GLOBAL: IRIN/PlusNews Weekly Issue 405, 19 September 2008
JOHANNESBURG, 19 September 2008 (PlusNews) - CONTENTS:
SOUTH AFRICA: ARV and TB drugs taken together halve deaths
SWAZILAND: Treatment programme woes
UGANDA: Stigma, discrimination holding back HIV fight
WEST AFRICA: A life-changing highway
YEMEN: Building HIV/AIDS response capacity
INDONESIA: NGOs in Bali no longer distribute needles
NAMIBIA: Strategies to keep patients on ARVs
UKRAINE: "The thing that made me stop [taking drugs] was finding out I was pregnant and HIV positive"
Events/Resources
1. Local voices: a community perspective on HIV and hunger in Zambia, Action Against Hunger
2. AIDS Vaccine 2008, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, 13 - 16 October 2008 - Cape Town, South Africa
Vacancies
1. Project Officer Capacity Building and HIV, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) - Malaysia
2. Clinical Mentor: Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Medical Doctor, Clinton Foundation - Lesotho
SOUTH AFRICA: ARV and TB drugs taken together halve deaths
Combining antiretroviral (ARV) therapy with treatment for tuberculosis (TB) could more than halve the current mortality rate among patients co-infected with HIV and TB.
full report
SWAZILAND: Treatment programme woes
Shortages of antiretroviral (ARV) and other drugs in public health facilities in Swaziland have been among a long list of grievances cited by protesters during several weeks of unprecedented political unrest ahead of parliamentary polls on Friday.
full report
UGANDA: Stigma, discrimination holding back HIV fight
The recent slaying of a woman in western Uganda by her husband after he tested positive for HIV has highlighted the need for the government to tackle HIV-related human rights abuses.
full report
WEST AFRICA: A life-changing highway
If you live along the main highway linking Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's economic hub, with Lagos in Nigeria, it is almost impossible to ignore the many AIDS awareness messages along the route, travelled by 47 million people each year.
full report
YEMEN: Building HIV/AIDS response capacity
The Sanaa office of the international development charity Progressio is trying to build up capacity among four local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with the aim of helping them respond to HIV/AIDS.
full report
INDONESIA: NGOs in Bali no longer distribute needles
Indonesia's Bali Province is phasing out the role of local HIV/AIDS non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in distributing needles and syringes to injecting drug users (IDUs).
full report
NAMIBIA: Strategies to keep patients on ARVs
Just over 50 percent of HIV-positive Namibians thought to be in need of life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) treatment are accessing the drugs, but the country is struggling to keep track of patients.
full report
UKRAINE: "The thing that made me stop [taking drugs] was finding out I was pregnant and HIV positive"
It has been ten years since Svitlana Moroz, from Donetsk in Ukraine, stopped regularly injecting herself with drugs, a decision she made after learning that she was pregnant and HIV positive. Now 30 with two children, she campaigns for injecting drug users (IDUs) to be given help rather than being hunted down.
full report
Events/Resources
1. Local voices: a community perspective on HIV and hunger in Zambia, Action Against Hunger
The authors argue that HIV/AIDS is not only a health issue but also a disease that impacts on the social structures of household economies and communities. They suggest that an integrated approach at both the community and policy levels is needed and should incorporate concerns regarding health, nutrition, food security and education.
To download the document, go to www.actionagainsthunger.org
2. AIDS Vaccine 2008, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, 13 - 16 October 2008, Cape Town, South Africa
This annual event brings together scientists, public health experts, clinicians, epidemiologists and members of the corporate sector. The conference aims to encourage a strategic plan for HIV vaccine research, funding and greater collaboration in the field.
For more information, go to www.hivvaccineenterprise.org
Vacancies
1. Project Officer Capacity Building and HIV, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) - Malaysia
Responsibilities:
- Assist managers in coordinating capacity-building and HIV-related work for IPPF’s 26 member associations in the region
- Provide capacity-building and technical assistance to HIV-related projects, and other projects as assigned
- Ensure timely submission of progress reports
- Manage logistics for regional trainings and activities, including reporting and documentation
- Assist managers to periodically write proposals and narrative project progress reports
Requirements:
- Knowledge of regional sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues, including the HIV epidemic
- Experience implementing SRH and HIV projects, including assisting in proposal development, project designs, and monitoring and evaluation systems
- Experience providing capacity-building to community-based organisations
- Minimum two years of work experience with a non-governmental organisation implementing projects
- Regional experience and language ability preferred
Application deadline: 10 October
This position is open only to Malaysian nationals. To apply, please submit a cover letter and CV, with recent passport photo, to Dr. Raj Karim at
2. Clinical Mentor: Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Medical Doctor, Clinton Foundation - Lesotho
Responsibilities:
- Train and mentor clinicians in the didactic and practical matters of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)
- Assist local staff in identifying gaps in diagnoses and care of HIV-positive pregnant women
- Assist local staff in problem-solving issues related to clinic operations, such as those concerning the pharmacy, lab or medical records
- Ensure that a practical system is in place to track pregnant women who test HIV-positive and HIV-exposed infants
- Provide the Clinton Foundation country team with information related to on-the-ground conditions impacting PMTCT
Requirements:
- Physician, nurse, nurse practitioner or nurse midwife license
- Experience in providing direct care and antiretroviral treatment to HIV-positive people
- Teaching and/or training experience with experience in developing countries a plus
- Knowledge of clinical issues related to pregnancy, labour and delivery, and newborn care
- English proficiency
- Understanding of healthcare systems in resource-limited settings
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Application deadline: 1 October
To apply, please send letter of interest, resume and three references to , including “Clinical Mentor PMTCT” in the title of the email
|