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/ 8 December 2003

HIV/Aids barometer – December 2003

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Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 55 164 659 at noon on Thursday December 18

Rising costs: The Aids epidemic in South Africa is leading to higher insurance premiums and reduced benefits, the New York Times reports. About 25% of South Africa’s economically active individuals are HIV-positive, with about five million HIV cases in the country.

The impact of the disease has been increasingly felt by the insurance industry. This is especially true for companies that offer employer-provided group health and life insurance, which generally cover all employees regardless of their health status.

Companies that offer individual insurance policies have protected themselves from HIV-related costs by issuing policies primarily to HIV-negative people, and an increasing number are requiring follow-up HIV-tests to retain coverage. Although the South African government prohibits insurance discrimination based on health status, the companies can cap coverage, increase premiums or introduce mandatory waiting periods before coverage takes effect.

Source: http://kaisernetwork.org

Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 54 963 092 at 12.07pm on Thursday December 4

A weapon of mass destruction: Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary General, said Aids was a ‘weapon of mass destruction” for some countries and the world was losing the fight against the epidemic. He urged world leaders to do more to stem the spread of the disease.

‘In some of the countries we are talking about, Aids is a real weapon of mass destruction — and what are we doing about that?” Annan said in the interview with BBC World Service radio.

‘It does indicate a certain incredible callousness that one would not have expected in the 21st century.”

The UN said in a report this week that deaths and new cases of HIV/Aids reached unprecedented highs this year and were set to keep rising.

‘I feel angry, I feel distressed, I feel helpless … to live in a world where we have the means … to be able to help all these patients, what is lacking is the political will,” Annan said.

Source: Reuters