A new report highlights barriers to providing HIV/AIDS patients with treatment

IRD/Dukhan

A lack of coordination and funding is obstructing HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries says a report by the advocacy group International Treatment Preparedness Coalition.

The report, released on Monday (28 November), is based on statements from those involved in treating HIV/AIDS patients in six countries strongly affected by the disease.

It identifies both common barriers to combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic, such as poor coordination between the agencies involved, and problems specific to individual countries, such as weak leadership in South Africa.

The report's release coincides with news that the World Health Organisation will not meet its '3 by 5' target, to provide drugs to three million AIDS patients in developing countries by the end of 2005. By June, only one million people had been treated.

The report also comes coincides with the publication of United Nations statistics showing that a record number of people — more than 40 million — are infected with HIV.

Link to full article on news@nature.com

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