The New York Times is reporting that with the help of outside donors (such as the Global Fund) and its own revenue (from oil I would think), Nigeria will offer free anti-retroviral therapy. Nigeria had previously been charging about $8 a month, still too much for many poor Nigerians. What I didn’t realize is that […]
1 Comment »
Filed under: Politics and Policy
This is a worrisome development, especially if the idea spreads. “Taking a T.” That’s what HIV-negative gay men call the growing practice of downing the AIDS drug tenofovir and, with fingers crossed, hoping it protects them from the virus during unprotected sex. It’s being sold in packets along with Viagra and Ecstasy in gay dance […]
1 Comment »
Filed under: Epidemiology
Travel writer Paul Theroux has a scathing op-ed in today’s NY Times about Bono and the advocates of “more money” for Africa which he believes are responsible for contributing to a sense of helplessness and dependency in Africa. I am not speaking of humanitarian aid, disaster relief, AIDS education or affordable drugs. Nor am I […]
3 Comments »
Filed under: Politics and Policy
Disturbing story in the Times on HIV/AIDS in India. Though the overall prevalence of the disease may remain low, India’s population size means that the absolute numbers of people with HIV in India are among the highest in the world in absolute terms. Here are some excerpts: India has at least 5.1 million people living […]
Comments Off on India and AIDS
Filed under: Epidemiology
In an earlier post, I referenced the sometimes rivalry and contention between the President’s bilateral approach to AIDS (PEPFAR) and the multilateral Global Fund. Greg Behrman’s 2004 book The Invisible People suggests this bilateral vs. multilateral tension is not new. As Behrman writes on page 52: Stark tension, and even at times animosity, between GPA […]
Comments Off on PEPFAR vs. Global Fund: Continuing a Long Tradition
Filed under: Politics and Policy
Why did the Bush Administration mobilize on HIV/AIDS. In a previous post, I referenced Greg Behrman’s book and a Foreign Affairs article that discussed how Christian conservatives have increasingly mobilized on foreign policy issues. They are a new force in American foreign policy that are leading to cross-ideological coalitions with liberals. Allen Hertzke documents the […]
1 Comment »
Filed under: Politics and Policy
I posted a comment on TPM Cafe about the link between AIDS and U.S. National Security. Here it is: The hollowing out of African militaries due to AIDS is a significant problem, and one that, as the author points out, bodes ill for peace-keeping operations as well as African solutions for African problems. What this […]
1 Comment »
Filed under: Human Security, Politics and Policy
I found this disturbing piece of information in the Annex to the recent UNAIDS report on the financial needs to scale up global efforts to combat the disease. This is the added years of life for people on antriretroviral drugs (ARVs): The additional years lived with antiretroviral therapy are assumed to be four-to-six and six-to-nine […]
3 Comments »
Filed under: Politics and Policy
I rant about the pope’s World AIDS day speech.
Comments Off on Nathan reads the pope a few words
Filed under: Politics and Policy
From the Kaiser Daily report: Truck drivers in India soliciting commercial sex work while on the road are spreading HIV throughout their routes, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports (Mason, AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 11/29). India — where about 5.1 million HIV-positive people live, the second-highest number of any country in the world — has experienced more […]
Comments Off on More with the truck drivers
Filed under: Epidemiology