IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 67
Africa
22 February 2002


NEWS:

SWAZILAND: Focus on social impact of AIDS
ETHIOPIA: Focus on economic impact of AIDS
SOUTH AFRICA: Focus on nevirapine programme
UZBEKISTAN: HIV/AIDS cases on the rise
NAMIBIA: Free AIDS drug deal

LINKS:

1. Saving Women's Lives
2. African Medical News
3. New PROCAARE website
4. Pictorial reproductive health package for Pakistan

CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. Gender-based Violence and Health Conference
2. Satellite Meeting - Vaccines, Access to treatment & the Law
3. New HIV/AIDS online tutorials
4. Recognising and diagnosing primary HIV infection

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. Executive Director - Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB & Malaria
2. Resident Advisor - LINKAGES/Zambia
3. Senior HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor - CARE USA

SWAZILAND: Focus on social impact of AIDS

"Panic breeding" is the inelegant term given to a response by some Swazis
to an AIDS epidemic that is decimating the population of the small
Southern Africa kingdom. The impulse to make-up for AIDS deaths by having
more babies is exacerbating both the health crisis and the kingdom's
ongoing problem with overpopulation.

"People are reacting hysterically to the swath of AIDS deaths that are
cutting through the population. Every weekend brings a traffic jam of
funerals for young and middle-aged people who die of mysterious 'lingering
illnesses', as the newspaper death notices say," explained Alicia Khumalo,
a nurse at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, the main medical facility in
the commercial town of Manzini, Swaziland's most populous urban centre.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1226&SelectRegion=Southern
_Africa&SelectCountry=SWAZILAND

ETHIOPIA: Focus on economic impact of AIDS

The devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa is all too evident. Millions
have died, their children orphaned and entire communities destroyed. But
it is the crippling effect of AIDS on African economies that is now
starting to ring alarm bells.

In Ethiopia, concern is now mounting that AIDS could blow off course the
much-heralded poverty reduction strategy on which the future development
of the country is pinned. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has called on the
National AIDS Council to put together a team to ensure that the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) takes this into account.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1225&SelectRegion=Horn_of_
Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA

SOUTH AFRICA: Focus on nevirapine programme

All state hospitals in South Africa's Gauteng province will provide the
antiretroviral drug nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant women this year,
the provincial government announced this week.

Gauteng, the thriving commercial hub of the country, is now the fourth
province to defy government policy by making the drug available. But
doctors and staff at some of the existing 18 pilot sites have raised
concerns that logistical problems could hamper the smooth roll-out of the
programme.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1224&SelectRegion=Southern
_Africa&SelectCountry=SOUTH_AFRICA

UZBEKISTAN: HIV/AIDS cases on the rise

Authorities in Uzbekistan have registered a total of 779 HIV-positive
people, more than three quarters of whom are men, showing a sharp rise in
numbers over the last two years, a UN official told IRIN on Tuesday from
the Uzbek capital Tashkent.

"HIV/AIDS is increasing sharply," said Aziz Khudoberdiev, a programme
officer at the United Nations AIDS programme in Uzbekistan. "It has risen
sharply in the last two years, spreading fast by sharing of syringes by
drug users."

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1221&SelectRegion=Central_
Asia&SelectCountry=UZBEKISTAN

NAMIBIA: Free AIDS drug deal

The Namibian government is set to sign a agreement with international
pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Thursday to provide an unlimited free
supply of a powerful drug to combat fungal infections associated with
HIV/AIDS.

Health Minister Dr Libertina Amathila and Pfizer's Medical Director for
International Philanthropy Dr Konji Sebati will put pen to paper on a deal
whose negotiations started way back in July last year. First drugs would
be distributed as early as Monday next week.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1223&SelectRegion=Southern
_Africa&SelectCountry=NAMIBIA


LINKS:

1. Saving Women's Lives - aims to educate and raise awareness of the broad
range of women's global health and rights issues, including reproductive
health, safe motherhood, poverty and economic development, violence
against women, women's social status and education.
http://www.savingwomenslives.org/

2. African Medical News - articles that aim to raise important issues in
the areas of science and technology for Africa's sustainable development.
A focus on health, environment, agriculture, biotechnology, industry,
development policies and major news events.
http://www.sciencenewsdev.co.ke/af-medical.htm

3. New PROCAARE website - serving as the home page for our electronic
discussion group on the Programme for the Collaboration Against AIDS and
Related Epidemics, procaare.org contains news and events, useful links,
documents that are related to the discussions taking place on ProCAARE as
well as ProCAARE message archives. http://www.procaare.org

4. The HEAL Trust, at the request of the World Population Foundation
(WPF), Pakistan, has developed a package of pictorial stories on
reproductive health in three local languages (Urdu, Pashtoo, and Sindhi)
to educate rural communities. The topics included in the package are safe
motherhood, infertility, HIV/ AIDS, child spacing, safe abortion and child
survival. For more information contact:

Farkhanda Tabassum, Executive Director, HEAL Trust,
53-K, Gulberg 3, Lahore, Pakistan.
Tel. 92042-5867630 Fax: 92042-5867630 email: heal@one.net.pk


CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. First South African Gender-based Violence and Health Conference, 17 -
20 April 2002

The conference is organized by the South African Gender Based Violence and
Health Initiative (SAGBVHI). The conference convenors are Naomi Webster of
SAGBVHI, Rachel Jewkes of the Medical Research Council and Shereen Usdin
of Soul City. Any enquiries with regard to the scientific programme should
be addressed to: Naomi Webster Tel: +27 21 339 8527 Fax: +27 21 339 8582
e-mail: naomi.webster@mrc.ac.za

If you have any queries or require further information about the
conference administration, please contact the Conference Organiser:
The Conference Organiser
South African Gender-Based Violence and Health Conference
Tel: +27 (0)11 487-2761
Fax: +27 (0)11 487-2761
E-mail: gmurconf@iafrica.com

2.  A one-day satellite meeting on vaccines, access to treatment and the
law will be held on Friday, 5 July 2002, in Barcelona, Spain, just prior
to AIDS 2002.  The meeting is being organized by the Canadian HIV/AIDS
Legal Network, the AIDS Law Project (South Africa), and the HIV/AIDS Unit
of The Lawyers Collective (India), and will be co-hosted by UNAIDS.

Background papers on each issue will be distributed in advance to
participants and presented in plenary. Most of the day will be spent in
workshops where each issue can be explored in detail. Registration is
limited to 100 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. To
register or obtain more information, visit the website of the Canadian
HIV/AIDS Legal Network at
http://www.aidslaw.ca/barcelona2002/e-barcelona2002.htm or contact Glen
Bugg (email: gbugg@aidslaw.ca; tel: +1 514 397 6828 ext. 226; fax: +1 514
397 8570).

3. New HIV/AIDS online tutorials - John Hopkins University's ReproLine has
released six new HIV/AIDS online tutorials. These have been developed and
added to the series on the Care of Women with HIV Living in
Limited-Resource Settings. New topics include HIV and Pregnancy, HIV and
Breastfeeding, and HIV and Nutrition. You need Real Player to view the
tutorials.
http://www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/4morerh/4hivaid/hivreal.htm

4. Recognising and diagnosing primary HIV infection - researchers have
expended much time and effort studying primary HIV infection (PHI). Large
amounts of money have been spent identifying patients in the earliest
stage of HIV infection, studying their immune responses, and conducting
studies of therapeutic interventions.
http://ww2.aegis.org/pubs/rita/2002/RI020102.html


JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. Executive Director - Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB & Malaria, Geneva
Switzerland

The newly established Board of the Global Fund is looking to hire its
Executive Director. The candidate will:

- Carry out as Chief Executive Officer, under the authority of the Board
of Directors and its Chairman all decisions, policies and assigned
mandates.
- Provide leadership, long-term vision and strategies at operational and
staff level, including the management of the Secretariat.
- Collaborate closely with the Technical Review Panel responsible for the
project evaluation to their submission for approval to the Board of
Directors.
- Ensure proactive Resource Mobilization and Communication about the use
of the Fund.
- Represent,together with the Chair, the Global Fund at international
level.

Requirements:

- Commitment to the Global Fund, not losing sight of the real needs of the
people affected by one of the three diseases.
- Successful senior management track record, in the private, NGO or public
sector, with proven capability of managing international initiatives and a
large variety of interest groups.
- Outstanding leadership qualities, with diplomatic and communications
skills at international level.
- Superior level of education with experience in working in a broad
spectrum of cultures.
- Fluency in English and one more UN language.

Deadline for submission of Candidacy is March 5, 2002. Please send your CV
with current salary details to: Sibylle Rupprecht, Korn/Ferry
International, 61 rue du Rhône, 1204 Geneva/Switzerland quoting reference
GF-SG. Alternatively send by fax on +41 22 311 78 29 or by email to
geneva@kornferry.com http://www.ekornferry.com

2. Resident Advisor - LINKAGES/Zambia

LINKAGES is a USAID-funded health project that provides technical
assistance in expanding the Ndola Demonstration Project in Zambia. The
model integrates prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the
maternal and child health setting and links clinical and community
services.

The Lusaka-based Resident Advisor manages country activities; liaises
between partners; and manages a technical and support team to ensure
quality programming, monitoring and financial management.

Requirements:

- Advanced degree in maternal and child health, nutrition or behaviour
change communication.
- 7-10 years of experience in international health programme management.
- Experience with MCH, HIV/AIDS commmunity development, training,
behaviour change, monitoring and evaluation.
- Experience working with governments, donors, NGOs and community
organisations

For more information:
Email: admindc@aed.org
http://www.aed.org

3. Senior HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor - CARE USA, Atlanta USA

Candidate will:

- Cultivate opportunities for strategic alliances with partners in the
field
- Share responsibility for building a broad and diverse funding base in
support of CARE's HIV/AIDS strategy
- Ensure that the complex problems presented by HIV/AIDS are given
consideration in programme strategies across sectors.

For more information on the post: http://www.comminit.com/vacancy687.html
Contact: Tanis Cordes - hrcordes@care.org


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

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