Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report Summarizes Reports, Initiatives From International AIDS Conference — Aug. 6

As part of its expanded coverage of the XVII International AIDS Conference, which is being held Aug. 3 through Aug. 8 in Mexico City, the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report will feature studies and initiatives released during the conference. Summaries of select publications and initiatives appear below.

• "Expanded Access to Highly Active Retroviral Therapy: A Potentially Powerful Strategy To Curb the Growth of the Epidemic," Journal of Infectious Diseases: For the study, researchers from the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS used a mathematical model to examine the potential impact of increased treatment coverage with highly active antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive people in need of treatment in British Columbia, Canada. The model is reflective of the next 25 years. According to the study, an increase in HAART coverage from the current level of 50% among those in need to 75%, 90% and 100% could lead to a decrease in the number of people newly testing HIV positive each by more than 30%, 50% and 60%, respectively (IAS release, 8/6).
  
  
• "Priority Interventions: HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care in the Health Sector," World Health Organization: WHO released the package of priority interventions in an effort to help low- and middle-income countries move toward universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. The package includes such interventions as expanding condom programs, as well as treatment recommendations, guidelines and standards. The package will be periodically updated with new recommendations (WHO release, 8/5).
  
  
• "Running in Place," Medecins Sans Frontieres: The series of briefing papers aims to highlight issues that MSF field teams face in providing HIV/AIDS care and treatment worldwide. The papers focus on health worker shortages; effective pediatric care and prevention of mother-to-child transmission; HIV/TB co-infection; access to drugs and diagnostics; and program indicators of quality and continuity of care (MSF Web site, 8/6).
  
  
• "UNITAID, UNICEF and WHO Announce Massive Scale-Up in the Fight Against HIV in Mothers and Children," UNITAID /UNICEF/WHO: The agencies ahead of the AIDS conference announced a $50 million initiative aimed at addressing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in nine countries. The nine countries -- Central African Republic, China, Haiti, Lesotho, Myanmar, Nigeria, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe -- account for about 25% of the world's HIV-positive pregnant women giving birth each year. Under the initiative, 10 million pregnant women in the countries will be tested for HIV and 285,000 women and children will receive HIV/AIDS treatment. The project will allow UNICEF to negotiate reduced drug prices, and funding will provide a one-year course of antiretroviral treatment to HIV-positive pregnant women in need in the focus countries (WHO release, 7/31).