This family of products for women to test

Many resolutions, a good dose of optimism and some positive news on a background leaded by the impossibility of curing the disease. Summit on AIDS follow and still revolve around the same scenario. The sixteenth Conference of Toronto that ends today is no exception to this rule.

This is Bill Clinton, who announced the good news to the Canadian Summit participants. "Today, a therapy for adult costs about $ 120 per year with generic drugs, 500 dollars four years ago." About 60 countries now have access to cheap drugs. "But the former President, actively engaged in humanitarian action, also showed the path left to go:"Almost 90 of infected people ignore their disease." It is not surprising that several million people are infected every year.

According to the world Organization of the health (who), approximately 1.6 million patients in low or medium income countries were receiving treatment in June 2006, against 1.3 million at the end 2005. Despite these advances, it is still the account. WHO estimates that 6.8 million patients in poor countries would "immediately need to receive antiretroviral treatment". In developing countries, average medical coverage is close to 20, while approach 80 in Western countries.

The Thai example

But this ratio varies significantly depending on the policies implemented by Governments. In Thailand, now shown in example by the World Bank, country started massive prevention campaign there ten years allowed to divide by two the number of new people infected each year. The country believes that every dollar invested in preventive action can save 43 dollars on subsequent treatments. The World Bank suggests that China and the India, where the epidemic is catastrophic proportions, inspired by the Thai formula.

Funding remains the black point of the building. According to the United Nations estimates, a total of 14.9 billion (including $ prevention 8.4 billion) will be necessary this year to fight HIV/AIDS in the world. This amount increases by 4 billion additional dollars per year: 18.1 billion year next (including 10 billion for prevention), 22.1 billion in 2008. Last year, 8.3 billion was collected in rich countries, while $ 12 billion were needed ("Les Echos" of August 11 and 12).

Children pay a heavy tribute to the pandemic. According to Kevin Cock who heads the United Nations Aids program, nearly $ 800,000 sick of less than 15 years do not have access to antiretroviral drugs.

Shortage of specialists

Prevention, experts expect on a series of new techniques which two seem promising: microbicides and preventive antiretroviral treatment. The first are gels to prevent contamination during sexual intercourse. This family of products for women to test. Preventive treatment with a specific antiretroviral (tenofovir) is also in development. But the partial effectiveness of these treatments (between 50-70) makes clinical trials ethically highly questionable.

Preventive or therapeutic vaccine remains for his very hypothetical. Only a conceptual breakthrough in Immunology would enable significant progress. Remains finally posed the problem of the shortage of health workers. According to who, this deficit is of the order of 4 million specialists in Africa and Asia. A specific plan will be launched the year next to train personnel of health by the Genevan organization.