IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 170
Africa
27 February 2004


NEWS:

SOUTH AFRICA: Paramedics protest "condom" memo
SOUTH AFRICA: ARV drug rollout urgently needed, says lobby group
BURKINA FASO: Government urges traditional healers to help tackle HIV/AIDS
TANZANIA: Youth air their concerns in Tanzania

LINKS

1. ACHAP Partnerships for an AIDS-Free Generation
2. Women, Children and HIV: Resources for prevention and treatment
3. YouthHIV
4. KZN AIDS Link

CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH/RESOURCES

1. 11th Annual Congress on Infectious Diseases
2. 2nd European HIV Drug Resistance Workshop
3. HIV/AIDS in the Workplace

VACANCIES

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance



NEWS

SOUTH AFRICA: Paramedics protest "condom" memo

Paramedics in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province voiced their outrage
this week after receiving an internal memorandum urging female staff
members on night duty to wear condoms.

The memorandum, issued by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, followed
a spate of ambulance hijackings in the area, during one of which a female
paramedic was raped last week.

A provincial newspaper, The Mercury, said police had confirmed that four
accused between the ages of 21 and 23 had been remanded in custody in
connection with the crime.

According to the memorandum, any crew needing an escort should phone the
emergency police service number, put cellular phones on silent mode and
keep them where they would not be visible, and paramedics - especially
women on the night shift - should wear condoms, which would be issued to
them.

More details: http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=3072

SOUTH AFRICA: ARV drug rollout urgently needed, says lobby group

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), South Africa's vocal AIDS lobby
group, on Tuesday offered to work with the government to ensure the urgent
rollout of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to people living with HIV.

"We want to work with the government at every level to save lives, to make
sure that people get treatment and care," TAC spokesperson Mark Heywood
said at a public meeting of stakeholders at Johannesburg City Hall.

"We request a discussion with you outside of this meeting today, so that
you can tell us what we can do to make it a reality," he told the members
of government attending.

The government's "Operational Plan for Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care",
agreed by cabinet in November last year, aims at preventing over 1.5
million AIDS deaths by 2008 by providing free ARV drugs through the public
health system.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=3067


BURKINA FASO: Government urges traditional healers to help tackle HIV/AIDS

The government of Burkina Faso has urged traditional healers in West
Africa to collaborate with scientific researchers in the fight against
HIV/AIDS by using herbal treatments to address AIDS-related illnesses such
as tuberculosis and diarrhoea.

Jean Gabriel Wango, secretary general of the Ministry of Health, made the
appeal on Monday in the capital, Ouagadougou, at the opening of a
week-long international exhibition of traditional medicines.

"There is no doubt that traditional herbs can be used to cure some
infectious diseases related to HIV/AIDS, but we need a scientific
validation of these herbs' properties before using them on a larger
scale," he said.

The fourth International Traditional Medicine Show (SIRENA) in Ouagadougou
has brought together traditional healers from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali,
Togo, Benin, France and China under the theme "Traditional medicine, a
possible way to combat HIV/AIDS".

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=3066


TANZANIA: Youth air their concerns in Tanzania

In the brightly lit television studio in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,
producers issued last-minute instructions to cameramen, make-up artists
applied final touches to the guests and the presenter scribbled a few
final lines on her notes before the cameras rolled.

Over the next hour or so, once the talk show guests overcame their initial
fear of the camera, the debate began in earnest. The show was one of a
series organised by Femina, a multimedia HIV/AIDS communication initiative
targeting the youth, run by the Health Information Project. The day's
subject was "Controlling Your Sexual Desire" and the six guests, aged 16
to 30 years, disagreed on which gender bore the responsibility for
control.

"I know I should, but I can't always control myself. Taking alcohol
doesn't help, I have to say," said Respicki Msoka early in the discussion.

However, Ziberi Bakari said as it was often the man who made the first
move, it was he who had ultimate control over sex. Hamisi Hidja, a street
hawker, sitting next to him on a sofa that resembled an enormous pair of
lips, disagreed.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=3057


LINKS

1.  ACHAP Partnerships for an AIDS-Free Generation

The African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP) was established to
prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in Botswana. ACHAP supports the goals of the
Government of Botswana to decrease HIV incidence, and significantly
increase the rate of diagnosis and treatment of the disease by rapidly
advancing prevention programmes, health care access, patient management
and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

ACHAP is a collaboration between the government of Botswana, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation and The Merck Company Foundation.

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

2. Women, Children and HIV

Women, Children, and HIV contains a library of practically applicable
materials on mother and child HIV infection including preventing
mother-to-child HIV transmission, infant feeding, clinical care of women,
children living with HIV and the support of orphans.

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

3. YouthHIV

YouthHIV is a website created by and for HIV-positive youth and HIV peer
educators. The purpose is to provide a safe and effective website offering
sexual and mental health information, community support, opportunities for
advocacy, resources and referrals, and online peer education.

For more information: www.youthHIV.org

4. KZN AIDS Link

This website exists to serve the needs of all individuals, groups and
communities involved in non-profit HIV/AIDS work in KwaZulu-Natal, South
Africa. Our purpose is to promote the exchange of ideas, information and
experiences, and to encourage networking among members.

For more information:  http://www.kznaidslink.kabissa.org/index.html


CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH/RESOURCES

1. 11th Annual Congress on Infectious Diseases

The Annual Congress will take place from 4 to 7 March in Cancun, Mexico.
Sponsored by the International Society for Infectious Diseases, the
congress is the largest meeting of its type and brings together thousands
of participants from more than 100 countries to share the latest research
and developments in the field of infectious diseases.

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

2. Second European HIV Drug Resistance Workshop

The workshop will be held from 11 to 13 March at the Universita Cattolica
del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy. The main objectives of this meeting are to
provide European researchers and clinicians in the field of HIV treatment
with opportunities to share scientific findings and to translate science
around resistance to clinical practice.

For more information: http://www.virology-education.com/index2.html

3. HIV/AIDS in the Workplace

An interdisciplinary research symposium on "HIV/AIDS in the Workplace"
will be held between 29 and 30 June at the University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, organised by members of the
Wits Schools of Business, Economics, Law, Public Health and Social
Sciences. The symposium aims to provide an opportunity for researchers
from all academic disciplines, and practitioners conducting 'action
research' in work environments, to present and discuss their work on
HIV/AIDS in the workplace.

Symposium themes include: Exploring tensions, contradictions and
opportunities around HIV/AIDS programmes in the workplace; Projections vs.
Reality - The real impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace; Workplace
Programmes in the Era of treatment - What is best practice?; HIV/AIDS and
the 'atypical' workplace; Workplace and Society - Are there boundaries in
responding to HIV/AIDS at work?

Deadline for abstract submission: 1st March.
Deadline for papers: 31st May

For more information contact:
Rachel Browne: Centre for Health Policy: HIV/AIDS in the Workplace
Symposium
PO Box 1038, Johannesburg 2000
Tel: +27-11-489-9881
Fax: +27-11-489-9900
e-mail:hiv.workplace@nhls.ac.za
http://www.alp.org.za


VACANCIES

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Senior Programme Officer, East & Southern Africa - Brighton, UK

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance undertakes a range of regional
activities and has country offices in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and
Madagascar. Further development in South Africa is planned. The post is
based in Brighton, United Kingdom, and includes overseas travel. The
salary is from UK£33,399 plus attractive benefits.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Senior Programme Officer is a core member of the East & Southern
Africa team and has specific responsibilities to support the Alliance's
work with partner organisations, as well as a more general role in country
programme development in the region. The post-holder is responsible for
development, co-ordination and monitoring of country activities; managing
and/or providing technical support to meet identified needs; editing and
writing funding proposals and country reports.

REQUIREMENTS:

* At least six years' relevant work experience in a developing country
context, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa
* Strong technical skills in community-based HIV/AIDS programming
(prevention, care and impact mitigation) essential
* NGO/CBO technical support provision on HIV/AIDS preferred
* An ability to move easily and effectively between the worlds of donors
and grassroots NGOs
* Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
* Strong commitment to HIV/AIDS and development issues
* Experience in developing funding proposals, donor relations and
reporting
* Good computer skills, preferably in MS Office (Word, Outlook, Excel)
* Commitment to team building and collaborative working
* French language skills would be an added advantage

Interested applicants should send CV and a covering letter (both in
English) to recruitment@aidsalliance.org.
Subject box should be 'SPO: ESA + Ref: FP/230 and your surname. Please use
a format compatible with Microsoft Office/Word.

Covering letter should indicate:
* Where you saw the vacancy advertised
* Your reason for applying
* The skills and experience you possess relevant to this post
* Your recent salary history

Closing date: 17 March 2004
Interviews expected to be held late March 2004

Qualified people living with HIV/AIDS are particularly encouraged to
apply.


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

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