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IRIN PlusNews Weekly Issue 267, 20 January 2006
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
NEWS:
AFRICA: Year in Review 2005 - The long slow road to '3 by 5'
SOUTH AFRICA: Gays and SANBS kiss and make up
SOUTH AFRICA: Khomanani adds a new twist to love on Valentine's
MOZAMBIQUE: MSF to ensure sustainability of ARV programme
SWAZILAND: More people but still too few testing for HIV
TANZANIA: Sex and condom education essential - govt
EVENTS:
JOBS:
AFRICA: Year in Review 2005 - The long slow road to '3 by 5'
Almost a month after the deadline, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) campaign to put three million people in the developing world on anti-AIDS drugs by the end of 2005 has failed to meet its target.
When WHO launched the '3 by 5' initiative it was widely acknowledged that the 'aspirational' target represented a significant hurdle, given the state of global funding for AIDS, doubtful political will, drug availability and technical capacity.
But activists acknowledged that it did at least represent a goal to work towards, especially since, in Africa, fewer than 30,000 people were on antiretroviral (ARV) medication in 2001.
Dr Eric Goemaere, head of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in South Africa noted, "It's good to have an ambitious target. People are under pressure to move - and things are moving, and moving fast."
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SOUTH AFRICA: Gays and SANBS kiss and make up
The impact of HIV/AIDS has led to far greater focus on safe donor blood than ever before, and the South African National Blood Services (SANBS), custodian of the reserves, has managed to step on almost everyone's toes in its efforts to safeguard reserves.
Last year the discovery that the SANBS was discarding black donor blood on grounds of there being a higher risk of HIV attached led to a public outcry.
Although that policy - which Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said "smacked of racism" - has since been changed, the SANBS's donor questionnaire is now the focus of attention.
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SOUTH AFRICA: Khomanani adds a new twist to love on Valentine's
If the government's latest anti-AIDS campaign is anything to go by, Valentine's Day next month could mean more than just chocolates and red roses for some South African couples.
By distributing free romantic cards with the message, "It's time to take our relationship to the next level", Khomanani, the government's HIV/AIDS communications programme, aims to encourage more couples to be tested together for HIV.
Cyril Sadiki, Khomanani's programme manager, told PlusNews: "We realised that women readily took on the task of finding out their status, while men tried to determine their own status through the results of their female counterparts. This novel approach lets partners know it is okay to get tested together."
More details
MOZAMBIQUE: MSF to ensure sustainability of ARV programme
In a bid to ensure the sustainability of its antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme in Mozambique, the international NGO, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), has focussed on skills transfer with the aim of handing over the running of its sites to the government.
This would see the government and local community taking over the responsibility for running MSF's Lichinga site in the northern Niassa province, which treats 370 patients, by the end of 2008.
In South Africa, MSF has also been training local health officials to take over its ARV treatment programmes.
More details
SWAZILAND: More people but still too few testing for HIV
HIV/AIDS awareness efforts in the kingdom of Swaziland are slowly bearing fruit, with a growing number of people coming forward to be tested for HIV, a new report has found.
According to the AIDS Information and Support Centre (TASC), nearly five times more people tested for HIV in 2004 compared to 2001.
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TANZANIA: Sex and condom education essential - govt
Tanzania's education ministry has reaffirmed its position on the introduction of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS education at primary school level, despite condemnation from Catholic bishops.
The Roman Catholic Church recently slammed the new syllabus, labelling it "unacceptable", as the teaching of proper condom use had been include
More details
[ENDS]
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