The East African state of Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, on Monday launched a plan to fight HIV/Aids which will for the first time include the distribution of free anti-retroviral drugs.
”Twenty hospitals have been selected and 30 000 people are going to get anti-retroviral therapy this year, and more than 200 000 persons within three years,” said Deputy Health Minister Tedros Adhanom.
”Even though our struggle is bearing some encouraging results, we must not forget that we have one and a half million people infected by the virus,” said Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as he introduced the campaign.
Even though the rate of progression of the epidemic was decreasing, hundreds of thousands continue to perish, he warned.
The anti-retroviral drug suppresses but does not eliminate the virus which causes Aids.
The latest strategy — funded in part to the tune of $43-million by the United States government — is the fifth anti-Aids campaign launched by the Ethiopian government since 1996, but the first time free anti-retrovirals will be available.
An Ethiopian government report says access by all HIV/Aids infected persons to anti-retroviral drugs will save the the lives of 78 000 people per year and reduce the number of Aids orphans to about 332 000 by 2008.
”The major targets are to improve the quality of life of people living with Aids, to accelerate the local manufacture of anti-retrovirals, to develop locally based HIV/Aids prevention, and to ensure sustainable social mobilisation,” said Adhanom. – Sapa-AFP