By Kristin Palitza

HIV/AIDS has caused a steady increase in the number of orphans in South Africa. / Kristin Palitza/IPS

CAPE TOWN, Jan 27 (IPS) – If there was no HIV/AIDS, South Africa would have 4.4 million more people than today, the size of a major city. This significant slow-down in population growth is causing [...]

By Amanda Fortier* – Street News Service

Alassane Balde, the chief of medical staff at Camp Penal, says condoms will not be distributed to the inmates. / Amanda Fortier

DAKAR, Jan 5 (IPS) – Amadou* takes in a long, deep breath, clears his throat and steps to the front of the room. He turns to look [...]

By Jorrit Meulenbeek* – IPS/Street News Service

AIDS patient Geoffrey Mwila, with palliative care nurse Mercy Ng’andwe by his bedside at the Mother of Mercy hospice in Chilanga, Zambia. / Jorrit Meulenbeek

LUSAKA, Dec 26 (IPS) – "I had no power, I could not even walk. I just had to be lifted by someone. When bathing, [...]

By Elizabeth Whitman

The proposed law banning same-sex marriages and civil unions is just the tip of the iceberg, activists say. / Elizabeth Whitman/IPS

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 7 (IPS) – "The prospect of arriving home… being arrested at the airport – that's kind of scary," said Osazeme O., a dual citizen of Nigeria and the UK, [...]

By Miriam Gathigah
BUSAN, Dec 1 (IPS) – Billions of people are marking yet another World AIDS Day – this one themed "Getting to Zero", for zero AIDS-related deaths, zero new infections, and zero stigma and discrimination.

But in Africa, what may be needed is zero tolerance for corruption so that funds required to fight HIV/AIDS and [...]

By Claire Ngozo

Malawi is experiencing a drug shortage. / Claire Ngozo/IPS

LILONGWE, Nov 16 (IPS) – Malawi is experiencing a drug shortage as the country’s international donors remain reluctant to release aid meant for the health sector.

About 60 million dollars in funding has been withheld amid allegations of pilfering and corruption in the procurement of [...]

By Isaiah Esipisu

New arrivals at Dadaab wait for a medical check up. / Isaiah Esipisu/IPS

DADAAB, Kenya, Oct 5 (IPS) – When Aisha Diis* and her five children fled their home in Somalia seeking aid from the famine devastating the region, she could not have known the dangers of the journey, or even fathom that [...]

By Mantoe Phakathi
MBABANE, Jul 25 (IPS) – Swaziland’s economic crisis has affected its ability to provide healthcare as the country’s buffer stock of antiretrovirals (ARVs) has fallen below the prescribed three-month supply.

And people living with HIV/AIDS are extremely concerned about what will happen to their treatment if the country cannot afford to purchase ARVs.
Led by [...]

By Miriam Gathigah
NAIROBI, Jul 21 (IPS) – When Lucy Omollo found out that her husband was HIV-positive six years ago, the couple thought the best way to prevent her from becoming infected with the virus was not to have sex.

"For the first three years we never engaged in sex, but I gathered courage and we [...]

By Charles Mpaka

The antiretrovirals government seeks to change. / Charles Mpaka

BLANTYRE, Jun 9 (IPS) – As government prepares to roll out the expensive new antiretroviral treatment regime recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) this month, there are fears about the programme’s sustainability after two recent proposals for funding were rejected by the Global [...]

By Isaiah Esipisu
NAIROBI, Jun 8 (IPS) – Soon chatting to ones friends or family over a mobile phone could mean that an HIV positive person will receive sustainable antiretroviral treatment (ART) that could prolong their life. That is if civil society in Kenya has its way.

Civil society is currently trying to find sustainable [...]

By Julio Godoy
PARIS, May 30 (IPS) – Pharmaceutical industries in emerging markets are shifting their focus away from poor to developed countries, which will affect access to cheap generic medicines. Poor states should tackle this development by capitalising on the international trade exemptions they still enjoy regarding medicines as "intellectual property".

These comments come from a [...]

AIDS campaigners want the upcoming United Nations General Assembly Special Session to set fixed targets for universal access to treatment and funding.

A new film explores gender inequality, culture, and the real complexities of relationships in the sex lives of young Namibians.

Programmes such as Soul City translate research findings into the lives of real people.