IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 294
Africa
28 July 2006


NEWS:

AFRICA: New-version Kaletra victory for MSF
AFRICA: Media getting the word out on HIV/AIDS
KENYA: Married adolescent girls missing out on the HIV message
KENYA: Public protest amendment that could raise drug prices
KENYA: Resistance to "sneaky" amendments that could raise ARV costs
SWAZILAND: Food aid still needed after another poor harvest
COTE D IVOIRE: ARVs reduce deaths due to TB-HIV co-infection
UGANDA: FGM among the Pokot heightens HIV risk
INDIA: HIV/AIDS awareness among gay men neglected


EVENTS/RESOURCES

1. Online Coverage of AIDS2006


VACANCIES

1. Monitoring and Evaluation Officer - SAfAIDS, Harare
2. Project Accountant - SAfAIDS, Harare
3. Logistician - SAfAIDS, Harare
4. Programme Manager - Funders Collaborative for Children (FCFC), Malawi
5. Provincial Coordinator Orphaned and Vulnerable Children, AED Kenya


NEWS:

AFRICA: New-version Kaletra victory for MSF

A new version of the second-line antiretroviral (ARV) drug, Kaletra,
began arriving in parts of West and Southern Africa this week, thanks to
the efforts of the international medical charity, Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF).

MSF has been trying to obtain the updated heat-resistant formulation of
the drug from Abbott Laboratories for almost a year, after hearing that
it was already on shelves in the US but not yet available in developing
countries, where it was desperately needed.

The new version of Kaletra can be safely stored without using a
refrigerator and need not be taken with food - both critical advantages
to HIV-positive people in resource-poor areas.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6207


AFRICA: Media getting the word out on HIV/AIDS

Media coverage of health issues in sub-Saharan Africa has been
inadequate in terms of both content and quantity, but more creative
approaches are now being used to address these shortcomings.

"Some major social issues of our times are simply not covered, like
gender and AIDS," Colleen Lowe Morna, director of GenderLinks, a
Southern African think-tank, told African editors and journalists at a
conference organised by the International Women's Media Foundation
(IWMF) in Johannesburg last week to discuss ways of improving health
coverage.

A survey by GenderLinks earlier this year found that HIV/AIDS accounted
for only three percent of all news items carried by southern African
media, despite the region being the worst hit by the pandemic. By
comparison, South African papers allocated sport 20 percent to 25
percent of reporting space.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6204


KENYA: Married adolescent girls missing out on the HIV message

Kenyan HIV/AIDS awareness programmes for young people are bypassing
those who are married, raising their risk of contracting the virus.

Azina, 19, from the downmarket suburb of Ziwani in the Kenyan capital,
Nairobi, was married and expecting her first child by the age of 17. She
is barely literate and depends on her husband's family for economic and
social support.

Beyond the social and economic disadvantages, marriage can expose
adolescent girls to a significantly higher risk of HIV infection because
they have more unprotected sex. A 2004 study by the Population Council,
a US-based research body, showed that 57 percent of married girls in
southern and eastern Africa had unprotected sex, compared to just five
percent of sexually active unmarried girls.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6212


KENYA: Public protest amendment that could raise drug prices

Hundreds of HIV-positive Kenyans and civil society activists marched
through the streets of the capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday to protest
against proposed amendments to legislation that they say would make
their treatment unaffordable.

This week, parliament will debate the Miscellaneous Amendments Bill for
a second time; it was defeated in 2002. If it were passed, the patent
owner would have to give "express consent" for generic versions of drugs
to be imported. At present the law allows "parallel importation" by
independent distributors in competition with patent holders.

"I hope the MPs will reject this Bill, because it would mean people like
me, who are HIV-positive, would not be able to continue to access the
treatment we are need to live longer," said Agneta Oluoch, a teacher
from Nairobi's Kibera slum who took the afternoon off to join the march.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6206


KENYA: Resistance to "sneaky" amendments that could raise ARV costs

Kenyan civil society is urging parliament to reject a bill that would
make it more difficult to import cheap antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

Amendments to section 58 of the 2001 Industrial Property (IP) Act would
restrict commercial activity in a product to the owner of a patent or
his express consent to do so, whereas current law condones "parallel
importation", allowing independent distributors to import products in
competition with patent holders.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6198


SWAZILAND: Food aid still needed after another poor harvest

Swaziland will once again be reliant on food aid this year to feed
one-fifth of its people, according to the UN's World Food Programme
(WFP).

Cereal production was even lower in 2006 than last year due to poor
rains and the impact of AIDS. Swaziland has the world's worst HIV
infection rate at over 40 percent of adults

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6213


COTE D'IVOIRE: ARVs reduce deaths due to TB-HIV co-infection

The arrival of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in the rebel-held north of
Cote d'Ivoire is having a dramatic impact on tuberculosis-related
deaths.

"Antiretroviral medications have considerably reduced the death rate of
the patients in our care. The situation was catastrophic," said Dr
Francis Coulibaly, head of the pneumonia department at the University
Hospital Centre in Bouake, headquarters of the New Forces rebel
movement.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/aidsreport.asp?reportid=6205


UGANDA: FGM among the Pokot heightens HIV risk

The traditional practice of cutting a girl's genitalia still marks the
transition to womanhood among the Pokot in the northeastern Ugandan
region of Karamoja, despite growing fears that the ritual is fuelling
the spread of HIV/AIDS.

"It is a very crude operation - there's no sterilisation of equipment
and one knife will be used to cut the genitalia of up to 30 girls at a
time," said Sister Jane Atai, the nurse in charge of community health at
Amudat Hospital in Uganda's Nakapiripirit District.

Female circumcision - commonly referred to as female genital mutilation
(FGM) - has been internationally condemned as a violation of a woman's
rights. The long-term physiological effects include septicaemia, genital
malformation and even death.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=6203


INDIA: HIV/AIDS awareness among gay men neglected

Homosexual men are being neglected by India's health system despite a
dramatic increase in the number of HIV infections.

It is estimated that more than five million Indians are HIV positive.

Sujatha Rao, the director general of India's National AIDS Control
Organisation (NACO), said it was only recently that officials starting
considering the issue of men who have sex with men (MSM).

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/aidsreport.asp?reportid=6199


EVENTS/RESOURCES

1. In partnership with the International AIDS Society, kaisernetwork.org
will be the official webcaster of the 16th International AIDS Conference
(AIDS 2006), providing you with access to the daily developments that
take place at the conference in Toronto, Canada this August.

This year's conference will feature presentations by world and community
leaders and scientists, including: Bill and Melinda Gates, former U.S.
President Bill Clinton, former Irish President Mary Robinson, actor
Richard Gere, NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, UNAIDS Executive Director
Peter Piot, UN Special Envoy Stephen Lewis and Bill Roedy of MTV
Networks.

Kaisernetwork.org will issue a Daily Update email, sent during the week
of the conference, which will include a summary of and access to each
day's online coverage. You can sign up to receive the email at
www.kaisernetwork.org/aids2006 (Note: E-mails will not be sent to you
until August. Then, they will be sent to you daily, starting 14 August
14 and ending 18 August 2006.)

Kaisernetwork.org's Extensive Coverage of AIDS 2006 includes:

- Live and tape-delayed webcasts and transcripts of each day's sessions
   with slide presentations and transcripts, including the opening and
   closing sessions, all plenaries, and selected other sessions and press
   conferences
- French, Spanish and English-language audio podcasts of select sessions
- Summaries of the news coverage in the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
- Daily narrated video highlights of the conference
- Interviews with newsmakers and journalists to summarize conference
   developments


Visit www.kaisernetwork.org/aids2006/syndication.cfm for more
information about their free content-sharing options. To subscribe:

Visit http://www.kaisernetwork.org/email


VACANCIES:

1. Monitoring and Evaluation Officer - SAfAIDS, Harare

This post requires a skilled individual, with experience in design and
implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems.


REQUIREMENTS:

- Master's degree in Statistics, Demography, Epidemiology, Public Health
or related field

- minimum of 4 years' experience in research, monitoring and evaluation

- excellent oral and written communication skills

- excellent computer skills


2. Project Accountant - SAfAIDS, Harare

This post requires a motivated individual, who is able to work with
minimum supervision.


REQUIREMENTS:

- bachelor of Accounting degree or similar qualification
- professional qualification such as CIS or CIMA or ACCA would be an
   added advantage
- 6 years' experience, at least 3 of which should have been in a NGO
   environment
- Knowledge of pastel or QuickBooks
- experience of working for USAID projects


3. Logistician - SAfAIDS, Harare

This post requires a highly organised and innovative individual, able to
efficiently distribute large volumes of HIV/AIDS materials to southern
Africa countries and beyond.


REQUIREMENTS:

- a relevant first degree
- 6 years' logistics experience, preferably in an NGO environment
- proven experience in port operations, shipping, clearing and
   forwarding, air operations, road/rail transport and distribution
   management
- knowledge of tracking systems
- excellent computer skills with proven experience in maintaining
   databases
- able to communicate clearly, at all levels
- knowledge of French or Portuguese would be an added advantage
- experience of working in the southern Africa region is an advantage


Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) is
a regional NGO based in Harare. The organisations's mission is to
promote effective and ethical development responses to the epidemic and
its impact through HIV/AIDS knowledge management, capacity development,
advocacy, policy analysis and documentation.

All posts require excellent written and verbal communication skills,
computer literacy, self-motivation, flexibility, adaptability and the
capacity to work under pressure, individually and in teams as well as an
interest and commitment to work in the area of HIV/AIDS.

Location: Harare, Zimbabwe

Closing date: 31st July

Interested applicants should send an application and CV, information on
current salary, benefits and contact details of three referees to: The
Head of Finance and Administration. SAfAIDS, P O Box A509, Avondale,
Harare, Zimbabwe or e-mail to info@safaids.org.zw

Please find more information at: www.safaids.org.zw



4. Programme Manager - Funders Collaborative for Children (FCFC), Malawi

The Funders' Collaborative for Children (FCFC) is a consortium of
grant-making organisations that seeks to fund an integrated programme of
services to address the complete needs of orphans and vulnerable
children in Malawi affected by HIV/AIDS. The Collaborative will
strengthen existing programs and will aim to "fast track" the
implementation of key elements of the Malawi Government's National Plan
of Action for OVCs.

The Programme Manger will serve as the focal point of the initiative
during the implementation stage. The manager will work with selected
partner organizations within selected districts in Malawi to develop a
"business smart" phased approach to addressing the range of OVC needs,
beginning with the two districts of Thoylo and Salima.

For more information, please contact: Phyllis Kurlander Costanza,
phyllis@ciff.org


5. Provincial Coordinator Orphaned and Vulnerable Children, Kenya

The Academy for Educational Development (AED), a non-profit organisation
committed to solving critical social problems throughout the world,
seeks a dynamic and committed person to fill a position of Provincial
Coordinator for expanding Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
projects in Western Province, Kenya. The Provincial Coordinator will
work closely with the Programme Director, NGOs, CBOs, field offices and
technical staff to build core competencies for expanding community
programmes in care and support for OVC. S/he will oversee project
implementation and financial administration in Western Province. This
position requires experience in implementing and evaluating community
based development programmes, experience with international donor
reporting systems, and experience with financial management and human
resource management.  The successful candidates will have strong
communications, writing, teamwork and interpersonal skills, fluency in
English and Kiswahili, and be computer literate.

Send applications, including a curriculum vitae and the contact details
of three traceable references, to Diane Lusk at dlusk@aed.org. AED
general contact information is: Academy for Educational Development,
1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009-5721; www.aed.org.


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


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