INVITATION  AIDS ASIA e FORUM.

Hi,

If you are already a member of this FOURM please forward this message to your
colleagues who may find this FORUM useful.

[AIDS ASIA eFORUM] is an e- forum committed to the development of an Asian
perspective on AIDS prevention and care issues. HIV/AIDS does not recognize
national boundaries. As Asia- pacific countries are increasingly interconnected
through migration and trade, it is imperative to generate a regional perspective
on HIV/AIDS related issues.

A forum for critical analysis of issues, events and programs, which has
implications on, our ability to address HIV/AIDS prevention and care issues
across the region. More than 7,600 subscribers are using this FORUM.

Strategic HIV information and communication support to promote the capacity of
Asian leaders, activists and people living with HIV/AIDS, to facilitate their
engagement and networking, to highlight their experiences and the solutions they
are offering to address HIV/AIDS issues in this region.

A cross cultural discourse on issues and concerns of Asia- Pacific countries
(regions): Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China,
East Timor, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall
Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Korea,
Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon
Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and
Viet Nam will be presented and promoted on this forum.

Please review the archived messages on the following url

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/

Dr. Joe Thomas
Editor
AIDS ASIA e FORUM
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/

Dear FORUM,

Re: <http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970>

I think prevention and treatment BOTH need far more vigorous attention.

The recent PREP study of tenofovir in uninfected individuals
published in PLoS found no benefit to the use of the drug, although
the stopping of the study in Nigeria due to corruption and Cameroon
due to the ethical issues raised rendered it less well-powered.

See:
http://0-clinicaltrials.plosjournals.org.ilsprod.lib.neu.edu/perlserv/?request=g\
et-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pctr.0020027

Thoughts on PREP below.

But what that study did show was that intensive counseling and condom
distribution helped to INCREASE use and reduce infection. That kind
of focused effort on vulnerable populations is where increased
funding and efforts should be applied, in my view. This also could
provide employment for community members, who would increase trust
and engagement of local populations.

In addition, treatment is CLEARLY essential as those that can achieve
and sustain undetectable or very low viral loads are less infectious.
Data are accumulating in that regard.

I think PREP, while very well intentioned, is not going to work with
tenofovir alone. It startled me that a multinational study was
essentially launched on a single study of a few macaques--and
subsequent studies showed the benefit waned. Also, a recent report
from Sydney showed a worrying level of risk of kidney trouble with
the drug than drug-sponsored studies might indicate, bringing into
question the "low toxicity" many tout for the drug (though the PLoS
study above at least found no strong signs of toxicity in their study).

The use of two drugs may work better as a PREP formulation but
enormous problems remain. One is what happens to those who become
infected? Mere referral to an overworked, understaffed and
overwhelmed clinic seems inadequate. This is an issue for vaccine
studies in my view as well (especially given the inordinate resources
devoted to failed efforts like envelope vaccines).

Finally, and most crucially to me, what is the rationale underlying
the notion of using two drugs in millions of vulnerable individuals,
many of whom already face stigma and discrimination, when we can't
seem to get these very valuable drugs to the people who need them?
People LIVING with HIV can't get these drugs NOW. (That includes
people here in the U.S. on ADAP waiting lists, crippled by genocidal
pricing by pharma.)

But clearly, the billions needed for PREVENTION and TREATMENT both
ARE there. What we must all do, east, west, north and south, is
continue to demand that they be made available and distributed not
just to governments but to reputable NGOs and community groups more
directly. That is one advantage of the PEPFAR program (of the very
few that exist) over the Global Fund.

My hope is that the end of the vile, despicable and murderous
Bush/Cheney regime will end using PEPFAR as a slush fund for pharma,
stigmatizing sex workers, stop the unilateral TRIPS-Plus-Plus trade
agreements and on and on that have crippled the global fight against
HIV and other infectious diseases. The billions they have made
available, while a start, have too often been used to fatten pharma's
coffers and support christian fundamentalist organizations.

George M. Carter
www.fiar.us
E-MAIL: <fiar@...>

Africans are too promiscuous for monogamy, let's circumcise them

BY CHARLES ONYANGO-OBBO

Uganda has long been a leader in fighting Aids in Africa, and now it
seems poised to break new ground by wielding the great new weapon
against that disease – mass circumcision.

Of course, in order to achieve mass circumcision, the government
would have to make it compulsory. And, presumably, those who refuse
to submit to the knife will be sent to prison.

But that's jumping the gun. It is not surprising that circumcision as
the wonder antidote is now all the rage. Early this year, the well-
regarded medical journal Lancet published study data from clinical
trials in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa that suggested that
circumcision reduces a man's risk of contracting HIV by as much as 65
per cent.

On a continent where, a few years ago, there were fears that the
population would be wiped out by Aids, and that cannot afford
antiretroviral treatment for all the millions of its people infected
with the disease, this news sounded like a reprieve from Heaven.

All of a sudden, a quick and cheap solution to halt the rampage of
Aids seemed at hand; line up all males, nip off their foreskins, and
voila, you have reduced the possibilities of future HIV infections by
half!

I don't know enough about the science of this study to be able to
either fault or laud it. But its politics is troubling. When this
column wrote much the same criticism set out here in a Washington
Post/Newsweek blog, the responses were strong. One respondent said he
was happy to see some of us reject circumcision, so that the West can
come and take over our rich lands after we all perish from AIDS.

Another agreed that it a cockeyed idea, and that as a Hindu he and
his children weren't circumcised, and that as evidence from India
showed, the Hindus were thriving. The answer, he said, lay in
embracing the virtues of monogamy.

There are several ideological problems in both arguments. Take the
case of Uganda. The success of its Aids campaign is attributed to the
so-called "ABC" strategy: Abstain, Be faithful, and use Condoms.
These ideas were sold in a very aggressive public information
campaign.

In recent years, under the influence of the American right wing and
evangelical groups, the Bush administration invested a lot of money
and created huge incentives for poor countries to push abstinence.

The abstinence and circumcision approaches have one thing in common:
They put a high premium on change of behaviour as the best "medicine"
to deal with Aids.

Granted, Africa is poor, and where it has its own money, many
governments have made the policy choice not to invest it in
researching and developing a cure for Aids. Perhaps also as a result
of the focus on behaviour, a lot of the scientific work on Aids in
Africa isn't concentrated on finding cures.

ONE GETS THE UNEASY FEELING that that there is a widespread belief
out there that Aids in Africa cannot be primarily solved by
conventional medicine, perhaps because the African is a frightening
beast who is "untreatable." Therefore, the obvious answer is to put a
lock on the African people's zippers and underwear. But because they
are also promiscuous and can't be monogamous, let us circumcise them.

Every doctor must make assumptions about his or her patient, before
they treat them. If the doctor thinks you are too poor to
afford "original" Pfizer or GlaxoSmithKline medicine, he will
prescribe a cheap "imitation" one from China. In that sense, it seems
that even those who mean well and are spending a lot of money
fighting Aids on the continent have subconsciously assumed that
African peoples are noble savages.

This obsession with caging people is profoundly undemocratic. But
most of all, it has limited the possibilities of achieving some truly
great medical breakthroughs against Aids on the continent.

Charles Onyango-Obbo is Nation Media Group's managing editor for
convergence and new products. E-mail: cobbo@...

http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Opinion/opinion30070711.htm

Dear FORUM,

Re: "Treatment as a prevention strategy"; Submission to Asian AIDS
Commission. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970

May I add my agreement to Dr. Kossukhin's view that treatment of infectious
diseases, including HIV, is an important primary prevention strategy.

If primary prevention is something which reduces the likelihood an individual
may become infected, then treatment strategies which reduce the prevalence of
infection in the community, reduce the likelihood that a person might become
infected should they engage in say unprotected intercourse.

If treatment of HIV can reduce the number of individuals with higher viral loads
then the same thing applies. Of course, treatment alone is not sufficient and
other primary prevention measures are needed, but the primary prevention role of
treatment is often under-estimated and under-stated

Steven Skov
Public Health Physician
Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses Program
Australian, Northern Territory Centre for Disease Control
e-mail: Steven.Skov@...

Dear all:

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970

I guess that treatment of each of communicable diseases is always a prevention
strategy, and HIV disease is not an exception from the common rule. When we
treat TB or typhoid we have in mind both to save lives of patients and to
destroy the appropriate infectious agents, so that to exclude their transmission
to other people.

Treatment is effective to break an epidemiological chain and by that to prevent
new cases of diseases. Than is quite naturally.
There is no reason to put HIV aside from other infectious agents.

That mistake serves to formation of stigma only. In an aspect of prevention the
difference between HIV treatment and treatment of curable infections is just
quantitative, not qualitative. The adequate treatment of HIV infection
considerably reduces the viral load and the probability of HIV transmission,
while the treatment of curable infections eradicates infectious agents IN MOST
of cases decreasing the probability of their transmission from one human being
to another to almost 0!

The key word here is that the probability of transmission of infectious agent is
REDUCED due to the effect of treatment in both cases, and by that the disease is
PREVENTED. The example with abortions for family planning is rather emotional
than thought out.

More relevant example is the examination of  workers of food industry for the
carriage of enteric infections and subsequent treatment of carriers to exclude
the transmission of infective agents from an infected individual to food
products with follow up transmission from the food to healthy individual.

Isn’t it one of the ways to PREVENT the transmission of enteric infections?
Certainly, prevention interventions should never be limited to treatment, but
HIV treatment as a prevention strategy should be a worthy of special attention.

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Alexander Kossukhin, Ph.D., D.Sc.
E-MAIL: <alexander.kossukhin@...>

Chinese Authorities Prevent Multinational AIDS Rights Conference

By Daniel Schearf, Beijing, 29 July 2007

Chinese authorities have banned activists and experts from holding a
multinational conference in southern China on the legal rights of
people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. As Daniel
Schearf reports from Beijing, although Chinese officials have become
more supportive of AIDS prevention efforts, discrimination against
people with HIV is common, and authorities are still suspicious of
activists.

The conference was to bring together Chinese and foreign activists
this week in the southern city of Guangzhou to discuss AIDS
discrimination. They also were to consider establishing a legal aid
center in China for people with HIV and the activists who support
them.

Fifty participants from South Africa, India, Thailand, and Canada had
planned to attend.

But on Thursday authorities told organizers the conference would not
be allowed.

Asia Catalyst, a New York organization that works with activists in
Asia to promote human rights, social justice and environmental
protection, co-organized the conference. Its partner was China Orchid
AIDS Projects in Beijing.

Sara Davis

"We were contacted by authorities, who told us that the combination
of AIDS and law and foreigners was too sensitive and that the meeting
had to be canceled," Sara Davis, the founder and director of Asia
Catalyst.

China has in recent years moved from officially denying having an HIV
problem to supporting AIDS education and prevention campaigns.
Last year, China outlawed discrimination against people with HIV or
AIDS. Officials have also promised anonymous testing and free
treatment for poor people infected with the disease.

But AIDS activists are still harassed, and Davis says discrimination
remains common.

"If their identity becomes known they risk being evicted from their
homes, they lose their jobs, their children are refused access to
education, are turned away from schools, and perhaps worst of all are
often refused treatment from hospital workers," said Davis.

Davis says a legal aid center is needed to help people infected with
HIV when their rights are violated.

She says despite the canceled conference, she is optimistic her group
will be able to continue working with Chinese AIDS activists.
However, Chinese authorities have recently shown less tolerance for
foreign activists who support the work of Chinese groups.

Earlier this month officials ordered the closure of China Development
Brief, a well-respected publication run by a British national that
reported on China's social development and civic activity.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-07-29-voa15.cfm
_____________________

CHINA AIDS LAW CONFERENCE CANCELED

Beijing, China¡ªJuly 28, 2007¡ªAn international conference on AIDS and law to be
held in China this week has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, Asia
Catalyst said today.

The conference, co-organized by New York-based Asia Catalyst [ÑÇÖÞ´Ù½ø»á] and
Beijing-based China Orchid AIDS Projects [¶«Õä], would have brought together
fifty international and domestic experts to discuss Chinese and international
AIDS law.

The conference is part of plans between the two groups to establish a Chinese
legal aid center that will handle impact litigation on the rights of people
living with HIV/AIDS.

¡°While we deeply regret that the meeting cannot take place, our work
continues,¡± said Meg Davis, founder and director of Asia Catalyst. ¡°We still
seek to cooperate with our colleagues in China and will support them in their
efforts to develop the legal system.¡±

Mark Heywood, executive director of the AIDS Law Project in South Africa and
chairperson of the UNAIDS Global Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights, was to
deliver the meeting¡¯s keynote address. Experts on AIDS and the law from India,
the U.S., Canada, and Thailand were scheduled to speak on such topics as
discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, blood safety, the rights of
women and girls, and the practical challenges of setting up an AIDS law center.

¡°International experience has shown that protecting legal rights is key to any
successful fight against AIDS,¡± Davis said. ¡°China has passed laws protecting
those rights, and people with AIDS need assistance in order to exercise them.¡±

The conference was to have been held at the Zhujiang Hotel in Guangzhou from
August 2-3, 2007.

Asia Catalyst is a U.S.-based nonprofit that collaborates with activists in Asia
to inspire, create, and launch innovative, self-sustaining programs that advance
human rights, social justice and environmental protection. For more information,
see

www.asiacatalyst.org.

Dear AIDS ASIA  Members,

Below is a sign on letter drafted by the ITPC writing group in support of Korean
activists who have been arrested. We intend to mail this to the Korean
government and embassies around the world to show our solidarity and support of
the Korean NGO.

If you wish to have your organisation sign on or as an individual support this
call please email to itpc@... by no later than August 1, 2007.

Please DO NOT REPLY DIRECTLY TO THIS LIST SERVE!

Thank  you

Copy of letter:

International HIV/AIDS community condemns the unfounded arrest of two
co-chairs of the Korean Alliance against the Korea-U.S. FTA (KoA).


The President of the Republic of Korea
H. E. ROH MOO-HYUN

We, HIV and AIDS activists from across the world, condemn the arrest of Korean
citizens who were peacefully and legally protesting, and we demand their
immediate release.


On Tuesday, July 03, 2007, two co-Chairs of the Korean Alliance against the
Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KoA), Oh Jong-ryul and Jung Gwang-hoon, were
arrested on charges of carrying out 'illegal' and 'non-permitted' protests
against the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Republic of Korea and the
United States of America.

It is our understanding that the Republic of Korea's Constitution (Article 21)
does not require a permit for rallies, only notice needs to be provided. The
Korean Alliance against the Korea-U.S. FTA complied with this requirement. As
such, we believe the activities of KoA were by no means illegal. We further
deplore the activities of the Government of the Republic of Korea in declaring
as illegal all rallies by KoA since November 2006. We believe that such actions
gravely violate the fundamental rights of Korean people to assemble for the
purpose of expressing opposition to government practices and policies, as
enshrined and protected in the Constitution.

We share the concern of the arrested activists over the inappropriateness of the
signing of the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). The
Republic of Korea is a signatory to various international declarations and
protocols, in which it has committed to ensuring universal access to treatment
for all people living with HIV.

The KORUS FTA undermines access to affordable HIV medicines in the Republic of
Korea. By signing such an agreement, the Government of the Republic of Korea at
best colludes in denying access to affordable HIV medicines for its citizens,
and at worst condemns many of its citizens to death.

The chapter in the KORUS FTA on drugs and medical devices will obligate Korean
health authorities to favor patented drugs when negotiating reimbursement rates
for drugs provided under the Public Health Insurance system. This is the second
bilateral free trade agreement to include a section on the pricing and
reimbursement of pharmaceuticals - the other was contained in Annex 2c of the
Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement.

The Korus FTA continues the practice of the corporate sector which hijacks
global trade negotiations for the benefit of transnational pharmaceutical drug
and tobacco companies at the expense of people's health. The KORUS FTA endangers
core public health protections, which have been threatened since the signing of
the North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA), in particular Chapter 11,
which allows corporations or individuals to sue Mexico, Canada, or the United
States for compensation when actions taken by those governments (or by those for
whom they are responsible at international law, such as provincial, state, or
municipal governments) have adversely affected their investments.

Despite mounting calls for democratic participation in trade policies
relating to public health, labor and the environment; the United States Trade
Representative failed to involve its own Advisory Committees, Members of
Congress, and the public in negotiating key provisions of the KORUS FTA.

In addition to requesting your intervention to ensure the immediate and
unconditional release of Oh Jong-ryul and Jung Gwang-hoon; we ask that you
intervene and undertake a review process of the Republic of Korea's position on
the KORUS FTA due to its incompatibility with other international legal
obligations such as ensuring universal access to treatment for people living
with HIV.

We await your response,

Sincerely,

Greg Gray
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)
For and on behalf of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition,
itpc@...

176/22 Sukhumvit Soi 16, Klong Toey
Bangkok, Thailand


Marco Gomes

ITPC Member
Email:marcogomes493@...
416-906-8392
Canada

Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+), Thailand
Pan African Treatment Access Movement (PATAM)

Warm regards,

Greg Gray

International Coordinator
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)
176/22 Sukhumvit Soi 16, Klong Toey
Bangkok, Thailand

Mobile:   +66 8155 40986
Tel:         +66 2259 1908 - 9

www.aidstreatmentaccess.org
Just  out! Read the ITPC latest July '07 treatment report
____________
"Greg Gray" <itpc@...>

Dear FORUM

Professor Zhang Bei Chuan From Tsing Dao University medical
school(People's republic Of China),general coordinator of Project of
Friends which is leading MSM Network in Mainland China,wins "HIV/AIDS
Prevention&Treatment special contribution Award"

On 17th,July,2007,UNAIDS HIV/AIDS award ceremony held in Beijing,Guo
Bing Hotel.Dr. Peter Piot presided the ceremony.The two winner,Vice
Minister Wang Long De of MOH China,and Professor Zhang Bei Chuan from
Project of Friends,also gave speeches(See attached files).

Project of Friends is a leading MSM/GLBT network in mainland China set
up in 1998.Which supported mainly by Ford Foundation China
office.Professor Zhang is also member of China National HIV/AIDS
experts' committee.He concentrates in human rights protection of
GLBT/MSM community and HIV AIDS prevention for almost 20 years in
China.

Professor Zhang's contact infomation:
Emai:pytx@...
Tel:86-532-82710247

Jia Ping
Hai Dian District,Hai Dian Southern Road
Middle 4th Building, Room 1003
Beijing, PRC
Tel:8610-62520436
Mobile:86-13811332271
E-MAIL:  <globalfundngo@...>

Dear Forum,

There is another aspect to this point which has not yet surfaced in the
discussion thus far. Treatment is also a prevention strategy because by
improving the health status of people with HIV, treatment (whether with ARVs or
wider treatment and health care services for OIs etc) keeps parents, skilled
workers, leaders, role models, wage earners and the like in good health and
economically stronger and enables young people to pursue education and training
opportunities.

In this way treatment breaks the cycle of poverty that makes individuals and
communities vulnerable to HIV, and treatment and wider care become part of a
broader prevention strategy.

Ann Smith,
HIV Corporate Strategist,
CAFOD,Romero Close,
Stockwell Road
London, SW9 9TY
England
00 44 (0)20 7095 5651 (direct line)
www.cafod.org.uk
E-MAIL: <asmith@...>

AIDS Care Done Right - AIDS Care China Provides Case Study for ACATA Members
July 2007

Thomas Cai joined TREAT Asia's Asian Community for AIDS Treatment and Advocacy (ACATA) in 2004 after founding a community support group for people with HIV/AIDS in his hometown of Guangzhou, China.

Since its creation six years ago, Thomas's group, AIDS Care China, has grown from a shelter service for HIV/AIDS patients to a multi-site HIV/AIDS care program, with counseling and treatment education centers known as Red Ribbon Centers in four Chinese provinces—including a center supported by TREAT Asia in Hubei Province. Its community-based approach to combating HIV/AIDS has made it a widely recognized success story. Indeed last year, AIDS Care China received the high-profile Red Ribbon Award from the UN for its work supporting care and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Thomas Cai (right), flanked by fellow ACATA members, led a tour of health-care programs run by AIDS Care China in Nanning during a recent ACATA meeting. (Photo: Jennifer Ho)

ACATA members were impressed. "We have many health-care providers in our countries who will also pay lip-service to community collaboration and involvement, but here in Nanning, they actually put their words into practice," said one ACATA member, shaking her head in disbelief as she toured one hospital's sunny AIDS ward.

The goal of the Red Ribbon Centers is to improve treatment outcomes and adherence to medication, said Thomas. He and his staff quickly realized the importance of building good relationships with health-care providers and hospital officials. At first, he recalled, they experienced resistance from doctors and nurses, but they were slowly able to gain the trust of a handful of medical personnel.

This support grew when health-care providers began to recognize the invaluable role the Red Ribbon Center staff was playing in improving treatment understanding and adherence among patients. As a result, doctors and nurses urged their hospital board to provide AIDS Care China with space and support. At that point, a solid, collaborative relationship was born.

One of the most important lessons he has learned through AIDS Care China, said Thomas, is that "doctors have their areas of expertise; community members and people living with AIDS, we have our own areas of expertise. It is not a competition. Rather, we are here to complement each other's work."

The success of this collaborative model was demonstrated persuasively by a recent study that showed poor adherence to medication among only 4 percent of patients in Nanning supported by Red Ribbon Centers—far from the 40 percent at other local hospitals.

With the three-year cycle of the ACATA program coming to a conclusion this fall, members closed the meeting by reviewing their ACATA experience and discussing how best to apply their new-found knowledge and skills to their own countries. ACATA is supported in part by a grant from Postive Action.

http://www.amfar.org/cgi-bin/iowa/asia/news/index.html?record=124

Dear all and especially Gillian

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970

I can understand and appreciate the rue and frustration against prevention
efforts and the supposed monies wastage but you yourself agree that "real 
barries" to prevention have not been assisted with.

So the real question is why we have not been able to identify and address
approporitely and respond to the challenge to making prevention efforts more
effective, efficient and successful?.  And also prevention effoets do need to
get sharper, smarter and more focussed based on evidence and strategically
tailored and delivered.

Not also to mention and emphaise that they need much better assessment, tracking
and monitoring.

But treatment as a primary prevention strategy is somethng like making abortions
a family planning option? And I am sure you would not agree with that.

Thanks

Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Phd
New Delhi, India
E-mail: <sanjeevbcc@...>

Fighting AIDS

According to a national survey, a majority of the urban population,
65 per cent to be precise, revealed that they were aware of AIDS and
said that it poses a significant threat to the country. Of the
respondents who were queried, 21 per cent considered that AIDS poses
a limited threat while five per cent of the urbanites thought that it
does not.

The findings of this study can be viewed positively in the sense that
at least most of the country's city dwellers know of AIDS and the
potential danger that the disease poses. But a similar survey must
also be held in the rural areas of the country to ascertain the level
of awareness among the inhabitants of these areas. This will help
policy makers and planners to come up with appropriate measures to
deal with AIDS and lessen the threat it poses to the populace given
the present almost non-existent level of government-supported
HIV/AIDS awareness and protection media campaigns in the country.

Mere awareness of the disease is not enough. In order to mitigate the
danger of spreading AIDS, the government must promote media campaigns
informing the public of AIDS, the danger it poses to their health,
and how they can protect themselves for instance by practicing safe
sex.

We as a society and our government has a hypocritical and mythical
attitude towards AIDS and choose to be in denial of it on the basis
of being a Muslim society where there is no sexual promiscuity etc.
Such a self-delusory attitude will not help curb the fatal disease,
we should learn from the higher figures that exist in India.

Presently, Pakistan may be a low-prevalence country, but it is never
the less a high-risk country for HIV infection. For now, the figures
may appear reassuringly low but with pockets of high prevalence
groups in different parts of the country, for instance sexual
promiscuity, homosexuality, truckers and drug abuse; and the
undetected and not reported cases these figures are an
underestimation. The social stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS makes
people affected reluctant to get treatment.

The discrimination and social ostracism faced by those infected with
AIDS only serves to in a way cause it to spread. The government must
come up with a progressive policy, through the support of UN agencies
and other bilateral and multi-lateral development partners, for a
more vigorous and purposeful national response against HIV and AIDS.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=65511

Dear Forum,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970

I have no doubt that treatment if given adequately can significantly stop the
transmission and prevent further problem or complication. What we need is to
significantly prevent new infection by establishing more effective works in
creating awareness to prevent HIV, facilitating behavior change and promote
condom use to those with high risk behavior (ABC approach) and at the same time
provide adequate treatment to stop infection and further transmission.

If we focus more to provide treatment (for already infected cases) and give less
attention to prevent new infections (with ABC approach), I m afraid it would bee
too late.

Adi Sasongko

Yayasan Kusuma Buana
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel. (62-21) 831 4764, 829 6337
Fx.  (62-21) 831 4764
Website: www.kusumabuana.or.id
e-mail: <adi.sasongko@...>

Dear friends,

APN+ is pleased to announce that WAPN+, the working group of APN+, will organize
a meeting on August 18th, one day before the 8th ICAAP starts in Colombo, Sri
Lanka. The meeting will be held from 4:30-7:00PM at Committee Room D of
Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. Prior to the WAPN+ meeting,
Positive Forum will be held in the same venue.

We would like to invite not only those who have already participated in past
workshops but also those who are interested.  Please distribute this information
widely so that many of us can get together and talk about future direction of
WAPN+.

For your reference I have attached a brief description about WAPN+ below. We are
currently accepting applications for WAPN+ coordinator. Deadline of submission
is August 1, 2007.

If you have any questions about the working group, meeting or application,
please contact Shiba Phurailatpam,  APN+ Regional Coordinator: shiba@...
It will be good if you can inform us
of your participation in advance. We look forward to your participation.

Naoko Kawana, APN+ Co-Chair

*****
About WAPN+   WAPN+ *is the women's working group of APN+. WAPN+ aims to:

Share information on a range of issues to HIV-positive women
throughout the region

Increase the capacity of HIV-positive women to take on leadership
roles

Strengthen and help establish national networks of women living
with HIV.*

The WAPN+ vision is the empowerment of women living with HIV in the
Asia-Pacific region to provide a united voice, improve the quantity of our lives
and ensure our leaders protect our rights. WAPN+'s mission is to increase
solidarity and communication among women living with HIV and improve our skills,
knowledge and opportunities to fully participate in an effective response to HIV
and AIDS, and to advocate for the needs of women living with HIV at a regional
level.

A core group of women from each of four sub-regions, South Asia, South-East
Asia, East Asia and the Pacific guide WAPN+ coordinator to carry forward its
strategic plan. W omen's confidence as new leaders of the region and as agents
of change is growing.

WAPN+ Proposed Activities, 2007 - 2010

1. Assist women in the region to identify access to sustainablei incomes:

Lobby government and NGOs to provide employment opportunities to
HIV-positive women, particularly as counselors and educators.

Research available income generation resources in each country

Train women to obtain funds to provide life skills


1. Increase HIV-positive women's access to medication and health
services, and develop their capacity to address HIV treatment issues.

Source training of trainers to positive women on ARV treatment
literacy

Conduct research to determine:

How many positive women and children in the region are on ARVs

Whether governments comply with international policies re ARVs.

1. Reduce discrimination and uphold rights of women and children
living with HIV.

Provide training of trainers to women to educate families,
communities and influential leaders about discrimination and international human
rights treaties

Document in-country compliance with international human rights
treaties

Work with media to reduce discrimination via regional spokeswomen

1. Strengthen the capacity of national networks of positive women in
the region.

Develop communication strategy

Identify key women/organisations willing to network in each country

Mobilise resources to provide training workshop on how to create
sustainable networks, including fundraising

1. Increase positive women's involvement in national and regional
policy making.

Train HIV-positive women in development and implementation of policy

Document best practice of involvement of positive women in policy
making

1. Provide up-to-date information on sexual and reproductive health
and rights

Adapt available information into accessible format/local languages

Training of trainers for women on how to use manual at country level


Strengthen partnerships with organisations working with women

Naoko Kawana
e-mail: <naokokaw@...>

Dear all,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970

Actually, my understanding is that treatment can indeed be more cost-effective
than first line prevention in terms of impact (providing generic medicines are
available).

Millions are spent on prevention efforts which in my opinion actually do little
in terms of behaviour change but instead simply reiterate tired old factual
messages - HIV is transmitted through sharing needles, unprotected sex, blah
blah blah. This is known by huge numbers of people who still become positive -
because they have not been assisted to confront the real barriers in prevention,
namely socio-cultural factors (plus access to services; often physically
available but in reality inaccessible because of the socio-cultural barriers.

I realise this is a bit of a rant, but I am sick of seeing and hearing of people
wasting all their life savings on buying drugs from drug sellers, getting single
prescriptions for ARTs from unethical doctors, basically casting round to buy
ANYTHING which someone says might give them a chance of life - and not being
given access to the ARTs which would keep them alive.

Gillian Fletcher
e-mail: <gillfletcher@...>

Australian Government, AusAID Media Release
MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS. ALEXANDER DOWNER

23 July 2007

Australia sets $1 billion benchmark in global fight against HIV

Today I have committed to contribute $1 billion by 2010 to the ongoing global
fight against HIV.

I announced the $400 million increase in Australia's existing $600 million
commitment at the Third Ministerial Meeting on HIV/AIDS - an unprecedented
gathering of Asia-Pacific region business and government leaders. The meeting
committed to greater private-public sector partnerships to halt and begin to
reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS in our region by 2015.

The meeting coincided with the 7000-strong International AIDS Society Conference
which is being held this week in Sydney with financial support from the
Australian Government.

Our increased effort to combat HIV in the Asia-Pacific has already started. In
Papua New Guinea we are expanding our efforts to tackle the disease in every
province preventing its spread and providing care and treatment for people
already infected. We will continue our work with those most at risk: truck
drivers, sex workers, young people in the settlements, soldiers and communities
around mining sites. We have already established 70 counselling and testing
sites and last year alone, distributed seven million condoms.

In other parts of the Pacific where the epidemic is still in its early stages,
we will intensify our work to stop it spreading further and increase the access
to vital treatment.

Similarly throughout Asia, we will strengthen our work with the local
authorities to provide the best advice on tackling the disease particularly
among commercial sex workers and injecting drug users. In Africa, we will
support community groups in their work with people directly affected by HIV
whether it's people already infected or their families.

By the end of this financial year we expect to have spent half a billion dollars
on international HIV programs since the start of this decade and I am pleased to
announce that Australia has now fulfilled its $75 million pledge to the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Our support to the Global Fund has helped it save the lives of more than 1.8
million people and provided more than one million people with anti-retroviral
treatment for HIV.

HIV continues to challenge governments, communities and businesses around the
world. Nearly 40 million people are living with HIV globally and up to one-fifth
of these live in the Asia-Pacific region.

We cannot ignore the social and economic consequences of HIV in our region. For
example, it is predicted that without increased and ongoing action, HIV will
have killed 1.5 million people in Indonesia and 300,000 people in Papua New
Guinea by 2025.

The Australian Government, in partnership with other governments in our region,
businesses, researchers and international organisations, is committed to
continuing the fight against HIV.

Media contacts:

Malcolm Cole (Minister's Office) 02 6277 7500

AusAID Public Affairs 0417 680 590


AusAID media release [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
E-MAIL:  webmaster@...

Sydney AIDS Conference: Scientific Advances Undercut by Rights Abuses
Advances in HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment Hinge on Respecting Human
Rights

(New York, July 20, 2007) – Scientists and other delegates meeting
July 22-25 at the 4th International AIDS Society Conference in Sydney
should focus their attention on how human rights abuses against
people living with HIV undermine the impact of scientific advances
against AIDS, Human Rights Watch said today.

"Research is central to the fight against HIV/AIDS," said Joe Amon,
director of Human Rights Watch's HIV/AIDS Program and a molecular
biologist by training. "But scientific advances will have little
impact if people living with HIV continue to be stigmatized and
abused."

Human Rights Watch cited examples from the Asia-Pacific region, where
the conference is being held, of children and adolescents living with
or at risk of HIV infection being discriminated against, sexually
abused and socially marginalized:

• On July 14, police in Kathmandu beat and sexually abused five
Nepalese transgender youths. The officers also strip-searched the
youths and examined them for signs of sexual intercourse. Police said
that the carrying of condoms by transgender youth was an illegal
act.

• On June 4, five HIV-positive children were barred from
entering their school in Pampady, India. The students had not
attended school since they had been kicked out in December.

• In over a year, hospitals have repeatedly refused to operate
on a 5-year-old orphan living with HIV in the southern Chinese city
of Guangzhou. Recent newspaper headlines have referred to the child
as the "AIDS Boy."

• In October 2006, Taiwanese officials ruled that residents of
a home for people living with HIV/AIDS in Taipei should move out of
the local community because they threatened the psychological health
of neighbors.

• In January 2006, corrections officers at Buimo prison in
Papua New Guinea beat and sexually abused male detainees by forcing
them to have anal sex with each other. More than a year later, the
officers continue to work at the prison.

Human Rights Watch also called on scientists attending the conference
to protest government harassment and intimidation of AIDS activists.
Human Rights Watch cited several recent cases from Burma, China and
Zambia:

• In Burma, authorities detained a leading HIV/AIDS educator
between May 21 and July 2. Phyu Phyu Thinn, who has cared for people
living with HIV/AIDS in her home, had protested against the lack of
access to antiretroviral drugs in government hospitals. She was
arrested and imprisoned along with other individuals while praying
for the release of political prisoners.

• In several cases in China this year, AIDS activists and
people living with HIV have been detained: on May 18, two of
country's most prominent HIV/AIDS activists, Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan,
were placed under house arrest and banned from leaving the country;
on April 11, about 350 people infected with HIV/AIDS were blocked by
police from protesting over ineffective government-supplied drug
treatments in Zhengzhou; and on February 1, Dr. Gao Yaojie, an 80-
year-old Chinese doctor, was detained by government officials and put
under house arrest to prevent her from leaving the country to receive
an award for her work on transfusion-related HIV transmission.

• In Zambia, Paul Kasonkomona and Clementine Mumba, the
chairperson for Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC), were
detained by the police on July 9 as they were demonstrating outside
parliament in solidarity with striking healthcare workers.


"While scientists are able to travel freely to Sydney to discuss the
international response to AIDS, activists around the world are jailed
and harassed for their work against HIV," said Amon.

Conference delegates should also focus attention on human rights
abuses faced by women, and acknowledge that technological advances
such as vaccines or vaginal microbicides will have little impact
unless they are accompanied by a greater respect for women's rights.

Governments have consistently failed to protect women from the
violence that leads to infection or violence targeted against women
living with HIV. Human Rights Watch pointed to two examples from
India:

• In New Delhi this spring, an HIV-positive woman was beaten to
death by her in-laws who feared she would infect the family.

• On September 1, 2006 in Kolkata, an HIV-positive woman was
forced to perform an abortion on herself at a state-run hospital. The
doctors had refused to treat her because of her HIV status,
instructed her as to how to terminate her six-month pregnancy, and
forced her to leave the hospital afterwards.


"We can not end the AIDS epidemic solely through science," said
Amon. "Scientific advances and human rights advances must go hand in
hand."

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/07/19/global16439.htm

Subject: 8th ICAAP in Sri Lanka

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/963

Greetings,

I would like to commend you for your bravery and informative email in regards to
the “real” organizers & organizing of ICAAP.  It truly is sad that this
supposedly very important gathering is being taken over by ‘muscle-heads’ who
just want to use and abuse the funds according to their personal interests &
selfish intentions, and here we are ‘real’ HIV/AIDS advocates & mediators &
trainers & researchers & professionals who suffer to get funding or support to
further our good work – who cannot get the opportunity to share & upskill thru a
conference such as the ICAAP in our region – its really really sad &
frustrating.

I sent an abstract on behalf of our Youth Peer Education program here in my
country in February – of which I got a reply in April that it was selected and
that I needed to have sent in an application for a scholarship to present it -
but I wasn’t able to do that as the criteria and due date kept changing & being
modified that I lost track of it all – then another message regard our abstract
was sent but this time it had a ‘notification of acceptance’ letter for HONG
KONG Red Cross and not our Society – that made things a lot more confusing. (I
hope I am making sense).  In short, our excitement of being accepted has now
been extinguished because there has not been anymore dialogue from the
organizers of ICAAP & no chance of getting a scholarship. [I’ve even tried to
source other forms of funding to get to Colombo but not successful there too]

Well thank you once again for your informative message thru the AIDS_ASIA
e-group (of which I am subscribed to) – although my country is not directly in
your region, we are in the Pacific Region which does not get a lot of exposure
of our programs & efforts at international conferences, in addition, it’s hard
for us to compete with bigger countries for scholarships & funding to attend
such gatherings but with your message I don’t feel so bad after all – that we’re
not able to present our poster presentation – I believe there will be other
opportunities (a lot more worthy too) to do so.

If you would like to reply please do so to: n_pokura@... and not to this
email address – much appreciation.

Best regards,

Ms Nukutau Pokura
HIV Program Officer
Cook Islands Red Cross Society
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
South Pacific
e-mal: n_pokura@...

New guidance on recommended HIV testing and counselling
Comment

The Lancet 2007; 370:202-203. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61102-7

Daniel Tarantola   a   and   Sofia Gruskin b

After a series of meetings, open internet-based reviews, and
consultations over a year, WHO and UNAIDS recently released guidance
on HIV testing and counselling initiated by health providers.1 Those
not engaged in this exercise might not fully appreciate the evolution
of thinking represented by this final document, nor the role played
by active debate between constituencies with diverging views on key
issues. Among these issues was whether HIV testing should be included
in the panoply of routine tests given in health settings on the
initiative of the clinician, unless the patient specifically opted-in
by asking to be tested for HIV or opted-out by refusing the test,
despite not having been prompted to consent to it. Many found the
ideas confusing2–4 and questioned the underlying assumption of this
approach—ie, that patients who signed off on admission forms when
consulting or being admitted to a care facility de-facto agree to any
diagnostic test found necessary by the treating doctor. Concerns were
raised that, unlike other tests, in view of prevailing stigma,
discrimination, and risks of violence attached to an HIV-positive
result in many settings, particularly for women, specific individual
agreement to the test remained necessary.5,6

As the WHO/UNAIDS guidance evolved towards its now final form,
despite some reference to opting-in and opting-out, liberal use of
this language was dropped and replaced with ideas more reflective of
sound public health, medical ethics, and human rights. Specifically,
the ambiguous notion that providers would initiate testing (with lack
of clarity about whether this testing is with or without expressed
consent) has shifted to a model in which providers recommend testing
(thus proceeding with the test only after consent has been given by
the patient). The WHO/UNAIDS guidance continues to use the term
provider-initiated testing, but provider-recommended testing is now
what the guidance advocates. The crucial difference here is that
doctors are now encouraged to recommend a test, and not simply to
test without securing the patient's specific agreement. In many ways,
the WHO/UNAIDS document is far clearer and better anchored in
evidence than the rather confusing 2006 guidelines of the US Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to which it refers
supportively several times.7 The CDC guidelines use terms
inconsistently, and thereby create (deliberately or not) a wide space
for doctors to do HIV tests on patients with or without express
consent. The strength of the WHO/UNAIDS document lies in its
attention to specific elements to be considered when formulating or
reformulating HIV-testing policies according to various environments,
epidemic types, health settings, clinical presentations, and testing
practices.

Yet, several issues will require attention while this guidance is
implemented, including the rather vague approach to monitoring and
evaluation, even as WHO is under stress to anchor its guidelines more
strongly in evidence.8 Critical indicators, sources of information,
and means of measurement could have been suggested to set groundwork
for risk-management and further revisions of this guidance. The more-
than-elusive description of how the guidance is to be adapted to
specific country settings is another area that needs attention. This
description will require rapid pre-emptive measures by WHO/UNAIDS and
others, such as development of methods to facilitate adaptation
process, failing which adaptation might go astray on the initiative
of those who believe that widespread HIV testing is an effective
response to the epidemic.

A further issue is the lack of reference to how this form of testing
will intersect with the trend towards criminalisation of HIV
transmission,9 in particular when a previous record of a positive HIV
test could be interpreted to mean that a person knowingly transmitted
HIV to others, whether deliberately or negligently.

Policymakers may now opt-in to the guidance and model policies, and
practice can proceed along the lines proposed, even though there will
be substantial differences in how this change is made. Some
policymakers will no-doubt opt-out, holding that the guidance is
insufficient and does not respond to local realities. Clinicians,
other health practitioners, and civil society will have to be
vigilant in their attention to the uses and abuses of HIV-testing
policies as the policies are reformulated and, just as importantly,
to the observed gaps between public-health goals, policy, and
practice.

We declare that we have no conflict of interest. Both authors are
members of the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights, which
commented on earlier drafts of the guidance.

References

1. WHO/UNAIDS. Guidance on provider-initiated HIV testing and
counselling in health facilities. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health
Organization, 2007:
http://www.who.int/hiv/who_pitc_guidelines.pdf
(accessed June 18, 2007)..

2. Human Rights Watch. Comments on WHO/UNAIDS draft, "Guidance on
Provider Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling in Health
Facilities"/Submission to WHO, January 2007
http://hrw.org/pub/2007/hivaids/hrwWhoGuidance.pdf
(accessed June 19, 2007)..

3. Jürgens R. "Routinizing" HIV testing in low- and middle-income
countries—background paper. New York, USA: Public Health Program of
the Open Society Institute, 2007:
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/articles_public...
(accessed June 19, 2007)..

4. Kippax S. Comments on guidance on provider-initiated HIV testing
and counselling in health facilities—WHO/UNAIDS document. Nov 27,
2006:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HIVtesting_policy/files/P...
(accessed Jan 7, 2007)..

5. Ehiri JE, Anyanwu EC, Donath E, Kanu I, Jolly PE. AIDS-related
stigma in sub-Saharan Africa: its contexts and potential intervention
strategies. AIDS Public Policy J 2005; 20: 25-39.

6. Medley A, Garcia-Moreno C, McGill S, Maman S. Rates, barriers and
outcomes of HIV serostatus disclosure among women in developing
countries: implications for prevention of mother-to-child
transmission programmes. Bull World Health Organ 2004; 82: 299-307.
MEDLINE

7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Revised
recommendations for HIV testing of adults, adolescents, and pregnant
women in health-care settings
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/testing/resources/reports...
(accessed June 19, 2007)..

8. Oxman AD, Lavis J, Fretheim A. Use of evidence in WHO
recommendations. Lancet 2007; 369: 1883-1889. Abstract | Full Text |
Full-Text PDF (90 KB) | CrossRef

9. UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights. Criminalization of
HIV transmission. Feb 12–14, 2007:
http://data.unaids.org/pub/BaseDocument/2006/070216_HHR...
(accessed Jun 18, 2007)..

Affiliations

a. Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health and Community
Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
b. Program on International Health and Human Rights, Harvard School
of Public Health, Boston MA, USA

Dear FORUM,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970

"One of the major barriers to a treatment as prevention strategy is
lack of consensus on the efficacy of such a strategy".

This is quite surprising.  Data on sexual transmission and on mother-to-child
breastfeeding transmission all indicate that the viral dose determines the
likelihood of transmission.  I think this is also true for needle-stick
transmission data.  The worst period in the first two cases is right after
infection, when viral load soars.  In the case of sexual transmission, treatment
that reduces viral load has resulted in lower rates of transmission.  (I don't
think there are data on treatment of breastfeeding mothers.) Is it not
universally accepted that  transmission is reduced with treatment ?

Sally
E-MAIL: SciNUTri@...

Statement prepared for AIDS-Asia

Response to denial of visas for Nepalese delegates

Statement from the Conference Chairs of the 4th IAS Conference on HIV
Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention

Geneva, Switzerland – 9 July 2007

We read with concern the postings regarding the refusal of visas for
Nepalese delegates to attend the 4th IAS Conference on HIV
Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention (IAS 2007) to be held in Sydney,
Australia later this month.

We have learned from Australian immigration that four Nepalese visa
applications were refused by the consulate in Delhi on Friday, 6
July, because insufficient supporting documentation was submitted
with each application.

Kindly note that the Nepalese delegates were not refused entry on the
basis of their HIV status. In fact, the Australian visa application
form does not require a declaration of HIV status.

The Australian immigration laws are clear and transparent, and
immigration authorities have done a thorough job in assessing visa
applications. We are satisfied that visas have been denied on valid
grounds (in this case, insufficient supporting documentation; and in
other cases, insufficient financial means to support travel).

We urge all conference delegates to familiarize themselves with the
Australian immigration requirements. These have been communicated to
delegates by email, and may also be found on our website at this
link: http://www.ias2007.org/subpage.aspx?pageId=307 and on the
Australian immigration website at this link:
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/456.pdf. Both websites provide a
complete listing of all supporting documents required for visa
applications.

Should any delegates have problems with visa applications, kindly
contact the IAS for informational support:
Scholarship recipients: internationalscholarships@...
Speakers: programme@...
Other delegates: info@...

Kind regards

David Cooper:
Local Conference Chair: IAS 2007

Pedro Cahn
International Conference Chair: IAS 2007

___________________________
Brian Haill
e-mail:  <bhaill@...>

Dear FORUM,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/972

I agree with Dr. Adnan A. Khan <Of concern is that they are continuing to focus
on AIDS only rather than all those with HIV infection as depicted by the use of
the term: AIDS epidemic rather than HIV or HIV epidemic. Most of us who live and
work in areas other than Africa realize that our best hope is in prevention at
the HIV stage before AIDS has set in. The currently terminology minimizes that
paradigm and is concerning>.

My only change would be: instead of HIV/AIDS epidemic, AIDS epidemic.
use HIV pandemic.

HIV disease is a global issue. With access to treatment, the risk of AIDS
developing at all can be reduced dramatically.

Treatment, to me, includes everything from psychiatric care to antivirals to
access to adequate food, clean water and a multivitamin. None of it cures, all
of these and other interventions can have an impact on disease progression.

George M. Carter
e-mail: <fiar@...>

Most Urgent. Re: 5 Nepalese delegates stranded in Delhi seeking  to attend IAS
Conference. This is their SOS

For: Dr David Cooper,
Director, Australian National Centre for HIV Epidemiology
Principal Organiser. IAS Conference, Sydney.

Dear Dr Cooper,

I write to you urgently concerning the plight of 5 Nepalese presently stranded
in Delhi and desperately hoping to reach Australia as  delegates to the upcoming
IAS Conference.

It appears that the visa applications of all five were rejected but that  they
may have been invited to re-submit their applications. As you  are aware, the
input of such delegates is crucial to the success of  these international
gatherings.

Their present situation is such that they appear to be getting no response from
the Australian High commission in Delhi, and that as well as now appearing most
likely to fail in their bid to get to Sydney,  they're even struggling for the
return of their passports to get home.

I beg you to use your influence as the Principal organiser of the IAS conference
to personally intervene on their behalf.

The following is their SOS which I received last night.

For myself, I am the founder/president of The Australian AIDS Fund Inc, an
AIDS-care charity of some 20 years standing, based in Melbourne  and engaged in
works in PNG and Africa. Our website is www.aids.net.au.

With regards,

Brian Haill,
President,
The Australian AIDS Fund Inc.,
PO Box 1347, Frankston,Victoria, 3199
Tel (03) 97709210
Email: bhaill@...
Website: www.aids.net.au
  ===========================

Subject: SOS!

Dear respected sir, Madam,

I had approached to IAS but they said that they can't interfere at The Embassy.
I even reached to our government they didn't response well.

Indrakaji and Chandra kaji shrestha are getting support from their Own
organization. Their Round trip and hotel is already booked by the organization.

Today Indrakaji went to embassy in Delhi but got no response. I had checked the
TT service website the passport of his is still stocked in the embassy. It's
been 12 days but the visa is not issued nor has  passport been returned. We
don't understand why they are not getting visa.

All 4 persons are stocked there in Delhi, now time is too short for conference
and embassy is not responding. Though it would be privileged to them if they
could get visa and attend a conference but after  experiencing this much of
complication, expenses and kind of ignorance of embassy we now are tired getting
on it. Now no matter if they don't get visa but they need their passport so that
they can returned Nepal and even we need passport to get refund from IAS and
report to organization all expenses and all.

You can check their passport are stocked in embassy in TT service website; 
www.ttsaustraliavisas.com and check the passport track the receicve no. and
passport no. of indrakaji shrstha and Chandra kaji shrestha are 2007070602 and
3576342, 200707060275 and 2415061 respectively.

Now if you can request embassy to declare about them then we will Be thankful to
you.

Regards,

Ajay Gurung
Project Coordinator
UNDP/ Community Support Group/Serene Foundation
Pokhara, Nepal
Contact No.: +977 61 431167
e-mail: csgserene@...>

Dear friends and colleagues,

Today the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) released the
latest version of the Missing the Target report on AIDS treatment scale up. This
is the "no spin" assessment on treatment access -- the successes, the
challenges, and what needs to change at the national and global levels.

The report is also available on the web at www.aidstreatmentaccess.org
<http://www.aidstreatmentaccess.org/>

Missing the Target #4 includes new data from 17 countries, including:

* In-depth, original analyses from six countries not covered in our
previous reports: Cambodia, China, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

* Updates from six countries profiled in past reports: Dominican
Republic, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, and South Africa

* Short summaries from five new countries: Argentina, Belize,
Cameroon, Malaysia, and Morocco

The report points out that AIDS treatment delivery represents the best hope to
build broader health systems -- but that we are in a new phase of treatment
scale up where critical issues beyond simple delivery of ARVs require urgent
attention:

* The pace of treatment scale up must accelerate to achieve G8 goals.
At the current rate, by 2010, we will fall more than 1.5 million people short of
the new G8 pledge to reach five million Africans with treatment

* Improved efforts are needed to reach marginalized groups, children,
and people living in rural areas

* Treatment must be truly free if poor people are to initiate and
sustain care, and this means costs of medical tests and other health
services (including transportation to health clinics) must be subsidized.

* Nutritional assistance and other supports are necessary to help
people benefit from treatment

* HIV prevention, TB and other services must be integrated with AIDS
treatment delivery

Governments and global institutions must act on the recommendations in our
report to accelerate treatment delivery and address critical challenges in scale
up:

* PEPFAR must do better at reaching populations outside of urban
centers, integrating treatment services into existing health care, building
public sector capacity, and increasing its support for health care worker
education.

* Donors must support the Global Fund's plan to triple in size. Civil
society must be more fully included on Global Fund Country Coordinating
Mechanisms (CCMs) and the Fund -- and its partner organizations -- must be
prepared to intervene earlier and more effectively when country implementers
encounter challenges.

* UNAIDS and WHO must be more outspoken when national programs are
mismanaged, targets are not met, or vulnerable populations are neglected. These
agencies must develop workable plans to deliver second line drugs, eliminate
drug stock outs, provide CD4 and other testing technologies and integrate HIV
prevention and TB services.

For further information or hard copies of the report please visit the
website www.aidstreatmentaccess.org or do not hesitate to contact for additional
information or request for hard copies.

Warm regards,

Greg Gray
International Coordinator
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)
176/22 Sukhumvit Soi 16, Klong Toey
Bangkok, Thailand
Mobile:   +66 8155 40986
Tel:      +66 2259 1908 - 9
e-mail: <itpc@...>

Dear Frika,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/970

It is true that treatment is also considered as a prevention strategy.

In the field of public health, we know what we call it as five levels of
prevention (1. health promotion, 2. specific protection, 3. early diagnosis and
prompt treatment, 4. disability limitation and 5. rehabilitation).

Providing early HIV test and then provide prompt treatment is considered as one
of the five levels of prevention. Prompt treatment is not always ARV but
including care and support for HIV in general as well.

One problem that we have to anticipate is that providing treatment (with ARV)
will be very costly for every government/society. The more we have AIDS cases,
the more resources that we have to spend for ARV.

That is why we need to do more effective works on the first two levels of
prevention: health promotion (to create awareness and stimulate behavior to
prevent AIDS) and specific protection (the use of condom in particular or
abstinent and be faithfull in general/ABC approach). If we can not develop
effective promotion and specific protection (supported by adequate resources),
there will be more and more people infected by HIV. The more people infected by
HIV will consume more resources -at the later stage- for ARV. In addition,
the more resources spent for ARV may also make less and less resources for
health promotion and specific protection.

My conclusion is: it is important to provide adequate resources for
treatment but at the same time we need to allocate adequate resources to do more
and more effective prevention in order to prevent more burden (at the later
stage) due to to the growing needs to provide ARV.

Making treatment as a prevention is necessary but it is a bit too late, we need
to do more effective works on the first two levels of prevention.


Adi Sasongko
Yayasan Kusuma Buana

--
Adi Sasongko
Yayasan Kusuma Buana
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel. (62-21) 831 4764, 829 6337
Fx.  (62-21) 831 4764
Website: www.kusumabuana.or.id
e-mail: <adi.sasongko@...>

Dear colleagues

The UNAIDS and Dr. Piot must be congratulations on adapting the new
terminology as outlined below.

The most welcome change is the dropping of the very confusing term: HIV and AIDS
which suggested that the 2 are distinct entities rather than AIDS being a stage
in the HIV infection.

Of concern is that they are continuing to focus on AIDS only rather than all
those with HIV infection as depicted by the use of the term: AIDS epidemic
rather than HIV or HIV epidemic. Most of us who live and work in areas other
than Africa realize that our best hope is in prevention at the HIV stage before
AIDS has set in. The currently terminology minimizes that paradigm and is
concerning.

_____
From: Executive Director [mailto:executivedirector@...]
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 9:38 PM
Subject: UNAIDS Terminology Guidelines

This email has been sent to all staff and does not need to be forwarded

Dear colleagues,
Staff will recall that in August last year, Debbie Landey circulated a note with
guidance on the use of terminology. I am sure that most people respect these
guidelines. However on several occasions I have had to return draft documents
because they have not complied with it. I have attached the document again for
ease of reference and encourage all people to read it.

In particular I want to refer to the use of the terms "HIV and AIDS" and
"HIV/AIDS" which should not be used. I want to stress that this is not simply an
issue of semantics. In the first instance it implies that there are two
completely distinct epidemics. This approach has been used by AIDS denialists to
question the causal relationship between HIV and AIDS. It is also poor
communication. Below is a short list of preferred terminology which I hope is
useful.

Please do respect our terminology in all official and internal documents.

Language does matter!!
Old Use                                 Preferred terminology
HIV and AIDS                            AIDS unless specifically referring
to HIV
HIV/AIDS epidemic                       AIDS epidemic
HIV/AIDS prevalence                     HIV prevalence
HIV/AIDS prevention                      HIV prevention
HIV/AIDS testing                        HIV testing
People living with HIV/AIDS             People living with HIV


http://data.unaids.org/pub/Manual/2007/20070328_unaids_terminology_guide_en.pdf?\
preview=true

Best wishes

Peter Piot
_______________________

What do you all think

Adnan Khan
______________________
Adnan A. Khan, MBBS, MS.
Specialist for Epidemiology and Program Design
of HIV, STIs & Infectious Diseases
Consultant Physician for Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Islamabad, Pakistan
Mobile: +92 (300) 500 6101
Phone: +92 (51) 211 1048
Email:  <mailto:adnan@...>

8th ICAAP in Sri Lanka; Concerned group’s meeting in Sydney

If you are attending the IAS Pathogenesis conference in Sydney, you are invited
to attend an informal meeting to discuss about the state of affairs of 8th ICAAP
in Colombo.

If you are interested in ICAAP as a major venue for learning, exchange of ideas
and lessons to be leared about HIV/AIDS in Asia you must be alarmed about some
of the recent developments regarding the 8th ICAAP in Colombo

(1) Scientific temper of the conference is compromised.

Sessions are mostly a venue for non evidence based lobbying. The Track
scientific committee system to ensure the scientific integrity of the conference
has been abolished by the organizers of the conference.

The 8th ICAAP programs has been selected by a group code named as “Marathone
committee”. The members of this committee are mostly consisted of lobbyist and
pleasure seekers- with AIDS money- in the name of conference.

(2) Alarming level of lobbyist’s influence in agenda settings

The conference agenda is mostly set by group of bureaucrats loyal an autocratic
military government without much experience in combating HIV/AIDS. ICAAP has
been high jacked for the military objective of an autocratic government, who
ever is colluding to this day light manipulation of AIDS meeting must be held
accountable.

(3)  Lack of transparency in scholarship, invitation of speakers and selection
of abstract.

Three is no way to find out what are the actual criteria for selection of
scholarship to attend the conference. It seems, the scholarship is reserved for
the cronies of the organizers? Even when there are genuine Asian research and
practice leaders, who have contributed immensely to HIV/ AIDS programs in Asia,
it seem the tendency is to invite the friends of the organizers from the West.
(You invite me today- I will invite you tomorrow to Europe, US and Africa is the
criteria for the selection of speakers !?)

The picture is becoming clearer, come for a vacation to Colombo, if your boss is
paying for it. The 8th ICAAP is going to be jamboree. Enjoy it if some one else
is paying for it.

(4) Freedom of expression and informed debate on HIV/AIDS is in danger

It has been reliably learned that A list of “people should be prevented in
attending the ICAAP conference or tobe watched” has been secretly drawn up by
the authorities. Particularly, If you are planning to engage in open and frank
debate about the nature of Tamil oppression and its impact of HIV in Sri Lanka,
you also could be in the watch list.

Please contact me for further information.

Arathuppaal Thalivar
E-mail: Arathuppaal_Thalivar@...

Dear FORUM,

Re: "Treatment as a prevention strategy" Submission to Asian AIDS
Commission.

This is to seek your assistance to expand our understanding of the
popular slogan, "Treatment is prevention". As the moderator of this
mailing list, together with Frika Chia, (Civil Society representative
in the Commission) would like to seek your assistance to  get a
deeper understanding of the concept of "Treatment is Prevention and
on how to present our advocacy for "Treatment as a prevention
strategy". This will then be submitted to the Commission on AIDS in
Asia for their consideration.

Many of us actively involved in HIV response are aware of the
potential of HIV treatment to enhance prevention. Effective
prevention requires more than having sufficient funds to offer
information and services. It also requires an environment that
encourages people to internalize messages about risky behaviour and
to adopt actual behaviour change, and allows people to utilize
services such as testing and counselling without fear of stigma or
discrimination.

People have little reason to seek HIV testing when a positive result
brings only negative consequences, such as stigma, discrimination and
the violations of civil rights whereas widespread availability of
treatment provides a major incentive for people to learn their
serostatus.

Involving communities and family members in the delivery of treatment
(for example, as treatment monitors) offers unique entry points for
effective prevention activities and a lever for population-wide
behavior change.  If increased uptake of voluntary counseling and
testing is indicative of broader prevention effectiveness where ART
is available, more new infections and more deaths could be avoided
through a combined response compared to prevention alone.

One of the major barriers to a treatment as prevention strategy is
lack of consensus on the efficacy of such a strategy.

Please help to articulate the need for a;

a) a treatment centred prevention strategy,
b) what are the benefits of a treatment centred prevention strategy,
c) how to address a treatment vs prevention argument.
d)  what is the best way to communicate that HIV treatment is
prevention.

AIDS ASIA e FORUM &,
Frika Chia,
(Civil Society representative, ASIAN AIDS Commission)

e-mail: Aids_asia@yahoogroups.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/