IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 225: 18-Mar-05
IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 225
Africa
18 March 2005
NEWS:
ZIMBABWE: UNICEF appeals to donors to look beyond politics
ZAMBIA: Govt scales up TB programme
SWAZILAND: Elderly bear burden of orphan crisis
SOUTHERN AFRICA: New thinking needed on impact of HIV/AIDS on
agriculture
TOGO: Fighting to keep ARV drugs within population's grasp
ETHIOPIA: Nationwide HIV/AIDS hotline launched
COTE D'IVOIRE: Doctor concerned by high HIV prevalence rate in
forgotten northeast
AFRICA: Youth meet to discuss ways of fighting HIV/AIDS
CONFERENCES/ EVENTS/ RESEARCH/ RESOURCES
1. Discussion forum on Sexuality and Religion
2. Global Fund Call for Proposals
3. ICASA - Call for Abstracts
4. 2005 YouthNet Internship Programme
VACANCIES
1. Provincial Project Manager, Zambia
NEWS
ZIMBABWE: UNICEF appeals to donors to look beyond politics
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called on the global community to
"differentiate between the politics and the people of Zimbabwe".
"Every day children in Zimbabwe are dying of HIV/AIDS; every day
children are becoming infected, orphaned and forced to leave school to
care for sick parents. The global generosity towards tsunami victims was
inspiring, but it has dried up for Zimbabwean children, who are facing a
deadly crisis every day of their lives," said UNICEF Executive Director
Carol Bellamy in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Despite having the world's fourth highest rate of HIV infection, and the
greatest rise in child mortality in any nation, Zimbabweans were
receiving just a fraction of donor funding compared to other countries
in the region, UNICEF noted.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4602
ZAMBIA: Govt scales up TB programme
The Zambian government aims to scale up the country's tuberculosis (TB)
control programme to achieve a cure rate of 80 percent.
"We have exceeded the 70 percent WHO [World Health Organisation cure
rate] target. We are being realistic in targeting 80 percent," Health
Minister Brian Chituwo told PlusNews. "The TB cure rate in Zambia has
improved from 64 percent to 73 percent in the past year."
In 2004 Zambia had 58,000 diagnosed cases of TB. Chituwo linked the
increase in the number of TB patients, from 12,000 cases in 1986, to the
prevalence of HIV. Lusaka, the capital, the Copperbelt region and
Southern province accounted for 80 percent of the country's TB cases.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4601
SWAZILAND: Elderly bear burden of orphan crisis
Ninety percent blind in both eyes, Babe (Father in SiSwati) Simelane,
who estimates he is 72 years old, could make out only the roughest
outline of his son's face when he died from an AIDS related illness last
year, leaving two young sons.
His age and poor eyesight have made it difficult for Simelane, a
widower, to support his grandchildren.
"Mandla took care of me; he brought in the harvests. Now he is dead. The
boys - at least they get fed at school," said Simelane. He lives in the
mountainous northern Hhohho region, where ample rainfall and a network
of flowing rivers make the lush area vastly different to the
drought-affected south and east.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4600&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=SWAZILAND
SOUTHERN AFRICA: New thinking needed on impact of HIV/AIDS on
agriculture
The impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture in Southern Africa is now well
recognised. But a new report is calling for a rethink of current views
on the effects of the epidemic, with more concrete and specific regional
responses.
Despite current thinking on the effects of the epidemic on farming,
which has mainly been based on qualitative methods, the study found that
most quantitative household-level studies gave "a less catastrophic
assessment of the impacts of rising AIDS-related mortality on the
agricultural sector".
According to the report, to be presented next month at an international
conference on 'HIV/AIDS and Food and Nutrition Security' in South
Africa, it has been generally accepted that the loss of productive
family members would have an adverse impact on household agricultural
production.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4591&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=SOUTHERN_AFRICA
TOGO: Fighting to keep ARV drugs within population's grasp
Augustin Dokla has been at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS
ever since he was diagnosed as HIV-positive 10 years ago. Now he is
setting his sights on keeping the supply of cheap antiretroviral drugs
(ARV) in Togo from drying up.
India, the world's fourth-largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and a key
producer and exporter of generic ARV drugs, has proposed amendments to
its patent laws, which would stop it providing affordable
life-prolonging drugs to people living with AIDS in developing
countries, including Togo.
The Indian parliament is trying to tackle implementation of the World
Trade Organisation's (WTO) agreement regulating patents on medicines.
But according to AIDS activists, 50 percent of Indians and 30 percent of
Africans who are HIV-positive use the cheaper versions of branded ARVs,
made and marketed by the world's biggest democracy.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4598
ETHIOPIA: Nationwide HIV/AIDS hotline launched
A new HIV/AIDS hotline was launched in Ethiopia on Thursday to provide
accurate information, counselling and free referrals to callers from
across the country.
"We are now receiving 1,800 calls on average every day since the hotline
became available nationwide on 10 March," Gashaw Mengistu, the
coordinator of the facility, told PlusNews from the Ethiopian capital,
Addis Ababa.
He said a campaign would be launched to promote the hotline on radio and
television, which would hopefully encourage many more people to use the
service.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4583
COTE D IVOIRE: Doctor concerned by high HIV prevalence rate in forgotten
northeast
Olivier Oura is the only trained doctor available to Ivorians living
with HIV/AIDS around Bondoukou, and he's worried that poor security and
communication in this northeastern corner of Cote d'Ivoire may have
landed it with the country's highest HIV prevalence rate.
"Look - in 2002, Bondoukou region had a prevalence rate of 11 percent -
that's the second highest in the country and substantially higher than
the capital, Abidjan, which was 7.4 percent," Oura told PlusNews,
flicking on a computer and pulling up a screen of data.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4585
AFRICA: Youth meet to discuss ways of fighting HIV/AIDS
An Africa-wide youth organisation is holding a five-day conference in
the Rwandan capital, Kigali, to draw up a plan of action for the
continent's youth to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.
"Our mission is to initiate, consolidate and strengthen the capacity and
response of African youth to effectively confront HIV/AIDS," Michael
Karangwa, executive secretary of the Pan-African Youth Organisation
Against HIV/AIDS (PAYA), said when the conference opened on Monday.
Participants from at least 20 African nations are taking part in the
conference, which hopes to rally support from key donors for its
programmes.
More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4586
CONFERENCES/ EVENTS/ RESEARCH/ RESOURCES
1. The Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Centre (ARSRC) is currently
holding a moderated electronic discussion forum on Sexuality and
Religion, which started on 7 March and will finish at the end of April
2005.
This discussion seeks to explain the interconnection between religion
and the forms and expression of human sexuality, and will also highlight
the extent to which religion influences beliefs and shapes human sexual
behaviour, and examine how individuals attempt to influence religious
approaches to sexuality. It is also an attempt to critically address the
relationship between various beliefs and human sexuality.
Weekly discussions will explore the following areas:
- Sexuality and Spirituality: Is sex spiritual?
- Sexual Expression and Religion
- Religion and Sexuality Education: Does religion have a role to play
in sexuality education?
- Marriage, Sexuality and Reproduction
- Adolescent Sexuality and Religion
To participate, click on the link below and sign up, giving your name
and the country in which you work:
http://www.arsrc.org/en/resources/forum/forum.htm
2. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) issued a call
on 17 March 2005 for proposals for Round 5. Application forms for this
round should be completed by countries before 10 June 2005, and will be
reviewed by a panel of experts before the approved grants are announced
at the end of September 2005.
The Global Fund Board has underlined that collaboration between TB and
HIV programmes will be vital to this latest round of applications,
especially for countries where HIV/AIDS is driving the TB epidemic.
Countries are requested to include strategies for minimising the impact
of TB among people living with HIV/AIDS in their HIV/AIDS proposals. At
the same time, TB proposals should be streamlined to ensure prevention,
testing and counselling for HIV/AIDS among TB patients.
In development of the Round 5 applications, relative normative
assistance will be provided by WHO and technical partners, to enable
countries to develop single, combined proposals for integrated responses
to TB and HIV.
For more information on TB/HIV proposals:
Rose Pray
STOP TB Partnership, WHO
Tel: +41 22 791 3472
Email: prayr@who.int
and Catherine Bilger, HIV/AIDS Department, WHO
Tel: + 41 22 791 1418
Email: bilgerc@who.int
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/apply/call/
3. Organisers of the 14th International Conference on HIV/AIDS and STIs
in Africa (ICASA 2005) - to be held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 4 to 9
December 2005, with the theme 'HIV/AIDS and the Family' - are calling
for abstracts of original contributions in the field of HIV/AIDS.
Abstracts could be in the areas of basic sciences, social sciences,
health-related issues, community-related topics, youths, gender, the
family, trials, human rights ethical issues, clinical issues, and care
and support. All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by panellists.
When accepted, authors will be notified and the abstracts will appear in
their full form in the conference abstract book and on the abstract
CD-ROM.
To ensure that abstracts are considered, they should be submitted before
the deadline of 29 May 2005. The abstract guidelines, submission form
and other conference-related information, including
sub-tracts/sub-themes, non-abstract-driven sessions, plenary sessions
and round table sessions, are currently available on the conference
website: www.icasa2005.com
4. The YouthNet programme of Family Health International (FHI) announces
an eleven-week internship programme designed to give current or recent
undergraduate and graduate university students from developing countries
experience in designing, implementing and evaluating youth reproductive
health (YRH) and HIV/AIDS programmes. A maximum of six positions, based
in the Washington, DC, area, is available. The internship programme
will run from 30 May to 12 August 2005.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.fhi.org/en/Youth/YouthNet/ProgramsAreas/YouthInvolvement/internapplication.htm
VACANCIES:
1. Family Health International (FHI) runs a programme of research,
education, and services in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment
(PCT), reproductive health and infectious diseases. They are looking for
qualified candidates for the following positions:
Provincial Project Managers, Zambia
The positions will operate from the following five provinces: Central;
Copperbelt; Northern; Northwestern and Luapula. The Provincial Project
Manager will coordinate all activities at the provincial level in the
focus provinces. This will include supervising field office staff,
guiding the implementation and operation for the PCT project HIV/AIDS
programmes, managing and supporting provincial level implementing
partners. All positions require familiarity with the operations of
international and local NGOs, as well as international donor
organisations, especially those funded in Zambia.
REQUIREMENTS:
- MD/MBBS or MPH; Bachelor's degree in public health considered with
additional experience
- 8 to 10 years' experience managing programmes at the community level,
with 3 to 5 years' experience in HIV/AIDS programme planning
- Experience with public and NGOs sector required
Please mention for which province you are applying. This is not an
expatriate assignment. No international relocation or expatriate
benefits provided.
Interested candidates please submit cover letter and resume, including
salary requirements, online at www.fhi.org or email to:
humanresources@fhi.org. Please specify source in your application.
IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 895-1900
Fax: +27 11 784-6759
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za
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2005
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