IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 268
Africa
27 January 2006


NEWS:

AFRICA: Uninterrupted ART vital to longevity - new study
SOUTH AFRICA: Concern as MSF starts handover of HIV/AIDS treatment
ZIMBABWE: More children abused as situation worsens
NAMIBIA: Poor access to treatment hampers fight against TB
ZAMBIA: Promising new combination therapy reduces MTCT
SWAZILAND: Campaign to inform women of their legal rights underway

EVENTS

1. Behaviour Change Communication Training Course
2. MSM at AIDS2006

JOBS

1. Global Fund recruiting experts to serve on the Technical Review Panel 
(TRP)


NEWS

AFRICA: Uninterrupted ART vital to longevity - new study

Staying on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to keep viral loads low is 
better than taking structured breaks from the drugs, a study by the US's 
National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has 
revealed.

Treatment interruptions became a topic of much debate amongst HIV 
researchers after a handful of people who had previously taken anti-AIDS 
treatment maintained very low levels of viral load, even when they 
stopped their treatment.

Although antiretroviral medication improves the chances of living 
longer, the side effects and costs of the complex life-long regimes and 
the threat of drug resistance with long-term use has made doctors and 
patients look for alternative ways of using them, especially in 
developing countries.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5632


SOUTH AFRICA: Concern as MSF starts handover of HIV/AIDS treatment

After five years of groundbreaking work in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, 
medical humanitarian agency Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) are preparing 
to pull out of their most successful South African programme.

They began offering antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the poverty stricken 
Cape Town township of Khayelitsha in 2001, when the provision of 
anti-AIDS drugs in the public sector was still illegal. The South 
African government deemed the rollout too complex and expensive to 
implement.

"Doctors within MSF were frustrated by the positive impact 
antiretroviral therapy (ART) was having elsewhere, while thousands 
continued to die prematurely in South Africa," explained Dr Eric 
Goemaere, head of mission for MSF South Africa.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5631


ZIMBABWE: More children abused as situation worsens

The worsening humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is making children more 
vulnerable to abuse, according to child rights NGOs.

"For instance, because of the hike in school fees many children are 
visiting schools [trying to negotiate payment] - it makes them more 
vulnerable at the hands of teachers who exploit them," said Witness 
Chikoko, acting director of the African Network for the Prevention and 
Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect.

Staff at a boarding primary school near Marondera outside the capital, 
Harare, were recently charged with abusing 52 girls, while 14 primary 
school girls were also allegedly abused by staff members at a school in 
the capital.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5629


NAMIBIA: Poor access to treatment hampers fight against TB

Despite its status as a middle-income country, Namibia has a high 
incidence of tuberculosis (TB), a poverty-related disease.

Poor geographical access to health services has hampered the treatment 
rate of TB, the country's second biggest killer, said Alfons Babie, an 
official at the recently created directorate for special diseases in the 
health ministry. Instead of the international target of 85 percent 
stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the TB treatment rate 
in Namibia is only 64 percent.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5636


ZAMBIA: Promising new combination therapy reduces MTCT

Zambia's government has begun using a new drug in its prevention of 
mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme, in an effort to reduce 
drug resistance in both mother and infant.

Dr Miriam Chipimo, reproductive health specialist at the Central Board 
of Health (CBoH), told PlusNews that Nevirapine was now being used in 
combination with the anti-AIDS drug, Zidovudine, also known as AZT.

Although a single dose of Nevirapine reduces the rate of HIV 
transmission, scientists have found that a combination of 
antiretrovirals (ARVs) can result in lower rates of Nevirapine 
resistance.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5637


SWAZILAND: Campaign to inform women of their legal rights underway

The Swaziland branch of Women in Law in Southern Africa has launched an 
awareness campaign to teach HIV-positive women about their legal rights.

"There are three issues: acquainting HIV-positive women with their 
protection under existing laws, finding legal representation for women 
when they have a case to make and, finally, changing antiquated laws 
that need to be reformed to take into consideration gender rights and 
AIDS," president of the women's law society, Lomcebo Dlamini, told 
PlusNews in an interview.

In a country that only elevated the legal status of women from minors to 
adults at the beginning of 2006, where the estimated HIV prevalence is 
40 percent and widespread stigma and discrimination are ongoing 
problems, few have turned to the legal system for relief.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5641



EVENTS

The Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS) will be holding a training 
course on the 'Advances in Behaviour Change Communication for HIV/AIDS' 
in Nairobi, Kenya, from 17 July to 4 August 2006. This is an intensive 
three-week learning opportunity for programme managers, health 
educators, programme officers, and donor agency field staff.

Facilitated by international behaviour change communication experts, 
participants in this course are guided to explore and understand the 
elements of effective behaviour change communication in HIV/AIDS 
programmes, with particular emphasis on how to motivate people to 
initiate and sustain behaviour change.

The tuition fee is US $2,800 for the three-week course, which covers 
tuition, training materials, supplies, training-related field trips and 
certification awards.

For more information visit the CAFS website www.cafs.org or contact The 
Director, Centre for African Family Studies, Pamstech House, Woodvale 
Grove, Westlands P.O. Box 60054 00200, Nairobi, Kenya. Fax: +254 20 
4448621 Email: courses@cafs.org


2. In August 2006, 20,000 researchers, activists, community workers and 
people living with HIV/AIDS from around the world will descend upon 
Toronto, Canada, for the XVI International AIDS Conference.

In the days leading up to the conference, the AIDS Committee of Toronto 
(ACT) and partner organisations from across Canada and other parts of 
the world will host an affiliated event on issues affecting gay, 
bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and the organisations 
that work with them.

The two-day event, confirmed for 10-11 August, will bring together AIDS 
and human rights organisations from developing and industrialised 
countries, in the hope of establishing long-term, far-reaching networks 
that bridge continents, cultures and issues.

The draft goal and objectives of the event are as follows:

Goal:

To support ongoing connections between individuals and organisations 
working with gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in 
the area of HIV/AIDS.


Objectives:

1. Provide opportunities for dialogue on issues related to HIV/AIDS and 
gay, bisexual and other MSM

2. Facilitate discussions of HIV prevention for gay, bisexual and other 
MSM

3. Highlight emerging issues and responses related to gay men and 
HIV/AIDS

4. Discuss ways to advance the leadership of gay, bisexual and other MSM 
in the HIV/AIDS pandemic


For more information, and feedback on the goal and objectives of the 
event, please contact:

Rick Marchand
Community Based Research Centre Vancouver, Canada
Email: rmarchand@telus.net
rmarchand@telus.net

Deadline for input: 7 February 2006




JOBS

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is recruiting 
experts to serve on the Technical Review Panel (TRP).

The TRP, which has 26 members, plays a crucial role in reviewing 
proposals submitted to the Global Fund and ensuring that those funded 
are of high quality.

Individuals with expert technical knowledge and extensive experience in 
one of the following are sought:

- HIV/AIDS
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
- Crosscutting issues (such as institutional and governance issues,
   macro-economics in a health sector context)


The current term of appointment is four rounds of proposals. TRP members 
must be available for the two-week TRP meetings in Geneva every 12 
months. In addition, TRP members need to be accessible by email for up 
to six months for the clarification process for the proposals approved 
by the Board. Fluency in English is required, as this is the working 
language of the TRP.

A transparent criteria-based selection process will be followed, which 
seeks to achieve a significant proportion of members from each of the 
WHO regions, and representation from public and private sectors and 
civil society, including a qualified member from the Persons Living with 
AIDS, Tuberculosis and/or Malaria community. A balanced gender 
representation is sought.

Applicants from the private sector with extensive experience are 
strongly encouraged. The private-sector experience need not be limited 
to the pharmaceutical industry: experience in managing private health 
systems or healthcare in the developing world would be very useful.

Individuals with expertise in HIV/AIDS and/or crosscutting issues, who 
also have specific nutritional expertise, are also encouraged to apply.

Moreover, short-listed candidates will be used as the source for new TRP 
members for the next two rounds.

For more details and to download an Application Form, please visit the 
Global Fund website:  www.theglobalfund.org

Or download the Form from HLSP's website: 
www.hlsp.org/workingwithus/globalfund

Completed application forms should be sent to: globalfund.trp@hlsp.org 
to arrive no later than Friday 3 March 2006.

Applicants without Internet access should contact the local WHO or 
UNAIDS office for assistance.


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


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