect people’s rights, when you empower
people and they are able to stand up and claim their rights, that is where
the success stories are.



That truth is not being heard and their voices are not being heard



*5*

*Leading article: Aids treatment sets the standard**
**The Independent, UK*

25/11/2009



Almost three decades after Aids first emerged, official confirmation came
yesterday that new infections with HIV are in decline. That is welcome news.
Before we celebrate, though, it is important to note that the number living
with HIV is not declining, but rising thanks to the life-saving effects of
anti-retroviral drugs. Yet less than half of those who need the drugs are
receiving them.



So it would be a travesty to conclude that Aids was over. It is not. Both
the costs of dealing with the pandemic and the effort needed to combat it
are set to rise. Critics say that Aids programmes swallow a disproportionate
amount of the development cash available for health and that funds should be
diverted to other diseases, such as malaria. That is a counsel of despair.
Funding for the health needs of the world's most vulnerable citizens is
already pitifully low. The help given to Aids victims should instead set a
global benchmark for tackling other conditions.



*6*

*Question time: Annie Lennox**
**The Guardian, UK*

26/11/2009



Hannah Pool



It's the second anniversary of your HIV/Aids charity, SING. Last year you
released a single. What are you doing this time?



We're having an online auction. SING is not only about raising money,
though. The other side, which is just as important, is about keeping the
issue on the table. We talk about swine flu openly, we talk about bird flu
openly, and yet when it comes to HIV, it's a completely different story. The
general population still thinks HIV is something that came in the 80s and
went away, or that it only affects the gay population or intravenous drug
users. To think that 1,000 people die of this every day in South Africa is
such an abstract thought because we don't hear about them.



Are you aware of the work of [controversial economist] Dambisa Moyo? Her
theory is that aid cripples Africa.



Charity is a fine thing if it's meeting a gap where needs must be met and
there are no other resources. But in the long term we need to support people
into helping themselves. Charitable organisations such as Médecins Sans
Frontières, Oxfam and Save the Children are doing incredible work, but they
are substituting what government and civil society should be doing. Then
again, how do you pull the rug out from under those people's feet?
Unfortunately, Moyo's statement comes out to be so strident that it's not
helpful.



Do you ever worry that certain organisations perpetuate the view that Africa
is only about poverty, famine and disease?



I don't think they're that wrong, unfortunately.



Earlier this year you were quite critical of the church, and in particular
the Pope, with regards to his views on HIV and Aids.



That's a Chinese whisper. I wasn't critical of the church – there's no point
in being critical of the church, any church. Churches, depending on their
policy, can do fantastic work with people in the community. What I have a
criticism of, or question, is why on earth you would have a policy where you
say that using a condom is a bad thing, when this virus is sexually
transmitted? It just flies in the face of any kind of rational thinking.



Why are you so passionate about this particular issue?



I made a commitment back in 2004 when I witnessed the situation for myself
in South Africa.



Are celebrities naive when they go to Africa?



Yes. It could be a bit of an ego boost for them, but at the end of the day,
does it make a difference? There's a deal with all of this. Without the
celebrity interest, tragically and embarrassingly, where would some of these
issues be?



Do you feel guilty about your own life?



No. I can honestly say I go to sleep with a good conscience because of the
amount of effort and energy that I'm putting into what I'm doing now. If you
want to open a supermarket chain, and put your face all around the globe,
selling your baby and your dog, if it makes you happy, who am I to disagree,
as the song goes. But it's not for me. I've always tried to keep my
integrity and keep my autonomy.



Do you worry about being a westerner, telling others how to live?



No, because I work with organisations that ask the people themselves what
they need. I would never be as grandiose as to sweep in and tell people what
they should be doing.



Will you be voting in the next general election?



I always vote green now. I'd rather support the issues I truly believe in
than give my vote to parties that court votes at the time of the election. I
like to think that my vote strengthens the green foundation stone.



Finally, I have to ask you an Eurythmics question.



Why?



Any chance of a comeback?



I'm not really keen on comebacks. Eurythmics was an incredible thing. When I
look back on that work, I feel very satisfied with it. But I'm not in that
headspace now. I'm 54, I have teenagers. What's always been important to me
is not struggling to keep going round the same groove. I want to go
forwards, and I want to take risks.



For more info, go to annielennoxsing.com

Listen to Annie Lennox talking to Hannah Pool guardian.co.uk/audio



*7*

*Sida: les trithérapies font reculer l’épidémie  **
**Tribune de Genève*

26/11/2009



ÉRIC BUDRY



Difficile de rêver de meilleure nouvelle à cinq jours de la Journée mondiale
de la lutte contre le sida ce 1er décembre (lire encadré). A Genève, le
nombre de nouvelles infections au VIH a baissé drastiquement en 2009. Selon
une projection, la diminution est de 30% entre 2009 et 2008, passant de 98
cas à 68. Un recul est également enregistré au niveau national, mais un peu
moins important: de 777 à 650.



«Si elle est confirmée, car il s’agit encore de projections, cette baisse
cantonale serait la plus forte jamais observée, précise Deborah Glejser,
porte-parole des associations genevoises de lutte contre le sida. Elle amène
le taux de nouvelles infections au niveau historiquement le plus bas.»



Ce succès, on le doit bien évidemment aux campagnes de prévention, mais
également à une nouvelle donne. Les trithérapies ont non seulement permis de
diminuer très fortement le nombre de décès dû au sida, mais les chercheurs
se sont aussi aperçus que ce traitement avait un effet préventif car ils
rendent ces personnes beaucoup moins contagieuses.



Espoir pour l’Afrique?

Le phénomène est aujourd’hui avéré, confirme Bernard Hirschel, chef de
l’unité VIH/sida aux Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève. «Certains chercheurs
estiment ainsi que, sans traitement, le nombre d’infections serait deux fois
plus élevé en Suisse», poursuit-il.



La raison en est que les trithérapies parviennent aujourd’hui à réduire à
tel point le nombre de virus qu’elles le rendent non détectable. Et les
personnes ne sont dès lors pratiquement plus contagieuses.



Bernard Hirschel cite une recherche canadienne qui tend à montrer qu’une
extension de la trithérapie permettrait de juguler l’épidémie. «Concernant
l’Afrique, détaille le professeur, il est maintenant nécessaire d’évaluer le
traitement en tant que prévention afin de mieux délimiter le potentiel, les
inconvénients et les coûts. Mais ces derniers se chiffreraient forcément en
milliards de francs.»



«Ne pas baisser la garde»

Espoir il y a, mais il ne doit être le prétexte à un relâchement de la
prévention, d’autant que Genève reste le canton le plus touché. «Ce n’est
pas le moment de baisser la garde, avertit Pierre-François Unger, ministre
de la Santé. Cela a été le cas à la fin des années 90 lorsque la maladie a
été banalisée à l’arrivée des trithérapies. Résultat: les cas ont
immédiatement augmenté.»



Pour le conseiller d’Etat, le sida reste également une maladie
stigmatisante. «A Genève, nous n’avons jamais combattu les malades du sida,
mais la maladie. Poursuivons dans ce sens!»



*8*

*VIH en Belgique : trois infections diagnostiquées par jour**
**LE VIF.be/L’Express*

25/11/2009



En 2008, 1079 nouveaux diagnostics d'infection par le VIH ont été rapportés
en Belgique. Il s'agit du nombre le plus élevé enregistré depuis le début de
l'épidémie.



Trois infections diagnostiquées par jour en moyenne, c'est beaucoup. Le SIDA
est devenu une maladie trop banalisée : les épidémiologistes et les acteurs
de la prévention sont unanimes pour le dire.



Selon le rapport annuel de l'Institut Scientifique de Santé Publique, publié
ce 24 nov, 1000 à 1079 infections annuelles ont été diagnostiquées entre
2004 et 2008 après une forte augmentation à partir de 1997. Ces chiffres
masquent des évolutions différentes selon les populations concernées.





La proportion d'infections par contact hétérosexuel reste toujours
majoritaire, mais a diminué, passant de 67% en 2002 à 48%. A l'opposé, le
nombre d'infections diagnostiquées chez les homosexuels et bisexuels
masculins est en nette augmentation. Leur proportion est passée de 23% en
2002 à 46% des infections en 2008, lorsque le mode de transmission est
connu.



Le nombre de diagnostics du SIDA (apparition des syndromes liés à
l'immunodéficience) est quant à lui stable depuis 1998. En 2008, 128
nouveaux cas de SIDA ont été diagnostiqués. L'incidence avait diminué
brutalement à partir de 1996 grâces à l'utilisation des nouvelles
associations d'antirétroviraux : 256 cas avaient étaient rapportés en 1995
et 134 en 1997.



Moins de peur

Ces résultats montrent une fréquence encore élevée des comportements à
risque. L'apparition des trithérapies a atténué la peur de la maladie, alors
que le SIDA reste toujours grave et mortel.



Thierry Martin, directeur de l'ASBL Plate-Forme Prévention-SIDA, insiste sur
la pénibilité quotidienne de la maladie : « les traitements sont lourds, les
effets secondaires sont difficiles à supporter. Beaucoup de patients
arrêtent quand ils voient leur corps se transformer à cause de ces
médicaments ».



La lipodystrophie, l'effet secondaire le plus fréquent, transforme
physiquement : des joues creuses, des jambes fines, une bosse de « bison »
(graisse sur le cou). A cela s'ajoute le risque d'accidents
cardiovasculaires : « Un sidéen peut mourir d'une crise cardiaque à cause
des médicaments » poursuit Thierry Martin.





Le rapport de l'ISSP montre le diagnostic concerne plus les classes d'âge de
30-39 ans chez les hommes et 29-34 chez les femmes, une population qui a
pourtant reçu beaucoup de messages de prévention une décennie auparavant. «
Il semble y avoir un phénomène de lassitude sur la nécessité de se protéger
», analyse Thierry Martin.



Il ajoute que le manque de vigilance existe aussi chez les plus jeunes : «
Selon une enquête faite en Communauté française, 50% des garçons et 60% de
filles de 15-22 ans ne se sont pas protégés lors de leur dernier rapport
sexuel. » Or, même un seul rapport non protégé suffit à transmettre le VIH.



Plus de préjugés

La banalisation du SIDA s'accompagne de préjugés sur les malades et la
maladie. Le directeur de la Plate-Forme Prévention SIDA rapporte que 25% des
adolescents croient que la maladie se transmet au simple contact d'une
personne séropositive ou en buvant à son verre. Au travail, les malades du
SIDA avouent être victimes de discriminations.



Prévention

La prévention est donc toujours nécessaire. La Journée mondiale de lutte
contre le SIDA du 1er décembre visera à réactualiser ses connaissances sur
la maladie. Des quizz, des rencontres avec les associations de prévention
sont prévues à Bruxelles, place de la Monnaie. La journée se finira par une
marche de solidarité où les noms des victimes du SIDA de l'année sont
énumérés, un moment toujours émouvant.

Elisabeth Dehorter, avec Belga



*========================*

* *

*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*

* *

*========================*



*HIV/AIDS dominate Commonwealth meeting**
**Radio Jamaica*

25/11/2009



Health issues were a major talking point at Wednesday's session of the
Commonwealth Heads of government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.



Discussions about HIV and Aids dominated the people's forum at the summit.



The Commonwealth Aids Action Group which has been pushing for governments of
the former British Empire to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS says a proposed
law proceeding through Uganda's parliament to impose life imprisonment on
homosexuals and the refusal of Caribbean governments to embrace gay-friendly
legislation are of deep concern.



"This is crunch time, therefore, for the Commonwealth. For the moment, if
the Commonwealth does not address this issue, the Uganda law and the
accelerating homophobic legislation in the Caribbean then the lofty
principles of the Commonwealth will lie in tatters," said Basil Williams of
the HIV/AIDS Alliance.



He says governments of the region ought to pay attention to what is
happening in Uganda and push for change in a bid to protect human rights and
to make gains in the fight against the disease which has a prevalence rate
that is second only to sub-Saharan Africa.



*2*

*Se duplican contagios de Sida en las mujeres**
**El Diario, Mexico*

25/11/2009



Pedro Sánchez Briones



Por años, los programas de prevención de VIH/Sida se enfocaron a los grupos
de riesgo y se descuidó el heterosexual, lo que propició que cada vez más
mujeres sean infectadas, advirtieron autoridades de Salud.

La estadística actual muestra que por cada tres hombres hay una mujer
contagiada, cuando el año pasado era una por cada cuatro y en años pasados
una por cada seis, indicó Martha Sánchez, responsable del Programa de VIH e
Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual del Capasits.

Al anunciar ayer una serie de actividades con motivo de la celebración del
Día Mundial de la Lucha contra el Sida, el próximo 1 de diciembre, dio a
conocer que, en este 2009 hasta septiembre pasado, se han detectado un total
de 138 nuevos casos de VIH/Sida, de los cuales 104 son varones y 34 mujeres,
a la vez que han muerto en el mismo periodo 37 hombres y 17 féminas, que en
conjunto suman 54.

Sánchez detalló que de los diagnosticados con VIH, 56 son hombres y 20
mujeres, mientras que de Sida 48 varones y 14 féminas.

Además 12 son menores de 15 años, entre ellos cuatro pediátricos, lo que
significa que otros fueron infectados por contacto sexual, aunque no se
detalló en este aspecto.

De igual forma 39 pacientes más presentan el binomio de TB/VIH, es decir,
tuberculosis y el virus.

El grupo de edad más afectado en la frontera es entre los 25 y los 45 años.

A su vez, Ariel Díaz de León, director del Capasits, señaló que el problema
no ha desaparecido, sino por el contrario va en aumento.

Indicó que muchos tienen el virus pero no lo saben, y se estima que en el
país han unos 200 mil que desconocen de su condición.

Sánchez, a su vez, anotó que actualmente el 45 por ciento de los casos
detectados llegan a solicitar atención con un serio deterioro, es decir, ya
tienen desarrollado el Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida (Sida), lo
que provoca que mueran al poco tiempo.

En tanto que un 55 por ciento presenta sólo VIH, es decir, no desarrollado,
por lo que al comenzar con su tratamiento proporcionado, pueden mantenerse
saludables.

Las autoridades llamaron a realizarse la prueba de VIH el próximo 1 de
diciembre, en el área cercana al puente internacional Paso del Norte, donde
llevarán a cabo un programa enfocado a la prevención.

Pidieron que no les dé miedo hacerse el examen rápido, porque al obtener el
resultado pueden evitar más infecciones y además tener un control de su
estado físico.

Nora López, representante del alcalde ante el Comité Municipal de Salud,
enfatizó que muchos casos pueden darse porque ha aumentado también el número
de parejas que viven en unión libre, por lo que al no contraer matrimonio
civil, no se realizan las pruebas de VIH.

Acorde con Sánchez, se ha logrado evitar que avance la mortalidad porque
prácticamente la mitad se detecta a tiempo, debido a que en el 2007 hubo 134
defunciones, en el 2008 fueron 98 y en lo que va del año suman 54.

Mientras que a nivel mundial el lema es “El acceso universal y los derechos
humanos”, en México se adoptó “Detengamos el Sida, sin discriminación ni
homofobia”.

Sánchez detalló que de VIH se detectaron 56 hombres y 20 mujeres, mientras
que de Sida 48 varones y 14 féminas.

En Ciudad Juárez se cuenta con el Centro Ambulatorio para la Prevención y
Atención del Sida e Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual (Capasits), que
atiende a los pacientes portadores del Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia
Adquirida o algún tipo de enfermedad de transmisión sexual.

Se cuenta con consultorios, laboratorio, medicina Interna, pediatra,
nutriólogos y psicólogos.

En la actualidad se da tratamiento a 599 personas infectadas de VIH/Sida; de
las cuales 473 corresponden a varones, 126 a mujeres; del total 12 son
menores de 15 años.

Los especialistas indicaron que el Sida, es una enfermedad infecciosa
causada por el Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH), que ataca el sistema
inmunológico y provoca un deterioro del mismo que lo hace más vulnerable a
padecer infecciones o tumores.

El factor de riesgo para adquirir el virus que causa el VIH es la
transmisión por vía sexual sin protección independientemente de su
orientación sexual; esta vía es atribuida al 90 por ciento de las
infecciones aproximadamente.

En el presidium participaron María Isabel Urzúa, subdirectora de La Tenda di
Cristo, quien representa a las ONGS que integran el Comité de VIH en el
Capasits, así como Nora López Hernández, representante del alcalde José
Reyes Ferriz ante el Comité Municipal de Salud; Héctor Puertas Rincones,
director de la Jurisdicción Sanitaria II y Mario Aguirre, integrante de la
Comisión de Salud Fronteriza.



*4*

*Indústria oferece acordo a hemofílicos**
**O Estado de S. Paulo, Brazil*

26/11/2009



Fabiane Leite



Os laboratórios farmacêuticos Baxter, Bayer, Alpha e Armour ofereceram pagar
entre R$ 14 mil e R$ 50 mil como indenização a cada um dos cerca de 300
hemofílicos brasileiros que teriam recebido, nos anos 80, medicamentos
contaminados pelo HIV e pelo vírus da HEPATITE C, naquele que é considerado
um dos maiores escândalos da indústria farmacêutica. Os casos não teriam
ocorrido só no Brasil - os laboratórios são acusados de terem fornecido
remédios contaminados a milhares de pacientes em um total de 15 países dos 5
continentes.



Advogados e parte dos pacientes brasileiros atingidos consideram os valores
inadequados. Só o tratamento contra HEPATITE C no País pode custar aos
cofres públicos, por paciente, R$ 72 mil ao ano, argumentam doentes.



As empresas divulgaram nesta semana um comunicado mundial sobre o acordo.
"As empresas que produzem esses medicamentos concordaram com o acordo, que
se refere a circunstâncias que ocorreram há mais de 20 anos, destacando que
não tiveram responsabilidade pelo fato. (...) Reafirmam que sempre agiram de
forma responsável e ética para fornecer terapias que salvam vidas dos
pacientes com hemofilia em todo o mundo", dizem as multinacionais. Os
laboratórios argumentam principalmente que as drogas foram produzidas em uma
época em que era desconhecida a possibilidade de transmissão do vírus da
AIDS pelo sangue, por exemplo.



No entanto, em 2003, reportagem do jornal norte-americano The New York Times
apontou que as empresas sabiam que poderiam estar vendendo produtos
contaminados (mais informações nesta página).



"Foi um crime contra a humanidade. Se eu assinar esse acordo, estarei
incentivando esses laboratórios a continuar contaminando e matando pessoas.
O valor não vai trazer nossa saúde de volta, mas o que foi proposto não
significa nada para eles", afirma o livreiro Luiz de Souza e Silva, de 62
anos, que afirma ter contraído HEPATITE C ao usar os remédios.



Segundo Leonardo Amarante, que representa no Brasil o escritório de
advocacia norte-americano Lieff Cabraser, defensor da maior parte dos
infectados no País, as empresas se beneficiaram depois que a Justiça daquele
país recusou que os processos de brasileiros seguissem nos Estados Unidos.
Com isso, afirma, quem não aceitar o que foi oferecido terá de ingressar com
processo na Justiça brasileira, com todas as dificuldades inerentes.



"O processo nos EUA está perdido e os valores realmente são baixos. A vida
não tem preço, mas é uma proposta que leva em conta o que ocorreu na Justiça
norte-americana", afirma Amarante, que se recusou a falar de valores
específicos. As indenizações ofertadas já descontam honorários advocatícios
e variam em cada país, pois levam em conta a renda média da população.



O publicitário Renato Cunha, de 46 anos, que também processava os
laboratórios nos EUA, cobra transparência sobre os valores originalmente
ofertados, e as variações em cada País, ainda não comunicados aos doentes.
"Não há valor que compense, mas esse é muito pequeno para um caso de
contaminação", diz Cunha, que também afirma ter contraído HEPATITE C. O
escritório informou que repassará a prestação de contas com os valores
originais do acordo.





*========================*



*NORTH AMERICA*



*========================*



*On HIV and AIDS: Six assessments about where we go from here **
**Los Angeles Times*

25/11/2009



The number of new HIV infections may be declining, but the battle is far
from over.



In assessing how this country, and the world, should proceed, the journal
Health Affairs offers up six HIV/AIDS policy briefs, part of an in-depth
look at the issue:



HIV and AIDS: Past Successes, Future Opportunities

The Short-Term Costs of Fighting HIV/AIDS

The Long-Term Costs of Battling HIV/AIDS

Preventing HIV/AIDS

Battling HIV/AIDS: Value for Money

The Role of Science in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS



As the introduction notes:



"The articles in our issue demonstrate that the U.S. and other leading donor
nations can take crucial steps now to shape the extent of the pandemic and
to dramatically reduce its costs – both in terms of the treatment of those
affected, and in overall human lives."



If HIV and AIDS have taken a backseat amid better publicized health-related
concerns of late, now's the time to take stock.



Today's story in the Los Angeles Times: New HIV infections in decline



It begins: "The estimated number of new HIV infections each year has
declined about 17% since 2001, but for every five people infected, only two
begin treatment, according to a report from the World Health Organization
and UNAIDS released Tuesday."

-- Tami Dennis



*Full-text of policy briefs in the journal of Health Affairs:
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/28/6/DC2*



*4*

*Pentagon Helping 80 Countries With AIDS Prevention**
**US News & World Report*

25/11/2009



By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers



On the eve of the annual December 1 World AIDS Day, the Pentagon reports
that it has expanded its program to help friendly militaries deal with the
issue to 80 nations, including India and Russia. "This is a very important
connection to other militaries," said Dr. Rick Shaffer, executive director
of the Defense Department's HIV/AIDS Prevention Program.



Initially focused on African militaries where about one third of the troops
are infected, the Navy-sponsored program has been expanding to militaries
where there is little infection but a need to boost protection from HIV
infection, Shaffer said. Started in 1982 for the U.S. military, the Pentagon
uses the program to reach out to other militaries through cooperative
initiatives based on the Defense Department's long experience with AIDS.
"The U.S. military was one of the first militaries to go through the HIV
epidemic," said Shaffer. "We're one of the historical founders of HIV
programs." About 1,000 American troops have AIDS.



The program is funded under the president's AIDS initiative to the tune of
about $85 million, and Shaffer said that it will go so far as to build
medical facilities for nations that invite the department to help. In
Russia, for example, the Pentagon is helping equip a special laboratory
where AIDS tests take place. And in several African nations, the military is
boosting efforts for World AIDS Day to increase awareness of AIDS
prevention. Shaffer's office supplied a rundown of those efforts:



SNAPSHOT OF IN-COUNTRY ACTIVITIES ON WORLD AIDS DAY 2009:



Country: Kericho, Kenya

Description of Activity: There will be HIV and AIDS prevention talks in
various institutions in Kericho during the last week of November. Also
soccer matches during November, the finals being on WAD day. In addition,
there will be a beauty contest and body building contest to attract local
participants. Counseling and Testing will be offered during events and the
community to be mobilized using local artists and a music extravaganza.



Country: Liberia

Description of Activity: A Kickball Match between the AFL Soldiers and
Implementing Partners will be held. Surrounding communities in close
proximity to the barracks will be invited particularly high schools.



Also, a Volley ball match between SEA BEES (US Navy) and the AFL



Country: Mozambique

Description of Activity: During World AIDS Day in Mozambique, the US
Department of Defense in collaboration with the Mozambican Military and
PSI/Mozambique will conduct recreational activities including football games
that integrate messages around HIV prevention and testing. At these events,
military leaders will speak of the importance of HIV testing and combating
stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV in the military.
Soldiers living with HIV will testify to the importance of not
discriminating against PLWHA with the slogan "Somos positivos e negativist.
Jogamos juntos, sem stigmas. "We are positive and negative. We play together
and work together without stigma." This slogan is part of a national
campaign with the National AIDS Council (CNCS) and PSI that will be adapted
for the military around World AIDS Day.



Country: Sierra Leone

Description of Activity: On the 3rd of December the Republic of Sierra Leone
Armed Forces HIV and AIDS Prevention Program sponsored by the Department of
Defense, US embassy in Freetown will hold its Annual Peer Educator Drama
Competition. This year's drama competition will be based on the theme PMTCT.
Here we will have HIV and AIDS drama performances from all 15 Peer Educator
Units in Freetown. At the end of the performances, judges will announce the
winner. The winner and runners up will be given trophies and other prizes.



Country: Uganda

Activity: In collaboration with the CDC, USAID, the Embassy and other local
partners, host a game show based on the American TV show Jeopardy (adapted
to the local audience) to increase HIV awareness and prevention.



*5*

*Study links Latino immigrants' HIV testing to level of adaptation to U.S.
culture**
**Los Angeles Times*

25/11/2009



Latino immigrants considered at risk for HIV are less likely to be tested or
to have access to healthcare services if they are in the country illegally
and have not fully adapted to U.S. culture, according to a new study.



The findings underscore the need for more targeted education and prevention
programs within the diverse Latino community, which accounts for a
disproportionate number of new HIV and AIDS cases in the U.S., said Janni
Kinsler, one of six UCLA researchers who conducted the study.



“HIV is not declining, and it should be,” Kinsler said. “If you don’t know
that you have it, God only knows who you are transmitting it to.”



Latinos made up 14% of the population in 2006, according to the Census
Bureau. But they accounted for 22% of new HIV and AIDS cases that year, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.



They also tended to be tested for HIV later than other ethnic groups and to
be more likely than whites to also have hepatitis C, which can be associated
with a more rapid progression to full-blown AIDS, according to studies.





Researchers at UCLA's Division of General Internal Medicine and Health
Services Research surveyed 600 Latinos recruited from Los Angeles County
sexually transmitted disease clinics, needle-exchange programs and
community-based organizations that provide HIV-prevention services.



The researchers measured their level of acculturation -- how well adapted
they are to their new culture -- by asking them where they were born, how
long they had lived in the U.S., the primary language spoken at home and
their current immigration status.



Those with lower levels of acculturation were more than twice as likely to
have had no more than one HIV test and to have tested positive for the virus
that causes AIDS, the study said. Doctors recommend that those at risk of
infection be tested every six months.



Those with lower levels of acculturation were also more than twice as likely
never to have been tested for hepatitis C and a third less likely to test
positive for the disease.



Legal immigrants, who made up 76% of the total, were twice as likely as
their undocumented counterparts to receive HIV and hepatitis C tests.



And for every one of the characteristics that were measured for
acculturation, participants were found to have a 6% less chance of having
access to healthcare, said Dr. William Cunningham, who co-authored the
report.



Cunningham said the findings supported the hypothesis that low levels of
acculturation are a significant barrier to the use of HIV-related prevention
services and access to medical care.



“The question is how do we reach those populations and what kind of
education do we do,” he said.  “We know that simply giving people facts is
not enough to change their behavior, so we really need to understand what
their motivating barriers and facilitators are.”



Further research is being done to answer those questions, he said.



Suggestions mentioned in the study included setting up Spanish-language
hotlines and confidential HIV testing and counseling sites. The researchers
also said that healthcare providers should be educated about the need to
tailor HIV-prevention services to Latinos based on acculturation levels.

-- Alexandra Zavis



*========================*



*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*



*========================*



UNAIDS welcomes legal registration of Viet Nam Network of People Living With
HIV

*UNAIDS*

26/11/2009



The Viet Nam Network of People Living with HIV (VNP+) was legally registered
early November and officially launched on 24 November 2009, with the support
of the Joint UN Team on HIV in Viet Nam.



VNP+ represents the combined strength of 150 self-help groups and alliances
of People Living with HIV from various parts of Viet Nam, and ensures their
meaningful involvement in the national response to AIDS



“Networks of people living with HIV are highly effective mechanisms for
building partnerships and advocating for Universal Access to Prevention,
Treatment, Care and Support,” said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Jan
Beagle who attended the network launching ceremony in Hanoi.



“I would therefore like to congratulate the government of Viet Nam for
ensuring that people living with HIV are fully involved at every stage of
the national response to HIV,” she added.



Registered as a local NGO under the name of Action Center for People Living
with HIV, VNP+ is also mandated to provide training and create job
opportunities for People Living with HIV and those affected by HIV; conduct
information and communication activities on HIV/AIDS and promote research
and prevention, care and treatment programs.



“The network will act to empower those living with and affected by HIV to
overcome stigma and discrimination and contribute to the national response,”
stated VNP+ representative Do Dang Dong, asserting “we look forward to a
close partnership with the government, other civil society and with
international organizations to best perform our role.”



The Joint UN Team on HIV and other partners particularly PEPFAR, have
provided technical and financial support to VNP+ since its establishment in
2008. Earlier this year, the Joint UN Team supported the network with
training on results based project management, policy advocacy skills and
organization of regular information sharing meetings and its annual review
meeting.



The UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board delegation attended the launch of VNP+
during their field visit to Viet Nam in 23-24 November.

Besides visiting UN supported projects and programmes on the ground, the
delegation also met with government leaders, including the Chair of the
National Committee on AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution Prevention and Control
H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong
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