IRIN PlusNews Weekly Issue 214, 31 December 2004

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AFRICA: IRIN PlusNews Weekly Issue 214, 31 December 2004

NEWS:

SOUTH AFRICA: Tired of the " same old " AIDS messages

SWAZILAND: Prominent traditional leader condemns AIDS drugs

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Rising child deaths illustrate region's health crisis

MALAWI: Community NGO breaks silence around HIV/AIDS

ANGOLA: World Bank approves US $21 million for health project

SWAZILAND: Army unveils HIV/AIDS policy

CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH RESOURCES

1. HIV/AIDS Case Studies on Ethiopia and Zambia

2. New Materials on KaiserEDU.org

3. Exhibitions for HIV/AIDS conference

VACANCIES:

1. Coordinator/Physician for HIV/AIDS care programme in Kenya

SOUTH AFRICA: Tired of the " same old " AIDS messages

AIDS activists in South Africa have called for the revision of " outdated "

HIV/AIDS messages which have been circulating for years but have failed to

achieve behaviour change.

Handing out pamphlets with catchy slogans has little effect, experts say.

People require more than awareness and basic education - they need advice

on how to apply their knowledge of AIDS to their daily lives.

Yet, large numbers of grassroots organisations keep handing out pamphlets

with simplified phrases like " Use condoms " or " Break the silence " , which

were developed more than 10 years ago. As a result, experts have found

that many South Africans have lost interest in understanding the virus,

while the HIV infection rate has remained stubbornly high at more than 21

percent of the population.

More details:

http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4328

SWAZILAND: Prominent traditional leader condemns AIDS drugs

Swaziland's AIDS control programme received a set back this month in the

shape of a prominent traditional healer who has condemned the use of

antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

" Why do we spend money on something which does not cure the disease but

makes the situation worse? " Nhlavana Maseko, president of the Traditional

Healer Organisation (THO), asked at an AIDS rally in the eastern

provincial capital, Siteki.

Maseko criticised the rollout of ARVs, which were introduced in earnest

this year, because of the unpleasant side effects of some of the drugs.

Swaziland has the world's highest HIV prevalence rate at close to 40

percent of the adult population.

" Many different people need to be educated. ARVs are new to the country,

but we are very sure that they work, " Sibusiso Dlamini, coordinator for

care and support for the National Emergency Response Committee on

HIV/AIDS, told PlusNews.

More details:

http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4327

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Rising child deaths illustrate region's health crisis

When Dr Bolton treated children in the 1990s, the death of a patient

was still relatively infrequent. As head of child health at South Africa's

Coronation Hospital in Johannesburg, Bolton saw an average of one child

die each week.

Now, Bolton and his colleagues see one child die every day.

" In the past, death was an uncommon event in children, especially after

the newborn period, " said Bolton. " Now we've seen a complete reversal of

the gains we made in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. "

More details:

http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4326

MALAWI: Community NGO breaks silence around HIV/AIDS

In a small village in Kaswela in Karonga district in the northern region

of Malawi, 35-year-old Lucy Banda has been critically ill for a year, and

her neighbours suspect she is HIV-positive.

Despite numerous visits to the hospital, Banda shows no signs of

improvement and spends most of her time lying on her mat, unable to talk

or eat properly.

With two children to raise alone after her husband's death, Lucy's

neighbours are concerned about what will happen to them should she pass

away.

A community based NGO in the district, Chipulikano Orphan Care (COC), is

trying to address the problem of caring for orphans and vulnerable

children, as well as raising awareness about AIDS within families -

traditionally a taboo subject.

More details:

http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4325

ANGOLA: World Bank approves US $21 million for health project

The World Bank has approved a grant of US $21 million to Angola for

implementing an HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (TB) Control Project.

The project aims at reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB

through a multisectoral approach that strengthens institutional capacity;

increases access to and utilisation of health services; prevents infection

and improves treatment and recovery rates.

More details:

http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4318

SWAZILAND: Army unveils HIV/AIDS policy

The Swazi army has unveiled a new policy that rejects HIV-positive

recruits, while acknowledging that its ranks of enlisted men and officers

have been badly affected by the disease.

" The army is experiencing a rise in HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and deaths,

and this has adverse effects on its overall mission and preparedness, and

may eventually lead to insecurity in the country, " stated the policy

document of the national Umbutfo Royal Defence Force (URDF).

More details:

http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4324

CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH RESOURCES

1. The Synergy Project case studies review programming models that

demonstrate " good or promising practice " in the response to HIV/AIDS in

resource poor settings. These case studies describe specific challenges

addressed, the successes achieved, and the lessons learned in the process

of implementing the models.

'Community, Care, Change, and Hope: Local Responses to HIV in Zambia'

describes a model for community capacity building championed by the

Salvation Army.

'Going to Scale in Ethiopia: Mobilizing Youth Participation in a National

HIV/AIDS Programme' describes a model for building youth capacity to

influence reproductive health policy and service design implemented by

Family Health International.

Users are invited to download the electronic versions of all three and

field workers in resource-poor settings or organisations with developing

country field offices are invited to order limited print copies of the

2004 case studies:

http://www.synergyaids.com/SynergyPublications/Synergypublications.htm

2. The Kaiser Foundation has released new educational materials on

KaiserEDU.org. These materials can be used to supplement classroom

discussions, to link to them from websites, or for research purposes.

A Reference Library on Global AIDS concerns covers a wide range of topics,

including financing of care, treatment, and prevention, recent

epidemiological data, and the epidemic's impact on women, youth, and

minorities around the world.

http://www.kaiseredu.org/ReferenceLibraries/globalhiv/index.cfm

Also available is 'HIV/AIDS: The Basics'.

http://www.kaiseredu.org/ReferenceLibraries/domestichiv/index.cfm

3. The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) invites NGOs and

other stakeholders to exhibit their activities during the 20th NIMR Annual

Joint Scientific Conference, to be held in Arusha Tanzania, from 1 - 4

March 2005

The major theme for the conference is 'The burden of diseases in poor

resource countries: meeting the challenges of combating HIV/AIDS,

Tuberculosis and Malaria'.

Sub-themes include:

- Traditional Medicine and Practices: Potential opportunities

- Disease Surveillance and Health Information Systems

- Health Systems and Policy Research

- Health Education and its Promotion

- Nutrition and Health

- Ethics in health research in developing countries.

Exhibition materials may include publications on health subjects,

laboratory equipment, pharmaceuticals, and other ethical products. Each

exhibitor will be charged an exhibition fee of US $500. During the

conference, exhibitors will be allocated a small space to display their

products and other materials at the conference premises.

For more information:

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH

Tel: +255 022 2 130770/2131864

Email: Headquarters@...

Dr A Y Kitua

Director General/Chairman, Conference Organisation

VACANCIES:

1. Coordinator/Physician for HIV/AIDS care programme in Kenya

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is one of the worlds

leading medical research institutions.

UCSF seeks a dynamic, results-driven candidate for a Project Coordinator

position based in Kisumu, Kenya. In collaboration with the Kenya Medical

Research Institute, UCSF will operate an HIV/AIDS comprehensive care and

training facility. USCF objectives will be to:

- Provide comprehensive care and support including the provision of

antiretroviral therapy (ART) to research participants and their immediate

family members;

- Develop and implement a model of Family HIV/AIDS care and education that

is responsive to the needs of HIV affected populations in Kenya;

- Measure and evaluate the effectiveness of care, support and treatment;

- Develop local capacity and provide training to Kenyan health care

professionals and lay persons in family AIDS care; and

- Provide ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the project.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Capacity building for local site, including supervision of building,

training, etc.;

- Coordinate the development and implementation of a model of family

HIV/AIDS care and education;

- Provide supervision and training for adult and paediatric HIV/AIDS care;

- External relations as needed with donor, government, NGO, and other

entities;

- In-country personnel recruitment, training, and supervision;

- Help develop research agenda in HIV/AIDS care.

REQUIREMENTS:

- A medical degree plus relevant post-graduate degree (MPH, PhD, MA, etc.)

or equivalent experience;

- Clinical training and expertise in HIV/AIDS care;

- At least two years developing country work experience;

- Experience in managing international health care programmes;

- Experience in different cultural settings;

- Significant personnel and financial management experience;

- Knowledge of international development and reproductive health issues;

- Familiarity with CDC and the international donor community.

Please send enquiries to Wells (lwells@...)

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Keyword: Southern Africa