IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 61
Africa
11 January 2002


NEWS:

AFRICA: Alcohol increases risk of HIV/AIDS
ETHIOPIA: New organisation to deal with AIDS orphans
ZAMBIA: PWAs march for Mwanawasa
KENYA: Poor ARV programme infrastructure hampers efforts
AFRICA: Campaigners call for Microbicide funding
AFRICA: Vitamin A supplements can aid children''s growth
BOTSWANA: Brazil's lessons to help Botswana''s teachers

LINKS:

1. Para55.org - Commonwealth focus group on HIV/AIDS
2. AIDS related social problems - an Islamic perspective

CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. Heart Disease: HIV Infection May Increase Risk
2. Risk factors for HIV in Ethiopian children with TB
3. The SMART Way to Fight AIDS
4. HIV resistance - the facts

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. International Health Exchange
2. Monitoring and Evaluation Experts - UNAIDS ICT/ESA


AFRICA: Alcohol increases risk of HIV/AIDS

Alcohol consumption in developing countries increases the risk of HIV
infection, possibly explaining the lower prevalence of HIV infection among
Muslims a study has found.

Researchers from the Medical Research Council Programme on AIDS in Uganda
questioned 2,374 sexually active adults from 15 villages in the southwest
of the country. The study showed that HIV prevalence was higher among
adults who consumed alcohol than those who never drank. Non-Muslims were
14 times more likely to have used alcohol and twice as likely to be HIV
positive.

See PLusNews:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1183&SelectRegion=Africa&S
electCountry=AFRICA

ETHIOPIA: New organisation to deal with AIDS orphans

A new organisation tasked with supporting the burgeoning number of AIDS
orphans is to be set up in Ethiopia. "It will help co-ordinate funds and
direct them to the children," the board chairman of the US
non-governmental organisation 'People to People', Dr Abraham Asnake, told
IRIN. "It will ensure they get help with their education, provide food and
shelter and allow the children access to services they need."

See PLusNews:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1182&SelectRegion=Horn_of_
Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA

ZAMBIA: PWAs march for Mwanawasa

Controversy marred last month's election victory by President Levy
Mwanawasa, but he has won the backing of a large although politically
marginalised constituency in Zambia - people living with AIDS (PWAs).

After being sworn in last week, Mwanawasa said in a Reuters interview that
HIV/AIDS was a national emergency and that he planned to lead the fight
against the epidemic. For Augustine Chella, vice president of the Network
of Zambian People Living With HIV/AIDS, those were encouraging words. As a
result, his organisation is planning a series of peaceful, nationwide
demonstrations this month "in solidarity with [the president] and the
stance he's taken". "Maybe we will have a voice in this government," he
told PlusNews.

See PLusNews:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1177&SelectRegion=Southern
_Africa&SelectCountry=ZAMBIA

KENYA: Poor ARV programme infrastructure hampers efforts

Disagreement on the infrastructure for Kenya's antiretroviral programme
has made it difficult to have a coordinated approach to fight the HIV/AIDS
pandemic, the director of the AIDS Control Programme told PlusNews on
Tuesday.

Dr Kenneth Chebet said the launch last month of national antiretroviral
(ARV) treatment guidelines was the first step in trying to create a
"standardised" approach between the public and private sectors. The
guidelines were released following a meeting held by various stakeholders
to discuss the "realities" of administering ARV therapy in the country.

See PLusNews:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1178&SelectRegion=East_Afr
ica&SelectCountry=KENYA

AFRICA: Campaigners call for Microbicide funding

Microbicides could give women an alternative way of protecting themselves
against HIV/AIDS as prevention messages urging women to use condoms or
remain monogamous were unrealistic, campaigners say.

According to the advocacy group the Global Campaign for Microbicides and
Prevention Options for Women, although microbicides would probably never
be as effective as condoms in preventing infection, women who seldom or
never use condoms could lower their overall risk of infection by using a
microbicide. In acceptability studies conducted in Zimbabwe, Uganda, and
South Africa, both women and men expressed willingness to use
microbicides.

See PlusNews:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1180&SelectRegion=Africa&S
electCountry=AFRICA

AFRICA: Vitamin A supplements can aid children''s growth

Delayed growth among children suffering from HIV/AIDS, malaria and
persistent diarrhoea in developing countries could be improved with
vitamin A supplements, a new study has found. Researchers from Harvard
University and Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, said in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics that
vitamin A supplements "could constitute a low-cost, effective intervention
to decrease the burden of growth retardation in settings where infectious
diseases are highly prevalent."

See PLusNews:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1181&SelectRegion=Africa&S
electCountry=AFRICA

BOTSWANA: Brazil's lessons to help Botswana''s teachers

A delegation of Brazilian experts is to visit Botswana soon to help
produce and promote classroom HIV/AIDS learning materials aimed at making
it easier for teachers to discuss the sensitive issue.

According to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) statement, the
southern African country, which has one of the world's highest HIV
infection rates, hoped to copy the manner in which Brazil had implemented
its awareness and education programmes in schools. Statistics from the
Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS indicate that more than one-third of
Botswana's adults are infected with HIV, as opposed to less than one
percent of Brazilians.

See PlusNews:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1176&SelectRegion=Southern
_Africa&SelectCountry=BOTSWANA


LINKS:

1. Para55.org - a working group mainly comprised of Commonwealth Health
Professional Associations, was established to promote the implementation
of the paragraph on HIV/AIDS, para 55, in the Communiqué issued following
the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government held in Durban, South
Africa in November 1999.

2. AIDS related social problems - an Islamic perspective
http://www.islamset.com/bioethics/aids1/index.html


CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. HIV patients may have a heightened risk of some forms of heart disease,
researchers in the United States warn.
http://ww2.aegis.org/pubs/aidswkly/2002/AW020102.html

2. In Ethiopia, children with tuberculosis (TB) are at higher risk of
infection with HIV as those who have better educated parents, parents with
higher income and live in better conditions, researchers report.
http://hiv.medscape.com/46649.rhtml?srcmp=aids-010402

3. A critical long-term study to determine which of two common HIV
treatment strategies ultimately is better began last week at 21 locations
in the United States and several sites in Australia. SMART, or Strategies
for Management of AntiRetroviral Therapies, will eventually enroll 6,000
people who will be monitored for up to nine years.  The study is being
conducted by the Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA),
a network of community-based researchers funded by the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/newsroom/releases/smart.htm

4. On 18 December the first report was presented from a new study of the
prevalence of drug-resistant HIV in US patients in early 1999. This study
found that somewhere between 50 and 78 percent of these patients had some
degree of reduced susceptibility to at least one antiretroviral. Yet
subsequent media reports misintepreted these results. This article
provides a closer look at the results of the study.
http://ww2.aegis.org/pubs/atn/2001/ATN37601.html


JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. International Health Exchange is looking to strengthen its register of
health workers in the following skill areas to improve its ability to
respond to diverse requests from NGO's:

HIV/AIDS:
Programming, planning and implementation, especially with refugees and
displaced populations
Strategic planning for inclusion of HIV/AIDS in programming
Health education

Individuals applying must have a relevant qualification and considerable
experience. Candidates must be available for long or short-term postings
or consultancies. Developing country field experience is preferred and
second languages (French, Spanish or Portuguese) are an advantage.

To apply, please send your CV to Patrick Brooke at International Health
Exchange, 134 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7AE. E-mail pat@ihe.org.uk. Please
state if you are IHE register member.

2. The UNAIDS Intercountry Team for Eastern and Southern Africa is
interested in engaging short term consultants in Monitoring and Evaluation
to undertake a series of key assignments in several countries in the
Eastern and Southern Africa region.

Potential consultants who have expertise in HIV/AIDS M&E, in areas such as
indicator building, capacity building/training in M&E, development of M&E
tools and protocols, project evaluation etc. should send their CVs to the
undersigned.

Please note that the receipt of a CV will not constitute a contract of any
nature between the sender and UNAIDS.
Dan Odallo
UNAIDS ICT/ESA
E-mail: dodallo@un.org.za.

[NB: Please mention 'af-aids' when you send in your CV so applications can
be tracked]
SOURCE: AF-AIDS (af-aids@healthdev.net)


IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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