World AIDS Day Sets HIV Drug Goal

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World AIDS Day Sets HIV Drug Goal

• Nasim Emambakhsh
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3247672.stm

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• Global health chiefs have plans to ensure three
  million people with HIV to get the drugs they
  need by the end of 2005.
• The Campaign, being launched as part of World
  Aids Day on Monday, will target those in the
  worlds poorest countries.
• An estimated 40 million people are now infected
  with HIV around the world.

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• Officials say the so-called 3x5 campaign is
  vital if they are able to save millions of lives
  and stop Aids from Spreading.
• Almost one in three of these live in sub-Saharan
  South Africa.
• Three out of four people who die of HIV/Aids live
  in this part of the world.
• Around 14,000 people become infected with the
  disease every day. It has claimed the lives of
  three million this year.

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• Last weeks report from UNAids and the World
  Health Organization warned that the disease is
  still spreading.
• Many countries on the verge of fresh epidemics.
• The number of reported infections is rising
  sharply in China, India, Indonesia and Russia.
• Mostly due to HIV transmission through injecting
  drug use and unsafe sex

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• The 3x5 campaign is being spearheaded by three
  United Nations agencies
• The World Health Organization
• UNAids
• And the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and
  Malaria.
• Doctors warned that the strategy will only work
  if it has the support of governments, aid
  agencies and patients.
• Its a global health crisis.

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• At least 8,000 people die of Aids every day
  around the world.
• Many of them can be kept alive and healthy by
  having very simple treatment regimens.

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• Peter Pilot, executive director of UNAids, said
  ensuring people have access to drugs is the only
  way to fight the disease.
• Only 75,000 Africans have access to drugs and
  are treated with HIV out of the four million who
  need it.
• That is really not acceptable and we have no
  chance of halting this epidemic if were not
  going to make sure that everybody who needs it
  has access to treatment.

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• There has been failure to reach several of the
  Declarations targets set for this year.
• We must work even harder to match our commitment
  with the necessary resources and action.

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• Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global
  Fund, hailed the campaign.
• HIV/Aids is the greatest disease recorded in
  human history. We have made a good start in
  prevention, particularly in some countries.
• But in treatment we have hardly started and we
  must rapidly accelerate effective treatment of
  HIV and people all over the world.

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• UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that
  targets to fight HIV/Aids spelt out in the 2001
  Declaration of Commitment are being missed.
• Saying that the epidemic continues its lethal
  march around the world, with few signs of slowing
  down.