Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 61 500 392 at noon on Wednesday March 2 2005.
Namibia is feeling the pinch of providing treatment to civil servants living with HIV/Aids. Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the annual cost of the Public Service Employees’ Medical Aid Scheme had risen by more than US$21-million over the past year, owing to the high number of members needing anti-Aids drugs.
In a recent speech to the National Assembly, the minister called for approval of more than $11-million to help keep the medical scheme afloat. — AllAfrica.com
Wife alert: Although education campaigns and condom use have brought down prevalence among other high-risk groups, the number of new HIV cases among married women in Cambodia is increasing. According to the radio programme The World, Cambodia has the highest number of HIV-positive adults in South-East Asia, given the size of its population. According to UNAids, married women now account for almost half of all new HIV infections. —Medicalnewstoday.com