|
Material from this article may be freely reproduced,
with attribution to From Africa Recovery, Vol.15# 1-2 (June 2001), page 11 Harvard University "blueprint for action" Declaring that "objections to HIV treatment in low-income countries are not persuasive," over 100 health and development experts at Harvard University in the US have developed a detailed proposal to treat 1 million African HIV sufferers with anti-retroviral drugs within three years at a cost of $1.1 bn -- just $1,123 per patient per year. The number of patients, the study asserts, could be increased to 3 million within five years at an annual cost of $3.3 bn -- far below previous estimates of the cost and complexity of treating AIDS victims in developing countries. At the heart of the plan, termed a "blueprint for action" by its authors, is the principle of Directly Observed Therapy (DOT), whereby community-based health workers with minimal training are employed to administer the complex anti-retroviral therapies and literally watch each patient take the drugs on the required schedule. Monitors are also trained to detect signs of adverse side-effects and provide counseling to patients and families. DOT workers, backed by modest increases in clinical testing and diagnostic services, the report claims, can compensate for the absence of sophisticated public health and medical services and allow for the widespread treatment of HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, including malaria and tuberculosis. Treatment with anti-retroviral drugs, which attack the virus itself, would initially be restricted to those in the late stages of infection, when medications for the accompanying opportunistic diseases lose their effectiveness and anti-retroviral therapies are most needed. Even at the current reduced prices, the study notes, large-scale treatment of HIV/AIDS is beyond the means of developing countries and will require external funding for the foreseeable future. "A rapid scaling-up of scientifically monitored AIDS treatment in poor countries will prove feasible, affordable and highly effective," the study concludes. "There should be no further delay in launching a major international effort to save the lives of millions of HIV-infected persons." A copy of the complete 36-page study, the "Harvard Consensus
Statement on Anti-Retroviral Treatment for AIDS in Poor Countries,"
is available online at: http://aids.harvard.edu [ Email this article ] [ New Releases ] [ Magazine - Current/Past issues ] [ Index / Search ] [ About us ] [ UN Home ] [ UN News ] [ UN Key Reports ] [ UN Africa Links ] Material from this article may be freely reproduced, with
attribution to Africa Recovery Tel: (212) 963-6857
|