AIDS Courier (17/09)

World Bank: AIDS drugs could be in short supply || Africa Should Manufacture Generic HIV/AIDS Drugs || Uganda: Female Condom – the Ignored Option for Women Against HIV

World Bank: AIDS drugs could be in short supply

The World Bank said here on Friday that the current global financial crisis is expected to negatively impact AIDS treatment programs in some 20 countries in 2009, warning a number of them may already be facing hardship in supplying life-saving drugs for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Africa Should Manufacture Generic HIV/AIDS Drugs

Africa should produce its own generic antiretroviral drugs in order to fight HIV/AIDS and ensure that the global financial crisis does not hinder treatment access, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe said on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Reuters reports. According to Sidibe, increased production of generic drugs in Africa needs to occur soon because most people living with HIV on the continent do not have drug access.

Uganda: Female Condom – the Ignored Option for Women Against HIV

Kampala — Ask anyone if they have ever seen a condom and the answer will be ‘yes’. Unfortunately, that answer only refers to a male condom. Few people, including women have seen a female condom despite its introduction as an alternative HIV/AIDS prevention method, 10 years ago. The Government imported 1.5 million female condoms in 1999 but halted their distribution due to insufficient demand. Women account for nearly half of HIV infections worldwide. In sub- Saharan Africa, 75% of those infected are women.