Harare, 9 July 2003 -- A clearer picture of the status of care and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Africa emerged Tuesday in Harare at a workshop for health professionals from 17 Eastern and Southern African states, regarded as the worst affected countries in the world by the disease.

More than 4.5 million of the almost 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa are in need of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, but only 50,000 of these have access to it, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization Adviser for HIV/AIDS in the African Region.

Worldwide, 42 million people are estimated to be infected by HIV, with about six million of them needing ARV treatment.

In a presentation to the workshop, Dr Moeti stated that only 23% of PLWHA in the African Region in need of essential care had access to such care, with 4% accessing advanced care, 6% having cotrimoxazole prophylaxis coverage (bacterium preventive treatment), and only 2% with access to Isoniazid preventive therapy (preventive treatment for tuberculosis).

At the end of 2002, about 30 million Africans were estimated to be HIV-positive. The figure could be more, as many still do not know and/or may not be interested or motivated to find out their sero-status because of stigma and discrimination, she said.

On the status of ARVs in nine countries surveyed early in 2002, Dr Moeti stated that while ARVs were registered in most countries, where two combinations of these were commonly used, only three countries had ARVs on their Essential Drugs List. Six of these countries had ARV guidelines.The cost of ARV therapy in all countries surveyed had dropped to around $300 per patient per year, down from about $10,000 about a decade ago.

She also touched on HIV testing and laboratory services, on which WHO had also conducted a survey of 30 countries in 2003. According to Dr Moeti , resource, capacity and supply problems continued to be rife, with voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services in the Region being very limited, diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infections uneven, the treatment of infected children relatively neglected, and palliative care services relatively underdeveloped.

Dr Moeti indicated that there were encouraging responses at the national, regional and global levels to stem the tide of the disease in Africa.

Some of the measures so far taken include the implementation of strategic national plans , the establishment of mechanisms to coordinate the response, and the development and adoption of Regional and global health sector strategies. Others are the various Declarations by global, sub-regional and regional bodies; a drop in the prices of ARV medicines and diagnostics; and increased access to resources available at the Global Fund for Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and other Initiatives

She said that a comprehensive care package for the access to care and treatment included VCT as an entry point to care; management of opportunistic infections; TB/HIV management , provision antiretroviral treatment; procurement and management of HIV/AIDS medicines; the strengthening of laboratory services; nutritional support; palliative care and psychological support, and community- and home-based care.

For further information, please contact

Samuel T. Ajibola
Public Information and Communication Unit 
World Health Organization - Regional Office for Africa 
P.O. Box 6 Brazzaville, Congo.
E-mail: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int
Tel:+ 47 241 39378; Fax: + 47 241 39513
Tel. in Harare: 091 231 405