AIDS Conference attendees hear good, bad news
While there are some glimmers of hope for the future, most of the reports issued by the midway point of the 13th International AIDS Conference continue a trend of bad news -- especially for people in developing nations, according to a number of sources.
An average of six people under the age 24 are infected with the HIV virus every minute -- equaling 8,640 youth every day, according to UNICEF's annual "Progress of Nations" UNICEF report.
"The HIV infection rates among young people are a searing indictment, documenting failures of vision, commitment and action of almost unimaginable proportions," the report states. "They tell the story of leadership unworthy of the name and the virtual abandonment of sub-Saharan Africa, at a time of dire need, to a disaster that may soon engulf other regions as well."
The biennial conference, held this time in Durban, South Africa, has drawn more than 10,000 delegates, journalists and activists to the region hardest hit by HIV/AIDS. An estimated 20 percent of all adults in seven southern African nations are HIV-infected, and the numbers are equally grim for the younger population, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
The statistics for young people are so devastating that UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy has called for an international "war of liberation" against HIV/AIDS transmission, Reuters news service reports.
In other news:
Researchers announced that the results of combination drug therapy trials conducted in three southern African nations appear far more promising than expected, the Washington Post reports.
The "combination therapies" have been used with great success in wealthy Western nations, where patients have reliable access to physicians, lab facilities and other support. Many AIDS researchers doubted these therapies could be transferred to poorer nations with any success, because of the needed medical infrastructure, but the results show the therapies work.
The next steps are to resolve how these drugs can be made affordable for developing nations, and how they can be effectively distributed to HIV/AIDS sufferers, the Post.
The first potential AIDS vaccine designed specifically for the most common type of HIV virus found in Africa will begin human tests this summer, according to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).
IAVI, funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, says tests will begin in England in August, with testing scheduled to begin in Nairobi by the end of the year. The nonprofit group is calling for $1 billion in new funding to help find a successful vaccine
"The goal is in sight. We are increasingly confident that a protective vaccine will be ready in five to 10 years. This is the time to move forward with an aggressive and focused research agenda," stated Wayne Koff, Ph.D., IAVI’s vice president for research and development.
Conference organizers expressed disappointment over a bitter debate between South African President Thabo Mbeki and supporters who claim there is no evidence that HIV causes AIDS -- and want research funds diverted to finding other potential causes -- and the rest of the world's medical establishment, including prominent South African researchers.
At least four million South Africans are HIV/AIDS-infected, and that number might double within 10 years. Because of his doubts, Mbeki has denied AZT drug access to pregnant women and rape victims, Reuters reports.
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