IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 219
Africa
4 February 2005


NEWS:

CAMEROON: Government suspends trial of AIDS drug
SWAZILAND: Top officials of trade unions publicly tested for HIV
MOZAMBIQUE: Financial incentive to attract home-based HIV/AIDS
   caregivers
ZAMBIA: University launches free ARV treatment on campus
GHANA: Universities to train teachers and youth leaders in AIDS
   awareness


CONFERENCES/ EVENTS/ RESEARCH RESOURCES

1. New website for ICASA 2005
2. State of AIDS in Black America
3. HIV And Infant Feeding
4. HIV/AIDS Guide for Nutritional Care and Support

VACANCIES

1. HIV/AIDS Researcher


NEWS

BURKINA FASO: Returning migrants struggle to pay for AIDS treatment

Two years ago Moumoumi Guira fled ethnic attacks and civil war in Cote
d'Ivoire. He got back safely to his native Burkina Faso, only to discover
he was HIV positive.

Now, having left everything behind in the rush to escape, he must find a
way to pay for the antiretroviral treatment that he desperately needs.

"We have nothing. We couldn't get any luggage onto the truck that brought
us. To feed everyone at my house is a big enough problem but to find the
cash for my medication too, well it's impossible," he told PlusNews in the
southwestern town of Bobo Dioulasso.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4453


CAMEROON: Government suspends trial of AIDS drug

Clinical trials of an anti-AIDS drug being tested on sex workers by US
pharmaceutical company Gilead have been suspended, the Cameroonian
government said on Friday after controversy over how the trials are being
conducted.

AIDS activists in Cameroon and France have alleged that the 400 female
volunteers taking part had not been sufficiently informed of the risks
involved and were not being provided with any healthcare in the event that
they become infected with HIV during the course of the trial.

The drug in question is Tenofovir, an antiretroviral (ARV) drug
manufactured by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead, which has been sold
under the brand name Viread for the past three years.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4452


SWAZILAND: Top officials of trade unions publicly tested for HIV

In a move considered to be a breakthrough in the conservative kingdom of
Swaziland, the secretary general of each of the two trade union
federations publicly took an HIV test on Friday.

Jan Sithole of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) and Vincent
Ncongwane of the Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL) are the highest
ranking public or government officials to take these tests in the country
with the world's highest HIV prevalence rate.

"I wish to send a message to all leaders in Swaziland, particularly
traditional leaders, but also religious leaders, government leaders and
business leaders, to take these tests, and to encourage their constituents
to do so," Sithole told PlusNews.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4450


MOZAMBIQUE: Financial incentive to attract home-based HIV/AIDS caregivers

Mozambican health authorities are hoping a financial incentive will
encourage more people to become involved in home-based care (HBC)
programmes for those living with HIV/AIDS.

The ministry of health recently recommended that HBC caregivers be
remunerated at 60 percent of the country's minimum wage, which is about US
$55 per month. HBC 'activists', as they are known, do not get paid and at
best receive a small incentive, such as a T-shirt.

It is widely acknowledged that HBC volunteers play a vital role in
providing care to the estimated 1.4 million Mozambicans living with the
disease, filling an important gap in a country where almost half the
population does not have access to adequate healthcare.

"There is only one nurse for every 5,000 people, which is one of the
lowest ratios in the region," Sandy McGunegill, an HBC technical advisor
in the health ministry, told PlusNews. "Many of our health centres do not
have nurses, and most of the health workers have a low level of education
or training," she commented.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4440

ZAMBIA: University launches free ARV treatment on campus

The University of Zambia (UNZA) has launched a programme to provide free
antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to HIV-positive staff and students on campus.

According to UNZA vice chancellor Professor Robert Serpell, the HIV/AIDS
epidemic had robbed the institution of qualified staff in recent years.

"The advent of the ARV treatment programme is an important response to
combating the disease, as one can have his or her life prolonged and
continue with school or a career," he said at the launch of the treatment
programme last week.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4446

GHANA: Universities to train teachers and youth leaders in AIDS awareness

Thousands of trainee teachers and youth leaders in Ghana are to receive
HIV/AIDS awareness and sensitisation training as part of a Canadian-backed
initiative to tackle stigma surrounding the disease, the director of the
project said.

"HIV/AIDS is increasingly becoming a problem in our country, but we hardly
talk about sex in our communities. This course aims at prevention, and
creating the requisite knowledge about the condition, by efforts to remove
the stigma associated with it," project director Reuben Aggor told
PlusNews at the weekend.

The new one-semester course, titled 'Reducing HIV Stigma By Education',
will be launched in October 2006. The Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA) is providing a US $1.2 million, five-year sponsorship
package to support the programme.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4428



CONFERENCES/ EVENTS/ RESEARCH RESOURCES

1. The 14th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) to
be held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 4-9 December 2005 under the theme,
'HIV/AIDS and the Family', has a new website.

To find out more about the conference, visit: www.icasa2005.com NOT
www.icasa2005.org

2. The Black AIDS Institute recently released a national report on the
state of HIV/AIDS in black America, titled 'The Time is Now!'. The report
explains the policies and politics that have helped shape the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in black America and the country's response to it. It articulates
the challenges faced by black Americans in reshaping and ultimately
stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The report targets both AIDS experts and
members of the community who may have just become aware of the problem and
now need information on how and where to get involved.

To access the report:
http://blackaids.org/State%20of%20AIDS%20in%20Black%20America.pdf

3. 'HIV And Infant Feeding: A Compilation of Programmatic Evidence' is a
report published by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Quality
Assurance Project in July 2004.

The report summarises and analyses programmes conducted since 1998, when
UNICEF, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS issued guidelines
on infant feeding and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission
(PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS. The overwhelming source of HIV in young children is
MTCT, with an estimated 5-10 percent risk during pregnancy, 10-20 percent
risk during labour and delivery, and a 5-20 percent risk during
breast-feeding. Comparing data from available studies, breast-feeding may
be responsible for as much as one-third or half of all HIV infections in
infants and young children in Africa.

The UNICEF, WHO and UNAIDS guidelines recommend: For mothers who are
HIV-negative or who do not know their HIV status, there should be
exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months and continued
breast-feeding for the next two years, with the addition of complementary
food. "However, for women who are HIV-positive - if replacement feeding is
acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable and safe - avoidance of all
breast-feeding is recommended."

http://www.qaproject.org/strat/HIVinfantfeed1004screen.pdf

4. The purpose of the HIV/AIDS Guide for Nutritional Care and Support,
published by the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA)
at the Academy for Educational Development (AED), is to assist programme
managers and health workers to make recommendations on nutritional issues
and food management for households with members who are HIV-positive.

The guide can be translated and adapted to meet local needs, and serve as
a resource in developing educational materials that are shared with
communities and households. Topics covered in the guide include: basic
facts on nutrition and HIV/AIDS; nutrition interventions to manage HIV
disease; nutrition and care recommendations for infants, children,
pregnant and lactating women, and adolescent girls; and, a food-based
approach to support HIV/AIDS-affected households and communities.

The guide contains new information on:

- Revised nutritional requirements of PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS)
- Nutrition and antiretrovirals (ARVs)
- Guidelines for breast-feeding infants safely in settings of high HIV
prevalence
- Multivitamin supplementation and HIV
- Safe practices for complementary and replacement feeding of infants and
young children born to HIV+ women
- Uses of food aid to support HIV-affected communities

To access this resource:
http://www.fantaproject.org/downloads/pdfs/HIVAIDS_Guide02.pdf



VACANCIES

1. A qualified researcher is required to undertake ethnographic or
qualitative research on gender and participation in health, in the context
of HIV/AIDS. The research will be done under the shared supervision of the
Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit (RHRU), based at the Chris Hani
Baragwanath Hospital, and the AIDS and Human Rights Research Unit at the
University of Pretoria.

Duration:  A contract appointment for a minimum of six and a maximum of
twelve months.

REQUIREMENTS:
- Preferably a doctorate, but at least a research master's degree in
Anthropology, History and Sociology or related disciplines.

Starting date: 1 March 2005.

Applications should preferably be e-mailed to: frans.viljoen@up.ac.za or
be sent to:
The Head, AIDS and Human Rights Research Unit
Centre for the Study of AIDS
University Pretoria
Pretoria, 0002, by no later than 18 February 2005.

A full CV, two letters of reference from relevant professional persons,
and a letter of motivation highlighting possible specific research
questions to be addressed. Interviews will be held very soon after 18
February.

Enquiries may be directed to the same e-mail address or to (012) 420
2374/(012) 420 4392.


IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 895-1900
Fax: +27 11 784-6759
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
2005


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