HIV/AIDS: Cry for Funds and Mixed Feelings Mark Conference End

The largest AIDS conference to date ended in the Thai capital with campaigners calling for more funding to fight the disease, which is ravaging the world, and participants having mixed feelings about whether significant achievements were made in what they termed as a giant talk fest.

HEALTH: Why Go On About AIDS

The attention to AIDS is diverting attention away from other killer diseases, a leading health expert warns.

HEALTH: AIDS Vaccine Still in Sight of Mankind

Local communities in developing countries are coming in for lavish praise for the new bonds they are forging with the scientific world in the search for the elusive AIDS vaccine.

HIV/AIDS: Medical ‘Brain Drain’ Worsens African Crisis

To cope with the AIDS epidemic that continues to ravage Africa, the international community and the region's governments must do more to stop the "brain drain" of skilled medical professionals to wealthier countries, argues a new report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).

HIV/AIDS: Mandela Charm Shines at Conference

A frail-looking but persuasive Nelson Mandela urged world leaders to increase funding to combat HIV/ AIDS and to raise global awareness about the dangers of the disease.

HIV/AIDS: Lessons from Africa for Asia to Study

A visibly touched Asian campaigner stepped forward and shook her African counterpart's hand while another hugged her - all with a mixture of respect and, possibly, remorse.

THAILAND: Migrant Fishermen’s High-Risk Sex Poses Grave Danger

Motivated by a sense of adventure that allows them to explore a world beyond their villages, many young men in the Mekong countries take to the high seas - lured by the promise of high earnings as fishermen on Thai-owned vessels. But a recent report warns that the high-risk behaviour of these migrant fishermen plays a big role in the spread of HIV through the region.

HEALTH: U.S. AIDS Chief Versus The Hecklers

Two years ago at the last International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, U.S. health official Tommy Thompson was booed so loudly his speech was barely audible. This time, it is U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Randall Tobias' turn to feel the heat from protesters who stood up Wednesday and held up placards saying 'He's Lying'.

HIV/AIDS: Simplicity Could Save More Lives

A one time belief that state-of-the-art hospitals are a must to deliver anti-AIDS drugs in the developing world was dispelled at the 15th International AIDS Conference, currently being held in Thailand.

/CORRECTION*/HEALTH-GUINEA: Killing AIDS Patients With Kindness

The debate on how best to provide anti-retroviral medication to HIV-positive citizens has taxed the ingenuity of many an African government - not least that of Guinea. However, the administration of this country now appears to be making citizens the victim of its own good intentions.

HIV/AIDS: Double Discrimination for Women in Dominican Republic

Rosa Polanco was in the hospital in the Dominican Republic, being treated for a liver disease, when she was illegally tested without her consent for HIV, the AIDS virus.

HEALTH: Freedom of Expression Tested at AIDS Meet

Freedom of expression is being tested at the 15th International AIDS Conference here, where NGOs and activists have been busy making pharmaceutical companies the object of their noisy, colourful protests this week.

HIV/AIDS: The ABC Debate Heats Up

Chompoo Yokhee and Simon Onaba represent two extreme poles of a debate that is coursing through the deliberations of the 15th International AIDS Conference. The deliberations are on whether condoms are good for a woman's health.

HEALTH-UGANDA: Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Defies Prevention Efforts

Uganda's success in fighting AIDS has been justly celebrated. In 1993, the country had an HIV prevalence rate of 30 percent - this according to the Uganda AIDS Commission, which was set up by government to coordinate the fight against HIV. The rate now stands at six percent.

POLITICS: U.S. Should Reach Out to African Muslims – Report

The United States should increase its military readiness for peacekeeping or counter-terrorist action in Africa, and make new efforts to reach out to the region's Muslim population, according to a new report by a 16-member bipartisan expert panel.

HEALTH-THAILAND: Combating AIDS the Military Way

When Thailand's armed forces went through a crisis period with high HIV infections among its rank and file, it bit the bullet and ordered mandatory testing for its conscripts. The gamble has since paid off.

HEALTH-LATIN AMERICA: Participation the Best Anti-AIDS Weapon

Jacqueline Rocha Cortes symbolises the fight against AIDS in many regards, particularly the important role played by civil society in controlling the epidemic in Brazil and in other Latin American countries.

HIV/AIDS: ‘Access for All’ Theme Comes Under Criticism

The overarching theme for the 15th International AIDS Conference - ''Access for All'' - came under fire just before the opening ceremony in Thailand's capital today as activists rallied for the poor in developing countries who are denied the availability of treatments for HIV.

HIV/AIDS: Despite Criticism WHO Says ‘3 by 5’ Achievable

Though the World Health Organisation (WHO) conceded that its strategy of delivering antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to the millions of needy people living with HIV/AIDS is making slow progress, it, however, is optimistic that its 2005 treatment target can be met.

HEALTH: U.S. Retreats From AIDS Meet

When the world's top experts on HIV/AIDS gather to swap strategies and experiences in Bangkok, Thailand this weekend, only a tiny handful of the estimated 15,000 attendees will be representing the United States.

HIV/AIDS-THAILAND: Zealous NGOs Force Positive Change

In February 1997, Anthony Pramualratana walked out from a secure job with the United Nations to plunge into the uncertain world of non-governmental work.