 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
China Should Allow AIDS Patients And NGOs Proper Voice Says UN
Beijing (AFP) Sep 11, 2006 China's fight against HIV/AIDS cannot be won without giving more voice to patients and non-governmental organizations, the head of the UN agency dealing with the disease told AFP Monday. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, said the Chinese government was in some ways ahead of other countries, providing free drugs to patients and clean needles to addicts. But he said NGS should be more involved in the fight in China, where around 650,000 people have the HIV virus. "What should be done differently is there should be better space for civil society groups to work. No country has been totally effective in dealing with AIDS without that space," said Piot on his annual visit to China. "The government cannot do everything." The six-day visit, which began last Thursday and took Piot to southwest Guizhou province, is aimed at better understanding the fight against the disease at the local and grassroots level. The UNAIDS chief said he had noticed an absence of groups such as support networks, formed by patients themselves to help each other and lobby for services. "There should be a group of people living with HIV who can come together, support each other's rights, etcetera," Piot said. China has been praised for turning around its attitude towards the deadly disease in the past few years -- from not admitting it had a serious epidemic on its hands to now offering 26,000 people free life-saving treatment. But the government has been criticized by NGOs for detaining patients who appeal in groups for compensation and forbidding courts from taking up cases involving people infected through unsafe blood transfusions. Piot said it was important to allow patients to organize, especially because a strong network could help them stay alive. "Compliance is not just a doctor telling you to take your pills, but people coming together to give support to each other," Piot said. "At local level, the authorities should offer that space. We didn't see it."
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links - Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola
China Will Not Be Hit Hard By Bird Flu This Fall
Beijing, China (AFP) Sep 05, 2006China does not expect to be hit hard by deadly bird flu in coming months, a top agricultural official said Tuesday, but a WHO expert warned there could be more outbreaks as temperatures fall. The government was stepping up vaccinations and strengthening surveillance of poultry, Li Jinxiang, the deputy director general of the Ministry of Agriculture's veterinary department, told a news conference. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
