A nine-year-old Chinese boy has lost his lawsuit against a Beijing hospital and Red Cross blood centre alleged to have infected him with the HIV virus. His parents, neither of whom has the virus, say he contracted it from a blood transfusion during surgery. But the court turned down the boy s claim because there was no
Until this month, nobody living on the small remote island of Principe off Africa s west coast has been able to have a test for the HIV virus. For inhabitants of its larger sister island, Sao Tome , this became possible two years ago with the help of the aid organisation Medicos do Mundo. Now a team from this organ
A Cheltenham man who was auctioned on eBay to raise money for an Aids charity has been visiting the people he was aiming to help. Sisters Victoria and Olivia Randell offered a date with their father Ernie on the internet site last month. The sale raised £205.01 for the Nuru centre in Tanzania
Libya is suspending talks on compensation for the families of more than 400 HIV-infected children. It comes a day after Libya s supreme court quashed a death penalty verdict against six foreign medics accused of deliberately infecting the children Earlier this month, three-party talks between the Libyan families, a B
Libya s supreme court has overturned death sentences on six foreign health workers who had been convicted of infecting Libyan children with HIV. It has also ordered a retrial of the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor in a lower court. The six were sentenced to death in May 2004 for infecting 426 children wi
Libya s supreme court is to hear an appeal by six foreign health workers facing death sentences for knowingly infecting children with the HIV virus. The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were convicted in 2004 but say they were made scapegoats for poor hospital hygiene back in 1999. Bulgaria s president sa
Nigeria s government will provide all anti-retroviral drugs needed to fight HIV/Aids free of charge within two weeks, a health ministry official says. Dr Abdulsalami Nasidi told the BBC the government planned to have 250,000 people on the drugs within a year. After India and South Afri
Bulgaria and Libya have agreed to set up a fund for the families of 426 HIV-infected Libyan children, the Bulgarian foreign ministry has said. The news comes two days before Libya s court is to hear an appeal by five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for infecting the children in Benghazi. The nurses - as well
Amid high HIV infection rates in South Africa , women in Durban are volunteering to provide immune-boosting breast milk to abandoned children, the BBC s Mahlatse Gallens reports. Eight-month-old Thalenthe was abandoned by his mother weeks after he was born. His ailing grandfather could not take care of him and brought
A man who deliberately infected an 82-year-old Devon woman with HIV has been sent to jail for three years and three months. Derek Hornett, 44, from Ramshill Road, Paignton, Devon, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on the pensioner. Exeter Crown Court heard that Hornett had begun a relationship with the woman bec
A gay couple are set to launch a landmark legal action to improve access to a morning after pill for HIV. The two men have been granted legal aid on public interest grounds to take the government to court over the policy on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). A month-long course of PEP, which uses anti-retroviral drugs, c
A Zambian woman with HIV, who features in a new photography book and exhibition on the pandemic in Africa, tells the BBC News website about her struggle to teach others about the disease. When Elizabeth Chama Senkwe went public with her HIV diagnosis, she and her husband became front page news. The headline in the Zamb
Libya s highest court has again rescheduled a ruling on the death sentences of six foreign health workers accused of infecting children with HIV. It was to hear the appeal of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor at the end of January 2006, but will now hear it on 25 December. Reports of the new date came from
As Ewan McGregor walked into the orphan care centre in Malawi the children began to sing their song of welcome. They are some of the half a million youngsters who ve lost one or both parents to Aids. This was McGregor s first visit as Unicef ambassador - a five day packed schedule visiting hospitals, community projects
Barbers in India s capital, Delhi, are part of a unique project aimed at increasing Aids awareness. Eighty-five barbers in the city s congested southern district of Lajpat Nagar are currently involved in a programme to promote safe sex and spread the message of prevention against HIV/Aids to their customers. Suresh Kum
The Medecins Sans Frontieres research found nearly half of people on drug treatment in Nigeria did not receive sufficient doses due to lack of funds. The problem meant their immune system was much weaker than those on the free course run by MSF. The agency said governments should be trying to ensure access to HIV treat
The kingdom of Lesotho - situated in the heart of South Africa - has always been poor, yet for over a century it gained a reputation for providing the gold and diamond mines of Kimberly and Johannesburg with some of the most skilled miners. But now it is facing a triple crisis: sharply reduced demand for its labour, a
World Trade Organization (WTO) members have agreed to uphold a rule that allows poor countries to import cheaper copies of patented medicines. Its general council has agreed to make permanent a 2003 waiver that allows poorer nations to import generic drugs to treat serious diseases such as Aids. The measure would becom
Geoff Adams-Spink, BBC News website age & disability correspondent
People with cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis (MS) have new legal rights from today. Such individuals are now protected by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) from the time of diagnosis. It means that employers will not be able to sack someone because they have found out that they have one of the conditions. P
People with serious health problems such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV have been given new legal rights. Those who do not show signs of their illness cannot now, under the Disability Discrimination Act, be sacked or refused credit or a mortgage. Scotland has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the world.
U2 s Bono and US singer Alicia Keys have teamed up to record a song for a charity providing medicine to children affected by HIV and Aids in Africa. The pair have covered Peter Gabriel s hit Don t Give Up to raise money for Keep a Child Alive. The song will be released as a download through iTunes on Tuesday. Keys,
A global US emergency plan on preventing HIV has been described as a disaster by Aids activists in India . They say the US President s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief is wrong to stress sexual abstinence and fidelity rather than use of condoms. The plan, which is operating in over 120 countries, was introduced in India
Bongani is a slight little boy. He is 10 but still small for his age, and like tens of thousands of South African children of his age he is HIV positive. For the last three years, I have been visiting him at his home in Freedom Park - a rough, tough squatter camp that grew up around the platinum mines west of Pretoria.
International disagreement over how to fight the global HIV/Aids pandemic has persisted on World Aids Day. Swaziland , with the world s highest rate of HIV, cut Aids day events, and South Africa s health minister publicly refused to back anti-retroviral drugs. US President George W Bush pledged new funds and called for
Martin Shankleman, BBC Radio 2 business correspondent
For corporations working in Africa, the Aids crisis cannot be ignored. Barclays Bank is at the forefront of tackling the problems with a radical programme for staff and their families. Staff are offered confidential testing, while infected employees can receive free drug therapy for both themselves and up to three memb
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has urged Indians to start talking more openly about safe sex to check the spread of the HIV virus that causes Aids. This follows growing alarm among Indian health officials about the spread of the virus to rural areas where health care is poor. Aids workers dispute official figures that s
An estimated 500,000 pupils in the UK are taking part in a lesson on HIV and Aids to mark World Aids Day. Around 10m children worldwide are participating in Lesson for Life, to highlight the effects of the disease on the world s children. The lesson, organised by the Global Movement for Children, aims to raise awarenes
For the past two years, as part of the BBC s series on Aids to mark World Aids Day, people living with HIV from around the world told us their stories. Here, another year on, they tell us how their lives have changed since. Mally, 54, lives near the town of Nelspruit in South Africa . For the past two years he has t
Swaziland , which has the world s highest rate of HIV infection, has cancelled events to mark World Aids Day, shocking activists. A royal decree was issued just a day before the prime minister was due to give a speech, saying it would clash with a traditional ceremony. Some 38% of Swazi adults are HIV positive, risin
Sexually transmitted infections are continuing to rise at an alarming rate in Northern Ireland , according to the Health Promotion Agency. Since records began, 520 people have been treated for HIV and 92 have died from Aids-related illnesses. Between 2003 and 2004, the number of new cases of HIV diagnosed in Northe
An Australian court has jailed an HIV-positive man for 12 years for having unprotected sex with two European tourists. Stanislas Kanengele-Yondjo, from DR Congo, admitted causing grievous bodily harm by knowingly infecting the women between January and March 2003. He admitted falsely telling the women - one from
Brazil says it plans to distribute a billion free condoms next year as part of its fight against HIV and Aids. The country s Health Minister, Saraiva Felipe, said the programme would be helped by the construction of a state-run condom factory. Brazil - Latin America s most populous country - says it will be the first
The United Nations in Afghanistan says there is an increasing risk of HIV, the virus that can lead to Aids, spreading across the country. There are no accurate figures on the incidence of HIV or Aids here. But the UN Population Fund said, in a statement issued in Kabul, that things could escalate out of control if meas
In Russia , the young are being hit hardest by the HIV/Aids epidemic. Serj Horoshikh is one of 20,000 people living with HIV in Moscow alone. He got infected 10 years ago, aged 18. He told me he had been injecting drugs at the time. There was zero information. Aids was just an abbreviation, it didn t mean anything, he
Health experts have issued a World Aids Day warning about complacency. Dr Syed Ahmed, public health consultant with NHS Greater Glasgow, said many people were still putting themselves at risk by having unprotected sex. He stressed there was still no cure for the disease - even though drug treatments meant many of those
The United Nations anti-Aids agency says the exceptional global threat posed by the disease can be met only by an equally exceptional response. On World Aids Day, the executive director of UNAids, Peter Piot, said proper investment could roll back the progress of the disease. An estimated 40 million people are currentl
Hundreds of people from across the Thames Valley have attended a candle-lit vigil to remember the victims of HIV and Aids. About 300 people gathered at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, for an evening service to mark World Aids Day. Young people from the city blew out candles to symbolise how many people around the worl
Politicians and campaigners have pledged to focus on HIV prevention to stop the spread of the virus. The UK pledged £27.5m for work around the world on World Aids Day. And EU ministers issued the first pan-European pledge of their commitment to limit the spread of HIV/Aids, the world s fourth biggest killer. They bac
Ethnic communities in the West Midlands are being targeted by a website which gives information about HIV and Aids. The launch on Thursday, Worlds Aids Day, comes as the region reports 494 new cases of HIV in the last year. The NHS Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust (HoBTPCT) is running the site, entitled
People in Guernsey are being encouraged to wear a red ribbon in support of World Aids Day. The global event on Thursday aims to educate people about the virus and raise money for research and treatment. More than 20 people in Guernsey have the HIV Aids virus and there has been a big increase in the number of people tre
Indian health officials say they are growing alarmed at the spread of HIV to rural areas where health care is poor. The warning from National Aids Control Organisation head Sujata Rao came on the eve of World Aids Day. Meanwhile, the government has stood by official figures which show India s rate of HIV infection fall
The government of Lesotho is to offer free HIV testing to all its citizens in a bid to reverse the spread of Aids. In what is believed to be the first programme of its kind in the world, every villager in the tiny, mountainous kingdom will be offered a test. Under the scheme, local leaders will be consulted on how best
The head of the World Health Organisation s HIV/Aids programme has apologised for its failure to meet a global target for the treatment of HIV. It had aimed to get three million people in poor countries on HIV drugs by the end of this year, but the WHO admits that target will be missed. Three by Five, as it is known, w
Evidence shows that they cut the chance of diarrhoea and pneumonia without any risk of worsening the HIV infection, according to a report in The Lancet. Questions had been raised over the use of zinc because HIV thrives on zinc for its structure and to help it penetrate immune cells and reproduce. Zinc also activates t
Some 58,300 are now living with the infection, including 26-year-old Clint Walters who was diagnosed when he was 17. When I was first diagnosed I thought I was going to die, he said. I was living in fear. I couldn t tell anyone about what I was going through. Mr Walters, who is gay and lives in London, said to reach th
The Health Protection Agency report found that HIV cases stood at 58,300 last year - up from 53,000 in 2003. Increases in other sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia, which topped 100,000 new cases, and syphilis, were also recorded, the agency said. Campaigners said there needed to be more focus on prevent
Almost no parts of the world have remained untouched by HIV. Read about how the virus has hit each region according to the latest Aids epidemic update published jointly by the United Nations Programme on Aids (UNAids) and World Health Organization (WHO). *** SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA 2005 REGIONAL FIGURES People with
Levels of HIV infection in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and better education and prevention are urgently needed, a new UN report says. Some 510,000 people are now infected, with 67,000 new infections and 57,000 deaths, UNAids regional figures show. Worldwide 40.3m people are infected.
HIV prevalence appears to be declining in a few African countries, but sub-Saharan Africa is still the area worst affected by HIV, the UN says. The UN s annual update on HIV-Aids notes declines in adult HIV prevalence in Kenya , Uganda and Zimbabwe . Each of those countries, howev
The number of people living with HIV is at its highest yet, a report shows. UNAids says there are an estimated 40.3m people currently living with the virus across the world, with almost 5m infected in 2005. And it warns there are growing epidemics in Eastern Europe and Central and East Asia. But the report says falls i
The number of people across the world living with HIV is still rising, a UNAids report is set to show. But the report is also expected to show that the rate of new HIV infections is decreasing in several countries. Over 39m people are currently estimated to be living with the virus that can lead to patients developing
The UK has some of the highest levels of resistance to HIV medication in the world - and levels are increasing, research suggests. A team of UK researchers warn progress in cutting death and disease from HIV could be imperilled. They studied 2,357 people with HIV, and found 335 (14%) had some level of resistance to at
Bird flu could readily mutate into a pandemic form if it infects people with Aids, a flu expert has warned. Dr Robert Webster said it was possible people with Aids, who have depressed immune systems, could harbour the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. This would potentially give it the opportunity to become better adapte
No one can know for sure how they will react when they hear they have a serious, potentially life threatening, illness. It s 11 years since PC Andy Hewlett - a police officer based in Brixton, south London, was told he was HIV positive. He was just half way through his probation period after joining the Met in 1993.
Cambodia is celebrating its annual water festival, and for the first time, one of the boats is crewed by people living with the HIV virus. Millions of people have gathered in the capital, Phnom Penh, for three days of festivities and boat racing. HIV/Aids awareness campaigns have played a highly visible role in recen
Eight year-old Estabrak kept her brown eyes to the ground as she told us: Most of my friends are in heaven. She is one of the unlucky ones. One of 426 children infected with the HIV virus in a single outbreak at a regional hospital in Benghazi. She was just a baby when she was diagnosed as HIV positive. Over the years
Libya s highest court has delayed a ruling on the death sentences of six foreign health workers accused of infecting children with HIV. Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were sentenced to death in 2004, in a case which has drawn condemnation from Europe and the United States . Human rights groups ha
BBC News website looks at the issue. Q: What is HIV? Image of HIV The HIV virus hijacks white blood cells, inserting its own genes into each cell s DNA In depth: The biology of Aids HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV infects and gradually destroys the infected person s immune system, reducing their protec
The official China Daily newspaper says two separate prisons are to be built somewhere in Guangdong province. China says it has almost a million people with the virus, but experts say the real figure is likely much higher. The country has been criticised for its failure to tackle the spread of HIV and discrimination ag
Prison healthcare is inconsistent and often sub-standard, said the Prison Reform Trust and National Aids Trust. Over half of prisons have no sexual health policy despite HIV and hepatitis C being commonplace, the survey of prison healthcare managers found. But the Home Office defended its record on providing prison hea
A Chinese province has announced plans to build special jails to hold inmates with HIV or Aids, in a bid to halt the spread of the virus. The official China Daily newspaper says two separate prisons are to be built somewhere in Guangdong province. China says it has almost a million people with the virus, but experts sa
Although the research is still at an early stage, they hope it could eventually lead to a practical and cost effective new way to combat the virus. As of December 2004, there are 39.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS. The research, by the US National Cancer Institute, is published in Proceedings of the National Acad
Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed HIV-positive in 2002 but was found to be negative in October 2003 by Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust. Mr Stimpson, from London, said he was one of the luckiest people alive . The trust said the tests were accurate but had been unable to confirm Scotsman Mr Stimpson s cure
Scientists have genetically modified bacteria living in the human body to produce chemicals that block HIV infection. Although the research is still at an early stage, they hope it could eventually lead to a practical and cost effective new way to combat the virus. As of December 2004, there are 39.4 million people liv
Nine million young people in Nigeria are to be sent text messages on Wednesday to raise awareness about HIV/Aids. The UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) is launching its Nigerian campaign because it has the third highest number of people with the disease. Unicef is aiming to take advantage of the surge in mobile phone use in
Ernie was described as charming with a huge sense of adventure A father has been auctioned on eBay by his two daughters to help raise money for an Aids charity. Victoria and Olivia Randell from Cheltenham offered a date with single father Ernie in the Everything Else category of the internet auction site. They describe
The 73-year-old, who was in a wheelchair, also announced the Elizabeth Taylor Endowment Fund to support the centre. There s still so much more to do, said Dame Elizabeth. I can t sit back and be complacent, and none of us should be. I get around now in a wheelchair, but I get around. Dame Elizabeth has suffered severe
The First Minister Jack McConnell made the pledge at the start of a two-day conference in Edinburgh. He told politicians and experts in the audience that Scotland would help support the specialised treatment of HIV and Aids. The health assistance is part of £2.4m in aid for education programmes and economic development
BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents - November 2, 2005
Olenka Frenkiel
Concerns that a mining project in Madagascar will harm the environment have largely been calmed, but a new fear has emerged that its workers will bring HIV/Aids from South Africa . Madagascar is known as a biodiversity hotspot, renowned for its unique plants and animals, but it is also one of the poorest countries in t
A new one-hour HIV testing service is being introduced in Oxford to encourage more people to get tested. It is hoped the clinic, which is run by the Terrence Higgins Trust in Pembroke Street, will provide an alternative to existing sexual health clinics. The trust says that, at present, too many people come forward ver
South Africa s health department has denied there is a ban on the United Nations special envoy on HIV-Aids visiting the country. Stephen Lewis wrote of a breach after he criticised South African policy. In a new book, he wrote that South Africa s heath minister had said he should not visit the country until he apologis
UN charity Unicef says 18 million children in sub-Saharan Africa could be orphaned by Aids by the end of 2010. It also says that every minute, a child is infected with HIV and another child dies from an Aids-related illness. The charity says children are being overlooked in the global fight against HIV and Aids. Un
The South African study, reported in Public Library of Science Medicine, found it had a protective effect for some of the 3,280 young men involved. Circumcision is thought to help protect against HIV because cells under the foreskin are vulnerable to the virus. UK experts warned some circumcised men in the study still
About 10,000 healthy African women are to test the effectiveness of a microbicide gel in protecting against HIV, in a major UK-funded study. The women, from South Africa , Tanzania , Zambia and Uganda , will apply the gel before sex, as well as using condoms.
Clinics in Guernsey have seen an increase in the amount of sexual health problems, including Chlamydia and HIV, over the past 10 years. A health report has revealed significant rises in the number of people seeking treatment. The Sexual Health Clinic in St Martins has seen more than a six-fold increase in new clients
Using interactive websites can help people with long-term conditions that include depression, heart disease and HIV/Aids, a study has found. A review by University College London found sites with information alone were of little use. They said people benefited from sites which also linked them to people with the same c
Swiss drugs maker Serono has admitted it was guilty of illegally promoting its Aids drug, Serostim, and has agreed to pay a $704m (£398m) settlement. The payout relates to allegations that it offered kickbacks to doctors to write prescriptions for the drug to boost sagging sales. The settlement was agreed with the US J
The US is considering approving the first rapid home testing kit for HIV. An individual would be able to tell within 20 minutes whether they had the infection or not, in the privacy of their own home. Many have expressed fears that people who find out in this way may kill themselves and hence testing should be supervis
-- Tackling female health would not only save millions of lives but reduce global poverty, experts say. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says 99% of maternal deaths are preventable yet every minute a woman dies from pregnancy-related causes. This loss impacts not only on the family and society, but also on th
HIV, which attacks the body s natural defences, also damages the brain, three dimensional medical scans have shown. The MRI images captured by a US team could show why up to 40% of people with HIV/Aids have neurological symptoms. Compared with healthy people without the virus, the brains of the Aids patients studied we
Xolani wants to be a pilot when he grows up. That particular dream may seem a long way off - but at the age of 13 his achievements already include being a surrogate parent to two children, aged five and one. He managed this while he was caring for a dying mother, dealing with an abusive stepfather and trying to get thr
There has been a drop in the level of HIV/Aids infections in Zimbabwe , one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to record such a decline. The UN-commissioned survey says that over two years, the percentage of those infected between the ages of 15 and 49 fell by almost 5% to 20.1%. The decline is attributed
An HIV sufferer who poured hot oil over her lover when he taunted her about her illness has had her unduly lenient sentence doubled at the Appeal Court. Bianca Chikanya, 22, of Russel Rise, Luton, left 25-year-old Constantine Chikamba s face a grotesque mess. During the attack she also plunged a kitchen knife into his
Singer Sir Elton John has given more than $40,000 (£25,000) to the leading gay rights group in Nepal to help the fight against HIV/Aids. The Blue Diamond Society says it will spend the money raising HIV awareness within Nepal s homosexual community. Sunil Babu Panta, the group s head, said the money would help fund
A New Zealand court has ruled that a man who did not tell his sex partner that he was HIV-positive should not be prosecuted, because he used a condom. In what is believed to be a legal first, Justin Dalley, 36, was acquitted of two charges of criminal nuisance. New Zealand law says people with HIV should disclose their
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has rejected suggestions by doctors that presidential candidates reveal their HIV status before elections. Presidential and parliamentary elections are due in Zambia next year. The Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) said last week that presidential candidates should be tested for HIV.
The virus which causes Aids may be getting less powerful, researchers say. A team at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, in Antwerp, compared HIV-1 samples from 1986-89 and 2002-03. They found the newer samples appeared not to multiply as well, and were more sensitive to drugs - some other studies argue they are becomi
The number of gay men in Scotland having unprotected sex has almost doubled over six years, a study says. At the same time, unfounded confidence in the HIV negative status of casual partners has also increased, Sexually Transmitted Infections journal says. The findings, which reflect trends seen in other UK areas, are
South Africa s health ministry has angrily denied accusations that it had betrayed the population by not doing enough to fight HIV/Aids. It said the trade union leader who made the attacks was irresponsible and needs to get his facts straight . Cosatu leader Zwelinzima Vavi had also accused President Thabo Mbeki of a
King Mswati of Swaziland has chosen a teenager to be his 13th wife. Phindile Nkambule, 17, was revealed to the public when she took part in a traditional Reed Dance ceremony, in which girls perform before the king. The announcement comes just weeks after Mswati III ended an official ban on sex for women under 18. The b
A Burmese family passes an anti-AIDS campaign board erected in downtown Rangoon. The UN Global Fund was to have spent $100m in Burma When the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria decided to stop funding projects in Burma last month, it claimed that aid workers were unable to do their jobs properly.
The leader of South Africa s trade union movement has launched a stinging attack on the government over HIV/Aids. Zwelinzima Vavi accused President Thabo Mbeki and the health ministry of a failure of leadership and a betrayal of our people and our struggle . Six million of South Africa s 40m people are infected with HI
Scientists say they have found a way to boost the body s immune system which could also help stave off cancer. The Mayo Clinic team were inspired by what they observed among healthcare workers accidentally exposed to HIV and who then received anti-viral treatment. These workers remained healthy and free of HIV. The the
Researchers from Northern Ireland are helping pioneer a new approach in the fight against HIV. The team from Queen s University, Belfast, is helping to develop a vaginal vaccine in a bid to break the infection cycle in sub-Saharan Africa. About three quarters of young people infected in the region are female.
At the Vasavya Mahila Mandali home for vulnerable women and children in the city of Vijayavada in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, 23-year-old Nagmani clutches her five-year-old daughter in her lap. In January Nagmani s husband died of Aids. After my husband died my parents in-law threw me out of their hous
A former MG Rover worker has been awarded £750,000 after contracting a variant form of the HIV virus during an operation at a private hospital. Alan Best, from Bromsgrove, Worcs, was given a blood transfusion during surgery for pancreatitis at Nuffield Hospital, Birmingham, in 1995. One of the five blood units he recei
As the UN finishes its anti-poverty summit, the BBC News website assesses how Africa could meet the Millennium Goals in 10 years time. Here, Mohammed Allie visits Swaziland and Botswana - both badly affected by HIV/Aids - and compares their efforts in tackling the epidemic. They ve performed a miracle with my kid,
--Omid Amidi-Mazaheri and his girlfriend were jailed in March More than 600 patients who were treated by a bogus dentist are being warned they may have been put at risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis. Omid Amidi-Mazaheri was jailed for two years in March for treating patients at practices in Norbury, Tulse Hill and E
Zimbabwe s controversial slum clearance campaign has disrupted programmes aimed at treating HIV/Aids in the country, says New York-based Human Rights Watch. The disruption to treatment programmes could also spread resistance to drugs and lead to more infections, it says. The group say the demolitions have also exacerba
A bank is to stop asking people to disclose their sexuality after a gay couple complained about being told to take a HIV test as a mortgage inquiry. The couple from Porthmadog, north Wales, were inquiring about the loan when they were asked to take the test as part of the insurance application. Pressure group Stonewall
Farming in Africa has declined at an alarming rate since the start of the Aids epidemic, scientists say. The virus is ravaging agriculture, with the areas of cultivated land dropping in parts of Kenya by 68%. The land used is being planted with less nutritious and less profitable crops, they said at the British Associa
Aid agencies are warning of severe food shortages leading to hunger in several southern African countries this year. Some 10m people need food aid after the drought led to the worst harvest since 1992, says the UN World Food Programme. According to Oxfam, the world is ignoring the lessons of Niger in n
Police in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have detained a mother who they accuse of drowning her adopted son. The mother tied the baby to a heavy stone and threw him down a well after villagers told her that he might be suffering from Aids, police say. The ten month-old baby was suffering from a fever, cough and wei
Health campaigners have hit out at the level of donations to the Global Fund for HIV/Aids, TB and Malaria, saying they fall well short of what is needed. Around £2.1bn ($3.7bn) has been pledged by countries around the world. The campaign groups, such as ActionAid and the Global Aids Alliance, say this will be only be e
Victoria Lindrea, BBC News entertainment reporter in Venice
Outspoken US director Spike Lee has used his contribution to the ensemble film All the Invisible Children to confront the prejudice and misunderstanding that continues to face people with HIV. Eight directors, including Ridley Scott and John Woo, took part in the feature film, comprising seven shorts, which is showing
The government lacks transparency and clarity over its international HIV/Aids spending, campaigners say. ActionAid attacked the Department for International Development (DfID) ahead of a meeting to discuss the global fight against HIV, TB and malaria. The charity said it was important to know if the money was going whe
Lee is currently shooting his fourth film with Denzel Washington Controversial US director Spike Lee has criticised Hollywood for its lack of originality while launching his latest movie at the Venice Film Festival. I m not naming any individual films but it s the worst it s ever been, he told reporters. It s full of s
Health and Aids campaigners in Uganda are threatening legal action against the government unless it releases 30m condoms which they say are in storage. They say government policy on Aids has changed to reflect an American demand for a greater emphasis on abstinence. Earlier in the week, Ugandan Health Minister Mike Mik
A 10-day festival for lesbian, gay and bisexuals has raised at least £115,000 for charity, said organisers. Manchester Pride 2005, one of the largest events of its kind in Europe, ended on Monday with a candlelit vigil. The parade on Saturday, the festival highlight, broke all previous records, featuring more than 78 f
Uganda is to bring in an international firm of auditors, Ernst and Young, to temporarily oversee the management of funds for fighting Aids. This follows the suspension of donor money amid accusations of financial mismanagement. Last week, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria halted more than $150m
The UN s special envoy on fighting Aids in Africa has accused the United States of endangering the gains Uganda has made in containing the disease. Stephen Lewis told the BBC that Uganda - under pressure from Washington - was putting greater emphasis on abstinence to tackle the disease than condoms.
The Ugandan government has rejected reports by US health campaigners that the country faces a condom shortage. The US-based Center for Health and Gender Equity said Uganda had been facing a shortage for 10 months. The organisation said the crisis had been caused by programmes promoting abstinence rather than safer sex.
As midnight approaches on Sina Street in Almaty, one of Kazakhstan s main cities, groups of young female sex workers stand in the shadows by small hotels, giggling, swigging beer from bottles and smoking. Every time a car slows down, they push forward into the light from streetlamps in the hope of being chosen by a cli
A pile of thousands of woollen tassels symbolising chastity has been set on fire in Swaziland to mark the end of a sex ban imposed by King Mswati III. The secret ceremony took place at the crack of dawn. Men were banned. After the tassels were burnt, some 30,000 Swazi girls danced in the national stadium in front of th
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has suspended its grants to Uganda because of serious mismanagement of funds. An investigation carried out for the Global Fund said it found a shortfall when grants in dollars were converted into Ugandan shillings. A Ugandan spokesman said the decision was not fu
A Burmese family passes Saturday, Aug. 20, 2005 an anti-AIDS campaign board erected in downtown Rangoon. The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria said last week that it would withdraw funding because of obstructions to its activities. A spokeswoman for the organisation said on Friday that aid workers wer
People who use the drug methamphetamine alter their brain s structure so it may not work as well as it should, US researchers believe. Methamphetamine users had bigger brain areas involved in attention, motivation and the control of movement. They also fared worse in tests of brain function, the University of Californi
Thousands of girls in Swaziland have taken part in a ceremony to mark the end of a sex ban, imposed by the king to halt the spread of HIV/Aids. At a royal compound in the village of Ludzidzini, the girls removed their tasselled scarves which had been public symbols of chastity. King Mswati III ended the five-year s
Australian Adam Britton and US expert Mark Merchant spent the last fortnight combing the Northern Territory for salt and freshwater crocs. It has been known for some time that these animals heal serious injuries rapidly and almost without infection. More recently, tests showed alligator blood has strong antibacterial p
-- The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria says it will stop funding programmes in Burma , due to increased travel restrictions. A spokeswoman for the organisation said that aid workers were unable to carry out their work properly in the country. It is the first time the Geneva-based organisation has wi
A range of extra-large condoms has been launched in South Africa , to cater for well-endowed men. A large number of South African men are bigger and complain about condoms being uncomfortable and too small, said Durex manager Stuart Roberts. Aids activists say the new condom could encourage men to practise safe sex in
A court in the US has ruled that a gay Mexican with Aids is eligible for asylum because of the danger of persecution in his home country. The appeals court in San Francisco overturned earlier rulings by immigration courts. The three-judge panel said Jose Boer-Sedano, 45, would probably face further abuse in
Early research suggests a potential way to eradicate dormant HIV infection, scientists claim in the Lancet. A University of North Carolina team has shown valproic acid - used to treat bipolar disorder - can prevent HIV persisting in this latent phase. The findings may boost HIV treatment and be a step towards preventin
A man who infected the 15-year-old mother of his baby with HIV is facing a police investigation, detectives said. The girl, who has not been named, had no idea she had the infection until she was screened at an ante-natal clinic. The baby, born at Singleton Hospital in Swansea, has so far tested negative for the diseas
A 15-year-old schoolgirl who only found she had HIV when she became pregnant has given birth at a hospital in Swansea, it has emerged. The girl, who has not been named, had no idea she had the disease until she was screened at an ante-natal clinic. Doctors were able to treat her and the baby has so far tested negative
BEING breast-fed as a baby has a beneficial impact on blood pressure, a University of Bristol study suggests. Researchers found it was as good for children s blood pressure as exercise and cutting salt intake is for adults. The study, of more than 2,000 children, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhoo
The Democratic Alliance had objected to Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang s support for a doctor who encouraged HIV patients to shun anti-retroviral drugs. The Health Professions Council of South Africa said the minister had not acted wrongly in her capacity as a doctor. South Africa s government has been criticised fo
The Department for International Development will give £100 million to the fund in each of the next two years. The increase means Britain will account for 20% of the total global financial support for the battle against Aids. In total the UK will spend £1.5bn on fighting HIV and Aids over the next three years - a large
More people with forms of HIV which are resistant to multidrug treatments are already being seen, say Health Protection Agency scientists. The agency said it would be keeping a close eye on the situation to help prevent future outbreaks. It will be issuing a report this autumn outlining the threat. Emerging threat
Ania Lichtarowicz, BBC health reporter, Rio de Janeiro
Botswana has been praised by scientists at a conference in Brazil for its determination to tackle Aids/HIV. Botswana is one of the countries worst affected by HIV infections. United Nations figures show that almost 40% of its population is HIV positive. Life expectancy has fallen from 67 years in 1985, when the f
New research suggests circumcision could be effective in preventing the spread of HIV among men. The study of more than 3,000 men in South Africa was done by the French agency for Aids and Viral Hepatitis. The data, outlined at a conference in Brazil , shows male circumcision prevented about seven of 10 infection
Scientists have found a molecule that interferes with the formation of HIV, which they hope can lead to new drugs. Current treatments involve a combination of drugs that block the activity of proteins crucial for the production and entry of HIV into cells. However, the virus is learning how to dodge these, making it in
Ania Lichtarowicz, BBC health reporter, Rio de Janeiro
Countries in Central Asia and parts of eastern Europe are facing an explosion of Aids/HIV, according to scientists at a conference in Rio de Janeiro. New data shows that the next wave of the epidemic is being fuelled by heroin exports from Afghanistan . The virus is continuing to spread to areas where the number of cas
Sulaiman Madada says he wants to encourage schoolgirls to be morally upright and avoid early marriages. We do not want these girls to get exposed to Aids, he told the Associated Press. Uganda is often held up as a model of how to fight HIV/Aids. Infection rates have fallen from 15% to 5% but critics say this could now
The United Nations Aids agency has warned that UN peacekeepers still do not have the knowledge and means to protect themselves from HIV/Aids. Leaders from numerous countries have now acknowledged HIV/Aids is a serious problem in their armed services, according to a new UN report. More than 100 countries contribute pers
A 20-year-old woman has been convicted of deliberately infecting her boyfriend with HIV during sex. Cardiff Crown Court heard the woman, who cannot be named to protect the man s identity, had sex with him for 10 months knowing she was HIV positive. She admitted a charge of unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Children born to HIV-positive women are often segregated in Russia for no medical reason, the rights group says. According to official figures cited in the report, nearly 10,000 HIV-positive Russian women have given birth since 1997. Up to 20% abandoned their babies. The report criticises the very real discrimination
The police say they used minimum force during the march in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday, and deny that injuries occurred. The South African government last year agreed to distribute anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. But activists say the implementation of this policy has been too slow. One person had to be admi
The number of new HIV cases in the county this year has already reached last year s total of 12. Experts say there are now about 100 people in Cumbria confirmed as being diagnosed as HIV positive. Support workers have blamed a higher incidence in the disease amongst heterosexuals and the need for a major government-bac
Thailand has announced it will offer anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV/Aids to all infected Thais, at virtually no cost to the patient. The drugs will be available on the government s 30 baht healthcare scheme, with treatments costing just under $1. There are estimated to be approximately 500,000 HIV-pos
A new report by the Centre for Public Health at the city s John Moores University said 814 new patients registered for care in 2004. This is a 12% increase on the previous year when 725 new cases were reported. The largest increase in people with HIV or Aids since 2001 has been in the Merseyside area. Researchers said
South Africa s health department has released figures suggesting that HIV infection rates in the country may be greater than previously thought. A study of women in antenatal clinics suggests that more than six million of South Africa s 40 million people are infected with HIV. In May, the state statistics agency estima
China is planning to increase its focus on women in the fight against HIV/Aids, due to a sharp rise in the rate of female infection, state media has said. In the 1990s the male to female ratio of HIV/Aids infection was 5:1, but the figure is now closer to 2:1. In some areas, there are now a similar number of women as m
A Kent charity which has been working to educate people in Kenya about HIV/Aids is aiming to reach 45,000 more youngsters in the next two years. International Care and Relief, based in Tunbridge Wells, has so far reached 20,000 young Africans. It receives help from the Big Lottery Fund, and last year raised a total of
Brazil is to announce whether it will carry out a threat to break the patents on a leading HIV drug. Brazil s ministry of health had given the drug s American manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories , until midnight on Thursday to reduce its prices. In the absence of a pricing agreement, the government said it will pro
Nick Harvey said combs had been removed from Commons cloakrooms amid concern about head lice and general hygiene. But a health officials report also showed an infinitesimal risk of HIV being passed on, he added. The National Aids Trust said there was no risk of this at all and it was ridiculous to say there was. S
A notice has been served on the hospital in the town of Jamshedpur in the eastern state of Jharkhand. Regional authorities have asked the State Aids Control Society to conduct an independent inquiry. Officials at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital denied that the woman was turned away. Jamshedpur dist
Prejudice against gay people and other at-risk groups was hampering efforts to combat the spread of HIV/Aids, said UNAIDS head Peter Piot. The UN estimates 8.2m people in Asia have HIV, of whom 5.1m are in India . The risk of the disease spreading further in the region was now higher than ever, Mr Piot told a conferenc
-- Claims that politicians do not realise how serious HIV and Aids infection rates are in Jersey have been called irresponsible scaremongering . A report by Aids Care Education and Training (ACET) said there was a lack of knowledge and support from politicians in curbing infection rates. The charity wants to see new wa
Senior figures at the World Health Organization have admitted they will probably fail to meet their target for disseminating HIV drugs. A progress report out on Wednesday will assess whether the target of getting three million people onto the drug by the end of the year is still feasible. But officials say even if
-- British scientists have been awarded multi-million pound grants for research into tuberculosis, malaria and HIV by Microsoft billonaire Bill Gates. Mr Gates is donating £240m to 43 projects world-wide designed to tackle some of the world s biggest killers. Among the successful bidders is London s Imperial College,wh
Powerful drugs used to treat HIV can also block malaria, researchers say they have shown for the first time. A team at Australia s University of Queensland found antiretroviral drugs stopped the parasite that causes malaria from growing. These drugs also worked on parasites that had developed resistance to common malar
A group of Pakistani sex workers have visited the red light district in the Indian city of Calcutta to discuss safe sex practices and combating Aids. It is the first ever visit by Pakistani sex workers to any red light district in India. The BBC s Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta says over the last decade, sex workers there h
A former top Zambian official has been arrested and charged with corruption, following a public outcry when the case against him was dropped. Kashiba Bulaya is accused of receiving a bribe of $270,000 to award a contract to supply anti-Aids drugs. The BBC s Musonda Chibamba says the original investigation was dropped o
Aminah Mukasa, the formidable headmistress of Masindi Secondary School in western Uganda , is on a mission - she wants to raise enough money to pay her teachers a decent wage. Her methods are simple, tough and effective - she has all the students who have not paid their fees locked out of the school. This applies t
Part of a virus which affects chimpanzees could help speed up the race to find an Aids vaccine. Scientists across the world are still trying to develop a vaccine, but when one is found it will need a way of being delivered to the body. Trials currently use human viruses, but these are less effective as the human body d
The youngster was found with his hand in a bucket of used needles in north London s Barnet Hospital in July 2003. His mother Nasria Zalfaghari said he was finally given the all clear after a tense and miserable six-month wait. Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust pleaded guilty on Friday to breaching health and safety rules
The London Health Observatory (LHO) said there were about 8,600 undiagnosed cases of HIV, which is rising fastest among heterosexuals. It said nearly all new infections were among black Africans, most of whom had acquired the virus abroad. A three-fold rise in black Caribbeans receiving treatment for HIV is recorded am
Malaysia s Health Minister Chua Soi Lek has asked religious leaders to drop their opposition to moves to contain the spread of HIV. Mr Chua was reacting to a World Health Organization warning that the country was on the verge of an HIV epidemic. Senior Muslim clerics have criticised plans to distribute free condoms, sa
He was speaking at an Aids benefit concert organised in his name in the high Arctic Norwegian city of Tromsoe. Rock stars such as Annie Lennox, Robert Plant and Peter Gabriel took part in the fourth such event. The Mandela 46664 concert - named after his prison number - was thought to have attracted 15,000 people.
Speaking to African bishops at the Vatican, the Pope described HIV/Aids in Africa as a cruel epidemic . But he told them: The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids. More than 60% of the world s 40m people with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. In
South Africa s long-running debate over Aids drugs continued to dominate a national conference this week. The health minister said the drugs were not the only way to fight Aids, and that eating habits were also important. Activists and other speakers hit back, one delegate describing the minister s idea as a no brainer
Cystic fibrosis could be treated using elements of two potentially fatal viruses - HIV and Ebola - research has suggested. The viruses are used to deliver a healthy version of the gene which is faulty in CF directly into lung cells. The University of Pennsylvania researchers say tests on monkeys show the method is effe
Former Scottish National Party leader John Swinney has said the cost of hosting the G8 summit should have been used to eradicate Aids in Malawi . Speaking in an amendment to a motion by Tom McCabe which welcomed Scotland hosting the summit, he said the money could be used for a better cause. Mr Swinney also said po
A unique gathering of 15 former African ex-presidents and a former prime minister to discuss their role in politics is drawing to a close in the Malian capital, Bamako. Twenty, even 10 years ago, this symposium of elder statesman would not have been possible. African leaders who escaped alive after losing power tended
Some 23% of South Africa s troops are infected with HIV - a similar rate to the adult population at large. The army is taking part in a US-funded programme to see how Aids is affecting its combat-readiness. This includes giving anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to some 1,000 soldiers. The government has been criticised for
South Africa s second national HIV/Aids conference gets under way on Tuesday amid ongoing controversy on the best way of fighting the virus. South Africa has one of the highest rates of infection in the world, with one in five adults affected. This makes five million people in all who are HIV positive. In spite of the
GP Dr Paul William, who works with asylum seekers and refugees lived on just £5 a week and a bag of food to highlight their plight. Here is his daily diary Sunday Weight 73.6kg (measured in the gym yesterday at a cost of 50p!). I started the week catastrophically. Unlike everyone else, I was due to start at 11am (there
A Yorkshire HIV charity has been threatened with legal action over the name it uses for its free condoms. Sexual health group Yorkshire Mesmac issues condoms to gay and bisexual men under a scheme called Confi doms. But Britannia Medicare, which makes condoms under the Confident brand, has ordered the charity to sign a
Aids is spreading faster than ever, outstripping efforts to contain it, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said. Last year saw more new infections and Aids-related deaths than ever before, Mr Annan told a conference in New York. Only 12% of people with Aids in underdeveloped countries are getting anti-retroviral drugs
The UN Secretary-General has called on governments around the world to do more to tackle HIV and Aids. In 2001, the UN published its Declaration of Commitment on HIV/Aids, agreed by governments around the world. In his latest report on progress, Kofi Annan said some progress was being made, but called on governments to
The row over the number of HIV-infected people in India is diverting attention from the main issues posed by the disease, the United Nations says. Dr Nafis Sadik, UN special envoy on HIV/Aids in the Asia-Pacific region, criticised the dispute over numbers. She was speaking ahead of a key Aids meeting in New York on Thu
The Red Cross in Canada has pleaded guilty to distributing contaminated blood supplies which infected thousands of Canadians with HIV and hepatitis C. More than 3,000 people have died since getting the tainted blood in the 1980s. The blood scandal is widely regarded as one of the worst public health disasters in Canadi
I have come here because I want to get married. I am HIV positive, says Rasik Bhai, a 31-year-old diamond polisher. We are a marriage bureau. You have to give us some details about you, about your family background, about yourself, replies Daksha Patel, with a pleasant smile. It is a typical day at work for the woman
Libya s Supreme Court has delayed a ruling on an appeal against the death penalty handed down to five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor. The foreign medics were found guilty by Libyan courts last year of infecting more than 400 children with HIV. The case has caused concern amongst foreign leaders, who have cal
Bulgaria s president has visited children with HIV in Libya , during a trip aimed at saving Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for infecting them. President Georgi Parvanov toured the hospital in the city of Benghazi - where the outbreak occurred in 1999. Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were convicted o
-- A chronology of key events: 4th century - Bantu speaking groups settle, joining the indigenous San and Khoikhoi people. 1480s - Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Dias is the first European to travel round the southern tip of Africa. 1497 - Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama lands on Natal coast. 1652 - Jan van Riebeec
India has gone from being the world s number one worry to being the world s number one marvel, he said in the Indian capital Delhi. His comments come a day after India said it has seen a dramatic slowdown in the number of new infections. India has the second highest number of HIV-infected people after
The treatment, known as PEPSE, can reduce the chance of infection if taken within 72 hours of potential exposure. But sexual health experts from London s Mortimer Market Centre warn knowledge treatment is available could increase risky behaviour and HIV transmission. Writing in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infectio
India , which has the second highest number of HIV-infected people, has said it has seen a dramatic slowdown in the number of new infections. The health ministry said initial estimates showed only 28,000 people became infected in 2004, compared to 520,000 in 2003. It said the slowdown showed the success of its health
-- A leading supermarket chain in South Africa has withdrawn from sale an HIV self-testing kit after a complaint from the South African Medical Association. Sama chairman Dr Kgosi Letlape emphasised the dangers of performing an HIV test without counselling before and after the test. A Pick n Pay retail chain direc
I wasn t expecting to find myself sipping cactus juice when I visited a charity assisting vulnerable young women in the northern Ethiopian town of Mekelle this week. But it is the latest money-earner to help women enjoy a more secure and hopeful future. The small compound on the outskirts of the town where Mums for Mum
A top UN envoy has started a tour of southern Africa to look at the threat of food shortages and the impact of HIV across the region. James Morris, the UN secretary general s special envoy to southern Africa, will visit four countries, Zambia , Botswana , Malawi and
The number of HIV/Aids cases diagnosed in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambs has risen by 500%, according to the region s Strategic Health Authority. In 1999, there were 29 cases of the virus across the three counties. But in 2003 the number of people infected had increased to 146, the report revealed. Public health director
In two provinces, the figure is as high as 40%, says an unreleased report by South Africa s Medical Research Council. Research was based on the study of death statistics for the year 2000. A researcher admitted that the report relied partly on estimations, since Aids-related deaths are not always identified on death ce
Aubrey Sumbuleta, BBC News, Thyolo, Southern Malawi
Malawian health officials are deeply concerned at the reluctance of pregnant women to go for HIV tests, even though those who test positive are given anti-Aids drugs. Most of the women that have come to be tested have been either attacked or left by their husbands, said Edwin Bakali, District Health Officer for Thyolo,
Two new viruses from the same family as HIV have been discovered in central Africans who hunt nonhuman primates. Researchers say their work proves it is not unusual for potentially dangerous viruses to jump from primates to man. They say it is important to monitor disease in bushmeat hunters closely, as any virus they
Nearly half of the patients with motor neurone disease (MND) that they studied had a molecule in their blood that is associated with retroviruses. But the King s and University College London scientists stressed that this did not mean MND was necessarily caused by a retrovirus. Their findings appear in the medical jour
One third of nearly 1,000 patients only found out they had HIV when their CD4 immune cell count was low - making them more susceptible to infection. The study found 168 patients in the UK and Ireland had been to hospital with HIV symptoms a year before diagnosis, the British Medical Journal reported.
Two prominent South African women s rights activists were not responsible for identifying three HIV-positive women, a Johannesburg court has found. The three women were named in a biography of politician Patricia de Lille written by writer and campaigner against rape Charlene Smith. Ms de Lille and Ms Smith said the na
The start of a legal case between South African Aids campaigners and a group promoting vitamin supplements has been delayed due to noisy demonstrations. Supporters of the rival groups made so much noise that recording equipment could not function properly. The vocal Treatment Action Campaign is asking the courts to sto
Nigeria s first national blood transfusion centre to combat the spread of HIV/Aids has been opened by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Currently Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of people living with HIV of any country in the world. The centre, set up by US organisation Safe Blood for Africa, aims to reduce new infec
Medical researchers and health organisations have condemned an advert promoting vitamin supplements as a safe and effective way to treat HIV/Aids. The full-page advert, published in the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times, says anti-retroviral drugs are a form of genocide. Anti-retroviral drugs are the
South African President Thabo Mbeki and Pope Benedict XVI There were no formal speeches during the meeting South African President Thabo Mbeki has met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican - the first African leader to visit the new pontiff since his inauguration. There was no word about any reference to South Africa s Aids
A Ugandan asylum seeker with Aids who is fighting to stay in the UK, where treatment could extend her life, has had her bid rejected by the Law Lords. They ruled that deporting the woman would not violate her human rights. But they added Home Secretary Charles Clarke had discretion on individual cases and was not bound
Aids campaigners have welcomed a decision by Brazil to turn down US funds because of a clause in the agreement condemning prostitution. The US development agency, USAid, had offered Brazil around $40m (£21m). But Brazil s top Aids official, Pedro Chequer, said the US conservative approach to treating the disease would
Students in Oxford will form a human Aids ribbon on a busy shopping street later to highlight the lack of access to drugs and treatment. They will be on Cornmarket at 1657 BST - three to five - to remind the government of the World Health Organisation s (WHO) 3 by 5 goal. The aim is for three million people with HIV to
US scientists have developed an easy to apply gel that could protect against genital herpes for up to 10 days. Using a condom with a spermicide also protects against the virus, which also causes cold sores. But there is currently no protection that can last for days without reapplication or as an alternative for people
A 37-year-old Leicester man who knowingly infected his lover with HIV has been jailed for three years. Paulo Matias had unprotected sex with his girlfriend despite being diagnosed with the potentially fatal virus. He pleaded guilty to biological grievous bodily harm at a previous hearing and said it was not his fault
The Indian government and the UN agency fighting HIV-Aids have announced a joint Aids education and prevention campaign in the Indian military. UNAids said that with almost 1.5 million personnel and more than 500,000 reserves, the scheme could benefit a large section of the population. The agency has congratulated the
The three women, represented by the Aids Law Project (ALP), are suing politician Patricia de Lille and journalist Charlene Smith. The three were named in a biography of Ms de Lille written by Ms Smith. The defendants say the names had already been published by Pretoria University before the book appeared. The book, tit
A year after the ruling ANC party s third election victory, opposition politicians and HIV pressure groups say the South African government has failed to keep its pledges over HIV/Aids. More than five million South Africans are HIV positive. For several years after the virus become widespread the South African governme
The NHS has been buying anti-Aids drugs illegally diverted from desperately poor countries around the world, a BBC investigation has revealed. Britain has become a focus for a trade which has deprived several African and Eastern European countries of shipments of life-saving medicines. In one case a stash of anti-Aids
Kenyan police are investigating a claim that a female student has slept with more than 100 fellow students to try to infect them with HIV, the Aids virus. Officials at Moi University in western Kenya say they believe a two-page letter posted on a notice board from a law student signed NP could be a hoax. But counsellin
The Indian government has dismissed a claim by an Aids expert that the country now has the most HIV-positive people in the world. The claim was made by Richard Feachem of the Global Fund to Fight Aids. He says figures showing India having fewer cases than South Africa are wrong. The United Nations says that South A
A senior Aids expert has warned that HIV in India is out of control . The executive director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids said that the epidemic in India is spreading rapidly and nothing is being done to stop it. Richard Feachem warned that India has overtaken South Africa as the country
Scotland s police officers have asked the Scottish Executive to protect them from contracting blood-borne diseases caused by attacks at work. The Police Federation has raised a petition around the issue amid fears that officers could contract diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. It is estimated more than 8,000 police of
-- The parents of a one-year-old boy had to wait three months to find out HIV tests were clear after he pricked his hand on a needle in a hospital toy box. Jack Oakley, of Bishops Stortford, Herts, punctured his finger at Harlow s Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex. A spokesman said it had been a very unfortunate and
Mobile phone text messaging is being used to help South African HIV patients with the complicated process of taking anti-retroviral drugs in an initiative by Cape Town University. Some six million South Africans are HIV-positive - the largest number of any country - that s 15% of South Africa s population. After a slow
-- Former US President Bill Clinton s foundation is to spend an additional $10m to fight Aids among children in the developing world, he has announced. The foundation aims to provide Aids-suppressing drugs to 10,000 children in countries from China to Africa and the Caribbean. These children need hope, the former p
On the billboard is a photo of two crested cranes - Uganda s national bird. The Crested Crane sticks faithfully to one partner until death. Abstinence and faithfulness - 100% guaranteed, reads the caption below the entangled lovebirds. Read on and you learn that the poster has been put up by the office of first lady Ja
South Africa s health minister has called for good nutrition to become the frontline treatment for HIV saying it was vital for people living with Aids. At the opening of a Durban conference, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang highlighted the importance of better food becoming available to improve public health. The minister h
Campaigners against Aids in South Africa are hoping that the election of a new Pope could lead to a liberalisation of the Vatican s stance on the use of condoms to prevent HIV transmission. During his lifetime, Pope John Paul II drew criticism for refusing to moderate the Catholic Church s anti-condom stance in the fac
David Loyn, BBC Developing World correspondent in Abuja, Nigeria
It took a seven-year-old boy, Etienne Benokagbue, to articulate the feelings of a whole congregation. When he prayed that those choosing the next Pope would have God s guidance but may they choose an African Pope , there was a short stunned silence in the packed cathedral in Abuja, before a spontaneous round of applaus
-- UK government funds to help fight the world HIV/Aids epidemic are often not reaching the neediest people, MPs say. The cross-party MPs said the Department for International Development s (DfID) approach lacked clarity. Money given to global bodies was often not even being spent on HIV/Aids, the Public Accounts Selec
The UK government is to provide £24m to fund a trial to assess how well a microbicide gel can prevent HIV infection in women. Aids is the biggest killer in Africa, and most new HIV infections occur among young African women. Research has shown an effective gel, applied before sex, could prevent up to 2.5m HIV infection
-- Indians infected with the Aids virus are more likely to contract the disease than people in the west, a new study has found. Scientists say that Indians have lower immunity to the virus because they have genes that hasten the disease. India says more than five million of its citizens are infected with the HIV virus,
A leading character in Coronation Street is going to get Alzheimer s Disease. Mike Baldwin, played by 69-year-old Johnny Briggs, will begin to suffer the first signs of the disorder later this year. Bosses at the ITV1 soap promise that it will be handled sensitively. But what sort of track record does TV and the film i
-- Uganda has strongly denied charges that it no longer promotes condoms as part of its fight against Aids - seen as one of the most successful in the world. Lobby group Human Rights Watch said US pressure had led to a change of policy, with abstinence now being emphasised. HIV infection rates have dropped from around
Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor have appealed to a Libyan court against their death sentences imposed for infecting 426 children with HIV. Relatives of the victims protested outside the court waving banners demanding Death to the child killers . The health workers, who insist they are innocent, have been
Fishing communities are up to 10 times more vulnerable to HIV/Aids than the rest of the population, a study says. University of East Anglia researchers said fishing villages around the world were the hidden victims. The communities were particularly vulnerable because the populations were highly mobile, lacked women s
-- The BBC News website asked some of the continent s influential female personalities for their views on the role of women in contemporary Africa. African HIV/Aids activist Cynthia Leshomo from Botswana has been HIV-positive for five years. Cynthia was recently crowned Miss HIV Stigma Free 2005 . She was one of 12
-- Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has vowed not to pardon five Bulgarian nurses facing the death penalty for allegedly injecting children with the HIV virus. I swear by Allah that I will not release the Bulgarians, he said, adding he was tired of Western countries asking Libya to free them. How can we free the murderers
-- A man with HIV who infected his lover with the virus after persuading her to have unprotected sex has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Mohammed Dica, 38, from Mitcham, south-west London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of grievous bodily harm. The court heard the mother-of-two became infected with the virus
Stars such as Will Smith, Annie Lennox and Queen have taken part in Nelson Mandela s second Aids benefit concert in South Africa . Musicians Katie Melua, Paul Rodgers and India Arie joined South African artists at Saturday s event, hosted by actor and rapper Smith. Mr Mandela said $1.6m (£832,000) was raised during
Access to sexual health clinics must be improved if the rise in infection rates is going to be stopped, MPs say. Only 38% of people were being seen within the recommended 48 hours of seeking an appointment, a report said. The Health Select Committee said a £50m sex education campaign should be put off until ministers w
Police in Kenya have stopped hundreds of people living with HIV and Aids from demonstrating at the Indian High Commission in Nairobi. The protests, also planned in Uganda and Tanzania , are over an Indian draft law which may block poor countries access to anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs.
-- Thousands of counterfeit condoms may have made their way on to the UK market. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency issued an alert after counterfeit batches were discovered in the Republic of Ireland . The products are disguised in Durex packaging, but do not meet interational quality standards, an
-- The head of Unicef has criticised international donors who cut off aid to Zimbabwe to punish President Mugabe. Carol Bellamy says Zimbabwe s children suffer the most from attempts to send signals to the Mugabe government. One child dies every 15 minutes from an Aids-related illness in a country that has seen the sha
An asylum seeker who infected three women with HIV by having unprotected sex knowing he had the virus has lost his appeal against conviction. Feston Konzani, who lived on Teesside, was jailed for 10 years last May. His lawyer Timothy Roberts, QC had claimed at the Court of Appeal that the convictions were unsafe becau
A man diagnosed with HIV infected his lover with the virus after persuading her to have unprotected sex, the Old Bailey has heard. Mohammed Dica, 38, from Mitcham, south-west London, is accused of not telling the woman he was HIV-positive. He denies grievous bodily harm. The court heard the mother-of-two became infecte
The HIV epidemic in the UK cannot be traced back to just one source, research suggests. Instead, work led by University College London suggests the virus gained a toe hold on at least six independent occasions. The findings also suggest changes in sexual behaviour, rather than advances in drug therapy, have had most im
China has begun its first human trials of a new HIV vaccine, the state news agency Xinhua news agency reports. A 20-year-old man became the first volunteer to receive the vaccine on Saturday. He will be followed by seven others, four of whom are women. A total of 49 volunteers aged between 18 and 50 will take part in
A former doctor says his HIV diagnosis will make him a better medic when he returns to practice. Dr Simon Hincks left medicine in the early 1990s feeling disillusioned, disenchanted and burnt-out . He took a number of fill-in jobs, including cleaning, envelope stuffing and market research, before making the decision to
The number of people who acquire HIV through heterosexual sex in the UK is set to keep rising, experts warn. Health Protection Agency data published in the British Medical Journal has shown the number rose from 144 in 1999 to 315 in 2003. The vast majority of heterosexual men and women diagnosed with HIV in the UK are
The plagues of the Middle Ages have left about 10% of Europeans resistant to HIV, researchers have said. Biologists at the University of Liverpool say a gene mutation developed in response to pestilences such as the Great Plague of London in 1665-66. The mutation - known as CCR5-D32 - also stops the HIV virus from ente
Two Ethiopian girls, both three years old and cousins, play happily in a garden in Belgium with their new family. It is a raw day and there is a layer of snow on the ground - something they have never seen in their lives before. But there are squeals of delight as Hani and Medhanit are pushed down a slide by the brothe
Nearly 90 million Africans could be infected by HIV in the next 20 years if more is not done to combat the epidemic, the UN has warned. Some 25 million Africans have HIV, which causes Aids, at present. The world body estimates the next two decades could see 89 million new cases of the disease in Africa - or up to 10% o
Nearly 90 million Africans could be infected by the HIV virus in the next 20 years if more is not done to combat the epidemic, the UN has warned this week. It estimates the next two decades could see 89 million new cases of the disease in Africa - or up to 10% of the continent s population. The statistics make grim rea
Barnaby Phillips, BBC Southern Africa correspondent
In the changing rooms behind the stage, 12 women are busy applying make-up and checking their lavish hair-dos. They are preparing for a beauty contest - only this is a beauty contest like no other. Because there is a lot more to the women taking part than meets the eye. They are all HIV-positive. And they will be judge
Two Kenyan boys, horribly mutilated in the mistaken belief that their genitals could be used in the treatment of HIV/Aids, have told the BBC of their ordeal. Late last year, Philip Barasa and Oscar Kituyi, both from the remote northern region of Bungoma, had all or part of their genitals cut off to be sold for the maki
US teenagers with HIV are taking more risks than their counterparts did before the advent of powerful new Aids drugs, research of 500 people suggests. The University of California, Los Angeles compared a group studied before the new drugs with one studied after. The latter group reported having more sexual partners, mo
Nigeria plans a drastic increase in the number of people living with HIV and Aids that receive anti-retroviral drugs, the health minister says. Currently 14,000 Nigerian get subsided drugs but this year the number will rise to 100,000, Eyitayo Lambo said. Nigeria, Africa s most populous nation, began providing anti-r
The number of deaths in which the superbug MRSA has been cited as a cause has doubled in four years, official statistics show. The Office for National Statistics said in 2003 MRSA was mentioned on 955 death certificates - up from 487 in 1999. But the figures suggested some of the rise may be down to better reporting of
The Scottish Executive is proposing measures to ensure victims have access to their attacker s medical records. At present, only a procurator fiscal can access an accused s medical records or order a blood sample during an investigation into an alleged assault. The proposal is contained in the executive s consultation
A conference on HIV/Aids among women and girls in the Middle East and north Africa has heard a call for more to be done to help this vulnerable group. Although incidence rates are still low compared to the rest of the world, health practitioners warned that this would not be the case in a year s time. Already the HIV/A
One of the world s largest manufacturers of HIV/Aids drugs has launched an initiative to combat the smuggling of cheaper pills - supplied to poorer African countries - back into Europe for resale at far higher price. The company, GlaxoSmithKline , is to alter the packaging and change the colour of the pills, currently
Temporary increases in HIV levels in patients under treatment generally do not mean the virus is developing resistance to drugs, US research finds. HIV mutates very rapidly, and doctors were worried that even small blips were a sign that the virus had found a way to combat sophisticated drug therapy. But researchers to
Conservative leader Michael Howard has said he wants to copy the immigration health check systems in countries such as Australia , New Zealand and Canada . Under Conservative proposals, TB will be a bar to permanent residence, while HIV would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
The immigration debate has taken a new turn with Tories announcing they would tighten health checks on immigrants coming to the UK. Tory leader Michael Howard said foreigners from outside the EU will be tested for tuberculosis if they are coming for more than 6 months. Those who want to settle for the long-term will be
An asylum seeker who infected three women with HIV by having unprotected sex despite knowing he had the virus is challenging his convictions. Feston Konzani, 28, was jailed for 10 years at Teesside Crown Court in May. His QC, Timothy Roberts, submitted that the convictions were unsafe because of two legal errors , at t
US scientists hope to be able to use a harmless form of the Aids virus to seek and destroy cancer cells. A University of California team found an impotent version of HIV, with the disease-causing parts of it removed, tracked down cancer cells in mice. The next step would be to insert a gene into the virus that would ki
Many parents with HIV limit physical contact with their children because of fears they will pass on the virus or catch an infection, a US study says. The Rand Corporation found one-third of the 344 parents it surveyed avoided hugging and kissing to some degree. The research is published in Archives of Paediatrics and A
Health officials in New York say they have found a new strain of highly drug-resistant HIV in a city resident. The resident, a man in his mid-40s, is thought to have developed Aids much faster than usual after infection. The strain - known as 3-DCR HIV - has not been detected anywhere else in the world and is difficult
In Zimbabwe , enterprising traders are making money by turning female condoms into brightly-coloured bangles. The rubber rings are removed from the condoms and made into fashion items. Although it is profitable for the vendors, those involved in the distribution of the heavily-subsidised condoms want to end the practic
Pakistani health workers are to travel to India to receive training in treating people infected with HIV/Aids. Health officials say they want to tap India s experience in managing people affected by the disease. Pakistan has less than 3,000 reported cases of HIV/Aids affected people although the actual figure is believ
A Leeds United footballer has flown to his home country of South Africa to deliver medical equipment which will be used to treat people with Aids. Defender Lucas Radebe is visiting Leeds twin city Durban with supplies paid for by a charity set up by the city council. More than 1,000 home care kits will be given to the
India has begun its first human trials of an Aids vaccine, the country s health minister has said. The tests in the western city of Pune will involve 30 HIV-free volunteers between 18 and 45 of both sexes. India s HIV/Aids population of more than five million is the world s second largest after
The sexual behaviour of Nepalese trekking guides and tourists is to be the subject of a study by researchers at Aberdeen University. A team of public health experts will assess the risk of sexual infection between guides and travellers. It is thought the fact that condoms are considered a social taboo in Nepal could be
A senior Vatican cardinal has joined the growing number of influential Catholic Church figures questioning the official Vatican ban on condom use. Cardinal Georges Cottier is one of Pope John Paul II s preferred theologians. So eyebrows were raised this week when he was quoted as saying the use of condoms may be legiti
Britain is to give a $7.5m grant to help women survivors of the Rwandan genocide who were raped and often deliberately infected with HIV/Aids. An estimated 25,000 girls and women were raped during the 1994 genocide. About 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu militias after the assassination of an ethni
Despite former minister Chris Smith s honesty about living with HIV, many people still keep their positive status to themselves or lie about it, and feel they have good reason to. Campaigners hope Mr Smith s announcement will encourage more people with HIV to be open about it, while educating the wider public that the
The announcement by former Cabinet minister Chris Smith that he has been HIV positive for 17 years has been hailed by campaigners as proving there is life after diagnosis. They say it has shown how having access to the right medication, plus eating healthily and staying fit, can enable people with HIV to have normal li
The former Labour culture secretary, Chris Smith, has revealed he has been HIV positive for 17 years. Mr Smith, 53, told the Sunday Times he did not tell Tony Blair about his illness when he became Britain s first openly gay Cabinet minister in 1997. He said he decided to go public about his condition after former Sout
Africa s poverty is a scar on the conscience of the world , UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland . He criticised global leaders for neglecting Africa, saying there would be an outcry if another part of the world was to suffer similar problems. He appealed for more aid
The Global Aids Alliance has welcomed the news that a generic and cheaper Aids treatment has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ). The treatment is made by South Africa s largest drug maker Aspen Pharmacare. FDA clearance means the product can now be purchased by relief agencies funded by Preside
Access to anti-Aids drugs is spreading rapidly in many developing countries, but major obstacles remain, the World Health Organization says. The WHO target is for three million people to be getting anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs) by the end of 2005. Some 700,000 people in poor countries were taking the drugs by Decemb
We Are The World, the American charity anthem inspired by the success of Band Aid, is to be re-issued to raise money for Aids research and tsunami victims. The track, recorded by USA For Africa, featured over 40 superstars, including Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. It topped the charts in the
Singers Annie Lennox and Katie Melua will be among the performers at this year s 46664 concert, which will be held in South Africa on 19 March. Queen and Paul Rodgers will also appear at the gig, which is aiming to highlight awareness of women living with HIV and Aids. It s a real privilege for me to appear on behalf o
The US health authorities have recommended that wider use should be made in the US of anti-retroviral drugs to help prevent the spread of Aids. New guidelines say that people exposed to the Aids virus by rape, drug use or unsafe sex should receive treatment. The drugs can prevent people becoming infected if it starts w
Companies fail to draw up plans to cope with HIV/Aids until it affects 20% of people in a country, new research says. The finding comes in a report published on Thursday by the World Economic Forum, Harvard and the UN aids agency. Too few companies are responding proactively to the social and business threats, said Dr
The Roman Catholic Church in Spain has denied it condones the use of condoms as a way of combating the Aids virus. Reverend Juan Antonio Martinez Camino caused controversy on Tuesday when he said condoms had a place in fighting the Aids pandemic. But on Wednesday the Church insisted its position had not changed, and th
The Roman Catholic Church in Spain has acknowledged that condoms could play a role in the global fight against Aids. The comments mark an apparent shift from traditional Roman Catholic teachings which ban condoms because they are a form of contraception. But a spokesman for Spanish bishops said the use of condoms and p
Gordon Brown has visited Africa to highlight poverty issues. The BBC s political correspondent, Mark Mardell, travelled with the chancellor. Here is his diary, starting with his end-of-trip verdict. 18 January Returning to UK The memory Gordon Brown says keeps returning to him - the one that he says is burnt into him -
Thousands of mourners including South Africa s president and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have joined Nelson Mandela at the funeral of his son Makgatho. Makgatho Mandela, 54, died of Aids earlier this month, several weeks after being admitted to hospital. Mr Mandela s decision to make public the cause of his death and chall
Gordon Brown is in Africa to highlight poverty issues. The BBC s political correspondent, Mark Mardell, is travelling with the chancellor. Here is his diary of the trip, with the most recent entry first. 15 January Maputo, Mozambique :1100 In Mozambique, there are well preserved war graves at Pemba and Beira. In fact,
Gordon Brown has called on rich nations to fund a £5.5bn ($10bn) plan to fight the Aids epidemic and find a vaccine. On the fourth day of his six-day tour of Africa, the UK chancellor predicted a vaccine could be found by 2012 if the world stepped up its funding pledges. Doubling the £400m being spent yearly on finding
A study by the National Aids Trust and Sigma Research found gay men and African people living with HIV in the UK face widespread discrimination. It said negativity can come from employers, families and communities. But the report also called for a rethink on government policies on asylum and immigration, which it says
The firm hopes the so-called antiretrovirals, or ARVs, will be included in US Aids relief programmes should they get approval. Ranbaxy has now filed a total of three antiretrovirals for FDA approval. The US is the world s largest drug market, and President George W Bush has vowed to fight HIV. Although they are not
Scientists say they have uncovered an important clue to understanding the origins of the Aids epidemic. They have pinpointed crucial differences in a gene found in rhesus monkeys that can prevent HIV infection, and its human counterpart, that cannot. It appears that only a single change to the human gene is needed to e
Michael Carter lives in a very uncertain world - that of the HIV patient. In the past, people like Michael knew they were almost certainly facing a death sentence, but antiretrovirals have changed all this. Now he knows he could live for years, but equally he could face a premature death from an Aids-related disease.
Scientists suggest people with more copies of a certain gene are less likely to become infected with the HIV virus or to develop Aids. The US National Institutes of Health team say their finding could lead to a screening test to determine someone s susceptibility to HIV/Aids. The gene the researchers studied is one whi
Paul McCartney, Queen and Sting are among artists who have recorded exclusive tracks on iTunes in aid of Nelson Mandela s 46664 Campaign. The tracks will be available to download via the internet and donations for each one sold will go towards Mandela s ongoing Aids campaign. Other contributors to the 46664 1 Year On E
Former South African president Nelson Mandela has revealed that his eldest son has died of Aids. Makgatho Mandela, 54, had been critically ill for several weeks after being admitted to a Johannesburg hospital late last year. Mr Mandela called for renewed efforts to fight Aids, challenging the taboo that surrounds the d
Nelson Mandela s decision to announce that his son died of Aids will send out a strong message in a country where stigma and denial still surround the virus. More than 600 people are thought to die every day in South Africa of Aids-related illnesses and millions are HIV-positive. But still people would rather say r
A protein produced by immune cells could lead to more effective treatments for HIV, US researchers hope. While powerful anti-HIV drugs exist, the virus has learned how to lie dormant in the body and escape their attack. Now virologists at Thomas Jefferson University have found the protein called interleukin-7 can bring
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