HEALTH: Not Enough AIDS Funds and Not Always Well Spent

Developing countries are in need of large sums of money to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, but international aid will not entirely cover their needs.

Q&A: “Condoms Have To Be Used To Be Useful”

Of the over 30 million people living with HIV, half are women and the rate of infections in women is rising, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. What’s more, women’s rights groups say gender inequalities are fuelling the epidemic - there is an irrefutable feminisation of HIV.

HEALTH: Stepping Up the Response to AIDS

It is necessary to evaluate the current global architecture for responding to the AIDS epidemic, move forward with studies on HIV rates, and implement effective prevention strategies, said the experts meeting at the 17th International AIDS Conference, which opened Sunday in Mexico.

HEALTH: March Sets Tone For AIDS Conference

The rain gods failed to dampen spirits of activists gathered at the old city centre of Zocalo to protest discrimination against those with the HIV virus. Hundreds of activists dressed in bright tribal costumes, women dressed as skeletons and one gay man wearing tights assembled ahead of the six-day XVII International AIDS conference, Aug. 3 to 8.

Q&A: “The Momentum of AIDS Prevention Is Waning”

Mexican virologist Dr. Luis Soto Ramírez, co-chair of the 17th International AIDS Conference, which opens Sunday in the Mexican capital, says that ramping up prevention efforts is the most urgent step to be taken in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

HEALTH: People Living with HIV Lead the Fight for Life

Anuar Luna was diagnosed with HIV 17 years ago. "I had to overcome feelings of guilt, fear and shame before I became a leader in the HIV-positive community," she said Thursday at the opening of Living 2008: The Positive Leadership Summit, in the Mexican capital.

EUROPE: Transition Brings AIDS

Poverty and social displacement, increased availability of drugs, and chaos in the healthcare systems that accompanied transition from state socialism to the market economy have contributed to the spread of HIV in Eastern Europe.

HEALTH-US: AIDS Plan Stronger But Still Flawed, Groups Say

HIV/AIDS activists Wednesday hailed President George W. Bush's reauthorisation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to 48 billion dollars for fiscal years 2009 to 2013 as a major step in the global fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Record Gain in Antiretroviral Coverage

They may be known in South-east Asia for their poverty, but that has not stopped Cambodia and Laos from caring for people living with HIV/AIDS. Both countries have increased the supply of the life-prolonging anti-AIDS drugs at home.

LATIN AMERICA: AIDS Threat Still Looming

The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains stable in Latin America and the Caribbean, mainly affecting high-risk groups like gay men and sex workers, according to the UNAIDS report for 2008, released Tuesday.

HEALTH: U.N. Claims Major Progress in AIDS Fight

Although the global percentage of people living with HIV has stabilised since 2000, the overall number of people living with HIV has increased due to new infections each year and wider access to antiretroviral therapy, says the new UNAIDS report on the epidemic.

CULTURE-SOUTH AFRICA: Made in Khayelitsha, Sold in New York

Entering the Monkeybiz shop, one is confronted with hundreds of brightly coloured beaded animals, dolls, place mats and pictures. You find yourself smiling involuntarily.

HEALTH: Activists Hail US Senate Approval of Major AIDS Bill

AIDS and global health activists are hailing Wednesday's approval by the U.S. Senate of an unprecedented five-year, 48-billion-dollar bill to fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis overseas, particularly in Africa.

Q&A: Denying Antiretrovirals To Migrants Hurts Us All

South Africa has become a destination for people from across the continent and beyond. But in spite of migrants having a legal right to free antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV, they are being turned away from government clinics.

G8: 'Investment In Health Is Effective Aid'

Japan wants next week's summit of seven major western industrial nations and Russia (G8) to urge the international community to push towards combating HIV/AIDS. It sees this as a critical objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are meant to be achieved by 2015.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Refugees Denied Access to Health Care

Refugees and migrants do not have adequate access to health care services in South Africa, aid organisations and NGOs say. This is particularly detrimental for those who are HIV-positive and in need of continuous antiretroviral (ARV) medication: interrupted treatment can mean illness, development of drug-resistance and ultimately death.

HEALTH: AIDS Activists Urge Major Funding Push for G8

AIDS and global health activists are calling on the U.S. Senate leadership to urgently approve a record five-year, 50-billion-dollar bill to fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis primarily in Africa so that President George W. Bush can take it with him when he meets with other western leaders at next month's Group of Eight (G8) summit in Japan.

RIGHTS: Scant Compassion for Migrants with HIV

Even as people who migrate from their homelands run a higher risk of contracting the HIV virus, they also are far less likely to receive adequate healthcare, and often face deportation or other harsh treatment in destination countries, activists say.

HEALTH: Cultural Double Standards Undercut HIV/AIDS Fight

The United Nations says religion and culture continue to have a significant impact - both good and bad - on the spread and prevention of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

ECONOMY-AFRICA: HIV/AIDS Reduces Children’s Education Chances

Children who live in communities with an HIV prevalence rate of 10 percent or more have half a year of schooling less than children in other communities.

HEALTH: Universal HIV/AIDS Treatment Goals Receding

As millions of people across the world continue to die from HIV/AIDS, top U.N. officials and civil society leaders are reiterating calls for increased funding to fight the deadly epidemic.