IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 160
Africa
19 December 2003


NEWS:

ZIMBABWE: Agriculture badly affected by HIV/AIDS
COTE D IVOIRE-SENEGAL: Activists warn against complacency over HIV/AIDS
WEST AFRICA: African conference looks at living with AIDS at home
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN agency identifies sites for HIV/AIDS centres

LINKS

1. Horizons
2. iThemba Lethu
3. Strategies For Hope
4. AIDS-BELLS

CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH/RESOURCES

1. Medical Research Council (MRC) Research Trainee Programme for young
black scientists
2. Securing Treatment and Care for people living with HIV/AIDS
3. Multidisciplinary Analysis of HIV/AIDS in Uganda
4. Teaching-Aids At Low Cost

NEWS

ZIMBABWE: Agriculture badly affected by HIV/AIDS

Zimbabwe's struggling agricultural sector, already hard hit by drought,
shortages of inputs and the fast-track land reform programme, has also
been badly affected by HIV/AIDS.

In its latest report the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU) noted that
"productivity has been severely affected in the agricultural sector as a
direct result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country".

Research indicates a 43 percent HIV/AIDS prevalence rate on farms,
compared to a national infection level of 24.6 percent, with the highest
number of HIV-positive people in the 15 to 23 age range - "the core of the
agricultural labour force".

The research, conducted for the UN Development Programme and soon to be
published in the "Zimbabwe Human Development Report 2003", found that 23
percent of labour losses among farming communities were due to HIV/AIDS.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2861


COTE D IVOIRE-SENEGAL: Activists warn against complacency over HIV/AIDS

West Africa's HIV-AIDS pandemic has often been overshadowed by the higher
infection rates in southern Africa. But the World Health Organisation's
(WHO) latest global HIV-AIDS update warns strongly against complacency.

WHO points out that while infection rates have remained broadly stable in
Sahelian countries like Mali, The Gambia and Niger, which all with have
prevalence rates of less than two per cent, the figures are markedly less
optimistic in Cote d'Ivoire, where adult prevalence rates have been
estimated at between 10 and 12 percent.

For years the country has been identified as the HIV/AIDS centre of West
Africa. While reliable data has been difficult to obtain since the
outbreak of a civil war in September 2002, medical experts say there were
already over one million people living with HIV/AIDS in Cote d’Ivoire by
the year 2000.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2860&


WEST AFRICA: African conference looks at living with AIDS at home

Taking as its theme "More Care for Better Living", the 6th Home and
Community Care Conference in Dakar, Senegal, last week highlighted the
need for a far stronger, more well-rounded approach to the needs and
problems of People Living with HIV/AIDS.

While conference organisers made it clear that that prevention remained
the mainstay of the global response to HIV/AIDS, delegates stressed
repeatedly that those affected by the virus needed access to proper care
and medication.

The message from the Senegalese capital was clear: "Better Living" meant
governments providing affordable antiretroviral therapy to those who
needed it, while families and communities needed to do a lot more to end
the stigmatisation and marginalisation of people living with AIDS.

It was made evident that those most affected by HIV/AIDS should be at the
centre of treatment and prevention campaigns.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2859


CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN agency identifies sites for HIV/AIDS centres

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun identification of 16 sites
for construction of HIV/AIDS detection-prevention-treatment centres across
the Central African Republic, an official told IRIN on Friday.

Funding for the programme would come from the HIV/AIDS Global Fund, the
UNDP resident representative, Stan Nkwain, said. "This is a legitimate
ambition given the extent to which HIV/AIDS is ravaging the population,"
he said.

Nkwain added that the first phase of the two-year project, covering eight
centres, would cost US $8 million. The centres include two centres in the
capital, Bangui, one in Bossangoa, 305 km north of Bangui; one each in
Boura, Bambari and Bria, 454, 385 and 597 km northeast of Bangui
respectively; and one each in Bangassou and Mobaye, 742 and 608 km east of
Bangui respectively.

Nkwain headed a UNDP mission to Bossangoa and Bouar from 8-11 December,
which was aimed at assessing the needs of the local populations. Another
UNDP mission to the other four towns left Bangui on Saturday and is due to
assess the infrastructure and identify partners for the project. This
mission ends on Friday.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2853


LINKS

1. Horizons

This site is run by a team of US-based and international organisations
working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and mitigate its impact on
individuals and communities. Directed by the Population Council and funded
by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
Horizons' major goal is to identify and develop successful HIV/AIDS
projects that can be replicated and scaled up, where relevant.

For more information: http://www.popcouncil.org/horizons/horizons.html


2. iThemba Lethu

Operating in the Durban Metropolitan area in South Africa, iThemba Lethu
is a voluntary association, established in November 2000, that seeks to
impact the lives of children and young people whose futures are threatened
by HIV/AIDS.

For more information: http://www.ithembalethu.org.za/


3. Strategies For Hope
This site aims to promote informed, positive thinking and practical action
by all sections of society, in dealing with HIV and AIDS. It also make
available a range of books, videos and a training package designed to
disseminate information about practical strategies of HIV/AIDS care,
support and prevention in developing countries.

For more information: http://www.stratshope.org/


4. AIDS-BELLS
This site provides publications on HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) as it
affects business, economics, labour, law and security. It also brings you
news and updates on TB and HIV/AIDS.

For more information: http://www.aids-bells.org/


CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH

1. Medical Research Council (MRC) Research Trainee Programme for young
black scientists.
The MRC research trainee programme places black postgraduates in its units
and groups. Black candidates with a four-year degree or equivalent, or a
Master's degree, can apply for a research training internship position
with an MRC research unit or group. Research trainees who register for a
masters or doctoral degree can renew their appointment for a second and
third year, subject to their satisfactory performance.

For more information:
http://www.mrc.co.za/funding/fundopportunities.htm#research

2. Securing Treatment and Care for people living with HIV/AIDS
Organised by the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
(SIMIT) and other prestigious international institutions, the 21 to 24
January 2004 conference in Florence, Italy, will provide an opportunity to
discuss topical scientific issues, without overlooking the importance of
the social impact of HIV/AIDS.

For more information:
http://www.promoleader.com/hiv_international_meeting/

3. Multidisciplinary Analysis of HIV/AIDS in Uganda
As part of its Country AIDS Policy Analysis Project, the AIDS Policy
Research Centre at the University of California San Francisco has
published a multidisciplinary, fully referenced, peer-reviewed analysis of
HIV/AIDS in Uganda. The paper includes sections on epidemiology, political
economy, sociobehavioral context, impact, and response - at household,
sectoral,
and macro levels.

For more information: http://ari.ucsf.edu/ARI/policy/countries.htm

4. Teaching-Aids At Low Cost (TALC)
This unique charity, which supplies low-cost training and teaching
materials to help raise standards of health care and reduce poverty in
developing countries, has made available The Memory Book For Africa.
Retailing at under US $5, the book is a tool for HIV-positive parents to
leave behind recordings of their lives for their children when the parents
have died of AIDS-related illnesses.

For more information: http://www.talcuk.org/


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

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