Malawi: HIV-Infected Women Form Coalition

A recent two-day women's conference in Lilongwe saw the genesis of a new national coalition of women living with HIV. Topics discussed at the conference included access to quality care, lack of adequate counseling and information on AIDS' drugs side effects, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The meeting called on government and nongovernmental organizations to work to ensure that the supply of drugs is uninterrupted and that health workers properly inform patients about their use. Official figures say only 45,000 of the nation's 170,000 HIV-positive people are receiving antiretrovirals. "This is like signing a death warrant for the remaining people who are in need of the drugs," said Mary Manyusa, a board member of the National AIDS Commission.

Back to other news for July 11, 2006