Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 60 094 374 at 8pm on Wednesday November 24
ARVs needed: A lack of antiretroviral drugs is the biggest problem facing HIV/Aids programmes in Africa, says Robert Colebunders, a Belgian researcher at Uganda’s Mulago hospital. The United Nations says there are about 28-million HIV-positive people in Africa, but only 4% of those who need antiretrovirals receive them.
Uganda has lowered its HIV prevalence, but 75% of the 20 000 HIV-positive patients pay for their own drugs. The government, with help from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, hopes to provide free drugs for 60 000 people, which is only half of the people who need the drugs. — Kaiser Network
Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 59 988 769 at noon on Wednesday November 17
Polite fight: Singapore will not sponsor a ‘publicity blitz†to promote condom use ‘out of respect†for residents who hold ‘conservative viewsâ€, a senior health minister, Balaji Sadasivan, said.
Sadasivan announced last week that if efforts to fight the disease are not implemented, the number of HIV cases will reach more than 15 000 by 2010. ‘Sexual behaviour is a private thing … It’s not discussed in polite society,†he said.
Action For Aids criticised the government for not publicly promoting condoms. ‘We need a massive campaign to let people know that it is all right to use condoms. We need to de-link condom use from promiscuity,†AFA vice-president Brenton Wong said.
Source: Kaiser Network
Estimated worldwide HIV infections:59 887 711 at noon on Wednesday November 10
Rising risk: Women in India, home to the world’s second-largest HIV population after South Africa, are becoming more vulnerable to Aids, leading to a growing ‘feminisation†of the epidemic, says a United Nations expert.
India has more than 5,1-million people living with HIV/Aids, and experts fear it could soon vault to the top of the world’s list as knowledge about the spread of the illness is still scant.
‘Originally, it was limited to men and sex workers,†Peter Piot, executive director of UNAids, said. ‘Now, 38% of the infected people in India are women.â€
Experts say women account for about half the adults living with HIV/Aids worldwide.
The CIA says the number of Indians living with HIV/Aids could soar to more than 20-million by 2010 as the vast majority of victims are unaware of infection and few have access to anti-retrovirals.
The Indian government says the projection is exaggerated.
India has launched a national programme to fight HIV/Aids, but the disease has spread beyond traditionally high-risk groups. Source: Reuters