Free AIDS drugs by December

CAPE VERDE: Free AIDS drugs by December

JOHANNESBURG, 29 Jul 2004 (PLUSNEWS) - People living with HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Cape Verde will receive free anti-AIDS drugs by the end of the year, the government has announced.

There are currently no antiretroviral drugs available in the Atlantic archipelago of just over 400,000 people.

Carlos Brito, the health services director, told Agence France-Presse that steps had been taken to import the drugs and make them available to anyone who needs them.

The cost of providing treatment for the country's estimated 1,200 cases of HIV infection and 700 cases of AIDS is estimated at US $600 per person annually.

[ENDS]

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