from Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel@undp.org>
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS SIGN UP FOR AIDS DRUGS UNDER NEW
PROGRAMME, UN SAYS
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New York, Jul 10 2004 7:00PM
The United Nations health agency and HIV/AIDS programme today
reported progress in the past six months in creating national
frameworks that increase the access of infected people to appro-
priate drugs.
Under the "3x5" programme, unveiled in December 2003 on World
AIDS Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint UN
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) would provide treatment to 3 mil-
lion people in developing countries by the end of 2005.
The WHO acknowledged, however, that the 440,000 currently re-
ceiving treatment was "less than the 500,000 milestone" set when
the '3x5' strategy had been published in December.
According to the agency, lack of financial support delayed the
start of the programme, but pledges of donations from Canada,
Sweden and the United Kingdom has permitted recruitment of staff
to work in developing countries.
"There is clear evidence that simplified AIDS treatment works in
poor settings. Now, the commitment, significant financing and
building blocks are in place and there are no more excuses. The
time to learn by doing and scale up treatment is now," said Dr.
Jim Yong Kim, Director of HIV/AIDS at WHO.
"We are moving in the right direction, but too slowly. We now
have 18 months for governments, non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and other partners to rapidly increase the availability
of prevention, treatment and care in developing countries," he
added.
An additional 100,000 health and community workers will soon be
needed globally, as millions of people seek to learn their HIV
status and demand any needed treatment in many more locations.
The total cost is estimated at $5.5 billion, WHO said.
Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) says Thailand
saved millions of lives by implementing a well-funded, broad-
based response to the epidemic in the 1990s.
According to a UNDP report launched ahead of the 15th Interna-
tional AIDS Conference next week in Bangkok, Thailand was th
launch a serious, large-scale prevention campaign and it thus
became the world's most successful country in combating
HIV/AIDS.
After peaking at 143,000 in 1991, the annual number of new HIV
infections fell to 19,000 in 2003, making Thailand one of a very
few countries to have beaten back a serious HIV/AIDS threat,
UNDP said.