KAISER DAILY HIV/AIDS REPORT
A service of kaisernetwork.org
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv
________________________________________



Thursday, March 6, 2003

POLITICS AND POLICY
========================================
1. AIDS Funding 'Bogged Down in Partisan Disputes' Over 'Mexico City' Policy,
Funding Disbursement

2. Massachusetts AIDS Advocates Call for Restoration of Prevention, Treatment
Funds in State Budget


GLOBAL CHALLENGES
========================================
3. HIV/AIDS Has 'Devastating Impact on Food Production,' U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan Says at G8 Meeting

4. Global Fund Announces $140 Million Grant To India To Fight HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis

5. Two HIV-Positive Children in India Denied Admission To Schools; Government
To Pay for Home Schooling

6. Zambian Military To Screen Officers for HIV, Only Accept HIV-Negative
Recruits


DRUG ACCESS
========================================
7. WAMU's 'Kojo Nnamdi Show' To Examine Drug Development, Pharmaceutical
Industry Profits

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POLITICS AND POLICY

1. AIDS Funding 'Bogged Down in Partisan Disputes' Over 'Mexico City' Policy,
Funding Disbursement

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=16419

Legislation enacting President Bush's proposed increase in funding for global
AIDS -- $15 billion over five years, including $10 billion in new money -- is
getting "bogged down in partisan disputes" over how to disburse the funds and
whether agencies receiving the funds should be subject to the so-called "Mexico
City" policy, which prohibits federal aid from going to groups that fund or
promote abortion, the New York Times reports. Democrats and Republicans are "at
odds" over whether the bulk of the funding should go to the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria or be disbursed by the State Department. The
Bush administration, which says that the Global Fund "does not have a proven
track record," wants to allocate only $200 million to the fund this year,
leaving the majority of the proposed money to be distributed by the State
Department, according to the Times. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.)
said he supports the administration's position and has removed his name from
legislation, which he sponsored last year with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), that
would have authorized $2.2 billion over two years for the Global Fund.

Abortion Politics


Congress has also become embattled in debate over the president's plan to extend
the Mexico City policy to apply to the new funding (Gay Stolberg, New York
Times, 3/6). The policy -- which was originally implemented by President Reagan
at a population conference in Mexico City in 1984, removed by President Clinton
and reinstated by Bush on the first day of his presidency -- "bars U.S. money
from international groups that support abortion, even with their own money,
through direct services, counseling or lobbying activities." Under the policy,
outlined by a senior Bush administration official in a Feb. 11 memo to the State
Department, social services groups that deal with abortion services would have
to administer AIDS programs separately from family planning programs in order to
receive funds from the administration's new AIDS initiative (Kaiser Daily
HIV/AIDS Report, 3/5). Some conservatives, such as Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.),
want the White House to write the policy into law, but others on both sides of
the issue said that such a move could "derail" the passage of an AIDS funding
bill, according to the Times. Frist and Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), chair of the
House International Relations Committee and an antiabortion advocate, have been
trying to discourage colleagues from pushing for the insertion of such language
into a bill. "I want the AIDS bill to pass and I think misdirected attention to
other issues might overly burden the AIDS bill," Hyde said.

Both Houses Drafting Legislation


The partisan disagreements have led to difficulties on both sides in drafting
legislation to enact the president's proposed funding. In the House, lawmakers
are "nearing a deal" on a bill, and Hyde in the next few days is expected to
introduce legislation that would authorize the administration to spend $3
billion each year for the next five years on global AIDS. While the bill does
not alter the total amount proposed by Bush, the measure allocates $1 billion
more in the first year of the initiative. In the Senate, Richard Lugar
(R-Ind.), chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, said that he has "no idea"
when the bipartisan measure he is working on will be ready, according to the
Times. "It's a very difficult matter because there are a variety of people, all
who want to do good in their own way," Lugar said, adding, "I would like to have
gotten an AIDS bill concluded this week, but that's not possible given the
differences of opinion." Many AIDS advocates fear that the delay caused by the
partisan conflict may prevent a bill from passing if Congress becomes occupied
with other issues related to the funding. "It could tie up the AIDS funding
bill for weeks and weeks and weeks," Holly Burkhalter, an official with the
Boston-based Physicians for Human Rights, said of the Mexico City policy debate.
She added, "If we don't pass a good global AIDS authorizing bill in the next
couple of weeks I think our window is closing" (New York Times, 3/6).

2. Massachusetts AIDS Advocates Call for Restoration of Prevention, Treatment
Funds in State Budget

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http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=16420

Massachusetts AIDS advocates at a rally at the State House in Boston yesterday
called on lawmakers to restore $3 million in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment
funds eliminated in January by Gov. Mitt Romney (R), the Associated Press
reports. The cuts, which "dip into" HIV/AIDS prevention, home care,
transportation and education services, angered many advocates, who over the past
15 months have seen AIDS funding fall from $51.1 million to $35.8 million, a 30%
decline, according to the Associated Press. During the same period, the
incidence of HIV and AIDS cases has risen 6% in the state, according to Project
ABLE, a statewide coalition of AIDS service providers, advocates and people with
HIV/AIDS (Peter, Associated Press, 3/5). Last year's funding cuts resulted in
the administration of 5,000 fewer HIV tests in 2002 than in the previous year,
according to Mary Ann Hart of Project ABLE, who said that thousands of people in
the state who are HIV-positive do not know their status. Hart added that even
fewer HIV tests would be offered this year as a result of budget cuts. Although
funding for AIDS-related drugs was not eliminated, Hart said that some of the
programs affected by the budget cuts are ones that help HIV-positive patients
adhere to complex drug regimens (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/3). "This is a
public health disaster and even if you're not interested in the lives, in the
dignity of the people who are suffering, you've got to be interested in the
numbers," state Sen. Jarrett Barrios (D) said. Advocates at the rally cheered
for Christine Ferguson, the new state health commissioner, despite the
governor's decision to cut funding. "We have a job to do and we have to do it
with whatever resources we get," Ferguson said. Advocates said that they will
continue to lobby legislators to restore the funding, even if it would require a
tax increase. The rally and lobbying efforts seemed to have "some impact" on
the governor's administration, according to the Associated Press. Lt. Gov.
Kerry Healey (R) said, "I told them quite honestly that we have had to make some
tough choices in this budget, between the delivery of direct services and
funding for prevention, but that perhaps their case had some merit" (Associated
Press, 3/5).


GLOBAL CHALLENGES

3. HIV/AIDS Has 'Devastating Impact on Food Production,' U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan Says at G8 Meeting

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http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=16421

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday in New York at a contact group of
the G8 meeting on food security called on the world's wealthiest nations to
address the "challenges of AIDS" because the epdidemic is an obstacle to finding
"viable solutions" for the food shortage problem in the region. Annan said that
HIV/AIDS has a "devastating impact on food production" in Africa and called on
the group, which includes representatives from the eight most industrialized
countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation, United
Kingdom and the United States -- to provide the resources for "radical
approaches on multiple fronts" to address both of the issues (U.N.
Secretary-General release, 3/5). Annan said, "AIDS is decimating the work force
[in Africa], killing the most skilled and productive members of society -- the
teachers, the civil servants, the doctors, the scientists. Sector by sector,
the loss of human resources is bringing in its wake a governance and development
crisis of catastrophic dimensions" (Speech transcript, 3/5).

Annan Proposal


Annan proposed a "multi-point action program" for the region, including a
"comprehensive approach" to combating HIV/AIDS (U.N Secretary-General release,
3/5). The plan includes: ensuring access to affordable HIV/AIDS treatment;
taking a "comprehensive, multi-sectoral" approach to fighting the disease;
"redoubl[ing]" efforts to fight the "stigma and silence" surrounding HIV/AIDS;
and remedying the "drastic shortfalls" in non-food items, such as HIV services
and education. Annan concluded, "This interlocking set of issues facing Africa
is far greater than the sum of its parts. ... Addressing the issue ... requires
a new, integrated response from both the governments of Africa and the
international community. It requires a shift from short-term approaches to a
reassessment of our entire strategy for development -- or taking long-term
measures even when addressing short-term emergencies" (Speech transcript, 3/5).

4. Global Fund Announces $140 Million Grant To India To Fight HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis

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http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=16422

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Tuesday announced a
five-year, $140 million grant to India to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and
tuberculosis, Agence France-Presse reports. According to Global Fund Executive
Director Richard Feachem, $100 million of the grant money will be used for
HIV/AIDS programs and $34.7 million will go toward tuberculosis treatment
programs (Agence France-Presse, 3/4). India, the largest country in South Asia,
has four million HIV-positive people -- more than any other country except South
Africa -- according to official estimates, and U.S. projections predict that
that number could reach 20 million to 25 million by 2010 if prevention efforts
are not expanded (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/6). Feachem on Monday during
his first trip to India as head of the Global Fund said, "India needs to scale
up its efforts to contain the HIV pandemic it faces, or else go the way that
much of Africa has gone. ... India needs to focus on prevention, which costs
money and requires forthright action. The Global Fund is prepared to provide
the right money in the right way to the right programs to do that." Feachem
added, "The responsibility for the success of this money depends on the ability
of civil society and government to use it effectively to reach populations in
need and prevent the spread of HIV" (Global Fund release, 3/3). While in India,
Feachem is expected to meet with Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Sushma
Swaraj to discuss intervention programs, including treatment and care programs
and public-private partnerships, to fight the spread of HIV (Hindu, 3/5).

5. Two HIV-Positive Children in India Denied Admission To Schools; Government
To Pay for Home Schooling

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=16423

Bency and Benson John, two HIV-positive Indian AIDS orphans, will be
home-schooled at the expense of India's Kerala state government after being
denied admission to several state schools because of their HIV status, the
Hindustan Times reports. The government will bear all of the expenses of their
education, including the cost of the children's three private teachers, as well
as their treatment expenses (Babu, Hindustan Times, 3/4). The children, who
have been rejected from at least four other schools over the past year and a
half, finally managed to secure a place at the Kaithakuzhi Upper Primary School,
after last month staging a day-long fast with their grandfather, Geeverghese
John, in front of the state Secretariat's office. However, the parents of the
school's other 115 students refused to allow their children to attend classes
until Bency and Benson were expelled. The children and their grandfather
received several death threats from people in the community, as well as a
denouncement from local politician Prathapa Varma Thampan, who said that the
children "deserved no sympathy and ... should be isolated," according to Gulf
News (Mathew, Gulf News, 2/28). After a "chaotic meeting" between government
representatives and the local parent-teacher association, Kerala Education
Minister Nalakath Soopy on Tuesday night announced the government's decision to
the 500 people gathered at the school (BBC News, 3/5). "I am yet to receive the
government order. If it is true, it will defeat the very purpose of our fight.
This should not have happened in a progressive state like Kerala," John said
(Hindustan Times, 3/4). A local official said that a "sensitization" drive
would be launched in the area in order to correct misconceptions about the
transmission of HIV. "Pamphlets and brochures on AIDS are being distributed
throughout the village and we will be conducting a sensitization seminar in the
area next week," C. Ramachandran, the village's health inspector, said.
According to government estimates, Kerala currently has 7,000 HIV-positive
people and 1,200 people living with AIDS (Philip, Agence France-Presse, 3/2).

6. Zambian Military To Screen Officers for HIV, Only Accept HIV-Negative
Recruits

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=16424

The Zambian military has announced that it will screen all officers for HIV
and only recruit officers who are HIV-negative, the Times of Zambia reports.
The announcement came during a joint function between the Defense Forces Medical
Services and Project Concern International in Lusaka. Defense Forces Medical
Services Director-General James Simpungwe said that screening new military
recruits will help prevent the spread of HIV and increase productivity.
Officers who are active members and who are found to be HIV-positive will be
assigned to lower categories, given less strenuous duty and given antiretroviral
treatment. In addition, all officers will be taught safer sex methods (Times of
Zambia, 3/4). Simpungwe said that military life is extremely active and
reassigning HIV-positive officers to less physically demanding duty would help
slow the officers' progression from HIV to AIDS, Agence France-Presse reports
(Agence France-Presse, 3/5). Health Minister Brian Chituwo "commended" the
Defense Forces' decision. He said that military personnel are at a much higher
risk for HIV infection because they spend long periods of time away from home.
Although the proposed program is at odds with international human rights
conventions, which call for equal treatment regardless of HIV status, Chituwo
said that the program is in line with Zambia's national HIV/AIDS prevention plan
(Times of Zambia, 3/4).


DRUG ACCESS

7. WAMU's 'Kojo Nnamdi Show' To Examine Drug Development, Pharmaceutical
Industry Profits

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=16425

WAMU's "Kojo Nnamdi Show" today will include a discussion in the second hour
of the program on "profit driven" drug development and why medications for
"malaria and other deadly diseases languish because they are not profitable."
Guests on the program will include Institute for One World Health Founder
Victoria Hale and AIDS Healthcare Foundation Executive Director Michael
Weinstein (Nnamdi, "Kojo Nnamdi Show," WAMU, 3/6). The full segment will be
available online in RealPlayer after the broadcast.



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