WHO Will Fail to Meet AIDS Drugs Goal

The World Health Organization will not reach its target of free HIV/AIDS treatment for 3 million people in developing countries by year's end, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, director of WHO's HIV/AIDS department, said Tuesday. Difficulties in the capacity of nations to administer HIV treatment programs have slowed the initiative, explained Kim, who was in Rio de Janeiro for the 3rd International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment.

Nevertheless, WHO remains undeterred and will push for universal HIV treatment access, said Kim, noting that 1 million people are now on WHO's treatment program and more will be added later this year.

"I think all the activity that we see now about treatment is thanks to Brazil," said Kim, referring to the conference host nation's free treatment of HIV patients. Kim also lauded the G8 nations' endorsement of the goal of universal HIV treatment access by 2010, which he said could help provide treatment access to 10 million people.

"If Brazilians did it, then I'm going to put everything I have into reaching that target for everybody by 2010," Kim said. He said universal HIV treatment access is "going to be one of the most difficult things that we've ever done in the history of public health." A major task for the project will be to build public health systems in poor countries and recruit health workers, he said.

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