Global AIDSLink 

Abstract: States and Europe it has become popular to ascribe the main cause of the AIDS pandemic in developing countries to poverty -- particularly extreme poverty and its associated ills including malnutrition depleted immune systems and lack of health care Certainly it cannot be denied that poverty exacerbated by debt repayment corruption social upheaval and unequal distribution of wealth have contributed to the spread of AIDS and other diseases in Africa and elsewhere; nor that an all-out war against poverty is needed to relieve much of the world’s human misery But a closer look at HIVs swath through the African continent makes one question the simplistic conclusion that "poverty is what causes AIDS" In fact many of the African countries most affected by HIV are among the most economically developed and relatively best-organized nations on the continent In some ways their urban areas even resemble those in the US and Europe And studies from several developing countries have found that HIV rates tend to be higher among people with greater income and education levels African merchants and schoolteachers can afford to have more sexual partners than unemployed day laborers If we want to slow the global spread of AIDS rather than throwing up our hands in despair it appears we ought to examine other social and cultural factors which have also aggravated the epidemic In some countries as simple a practice as male circumcision for example could become an important HIV prevention tool (excerpt)

Abstract: For many women in the developing world access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs remains limited or nonexistent with millions lacking vital services for primary prevention and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMCT). One potential remedy is the integration of such services into extant mother-and-child health (MCH) programs such as family planning and antenatal care. MCH programs are widely available in resource-constrained settings enjoy considerable community acceptance and—because of the need for repeat visits—provide multiple opportunities to counsel treat and support women. Researchers gathered last July in Kenya to discuss findings and share lessons learned from six Horizons intervention studies investigating integration. (excerpt)

Abstract: With prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) a top priority on the UNGASS agenda agencies have recommended a four-part strategy that includes preventing primary HIV infection in women; preventing unintended pregnancies in HIV-positive women; preventing mother-to-child transmission with antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis; and providing care treatment and support for HIV-infected women their infants and their families. There is broad international consensus that all four elements of the strategy are required to reach the UNGASS goal of reducing by 50 percent infant HIV infections by 2010. Yet the majority of resources and attention are targeted to PMTCT with ARVs such as the two-dose nevirapine regimen for HIV-positive pregnant women and their newborns. Consequently the prevention of unintended pregnancies in these same women is an undervalued and little-used strategy. As women of childbearing age account for nearly half the people living with HIV worldwide mounting evidence indicates that improving access to contraception for HIV-infected women who do not wish to get pregnant is an important and cost-effective way to prevent HIV-positive births. By extension such a strategy will also reduce abortions and the number of children orphaned by AIDS. (excerpt)

Abstract: What a difference a year can make. In May of last year Kofi Annan spoke at the Global Health Council’s annual conference about the need for a global effort against AIDS and other major killers. In June leaders from around the world gathered for the UN General Assembly’s Special Session on HIV/AIDS the first-ever General Assembly meeting devoted to a health issue and the outlines of a Global Fund to combat these diseases were announced. In July the leaders of the G-8 nations pledged concrete financial support for the Fund. By September a Transitional Working Group and Transitional Secretariat for the Fund had been established and in December agreement was reached for a formal January start up of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria. In January a call for proposals was issued and by the time this letter goes to press the first $700 million in Fund outlays to hard-hit countries will have been decided. In the glacial pace of most international development initiatives this has moved like a tropical storm. (excerpt)