Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rio de Janeiro (Agenzia Fides) - According to UNAIDS 1.6 million people in Latin America in Latin America are infected with the HIV virus. Since the beginning of 2007, 100,000 new cases have been reported and 58,000 of the patients died due to AIDS connected illnesses. Moreover it emerged that one third of HIV+ Latin Americans live in Brazil, a country which thanks to an anti AIDS campaign in 2005 has reduced the number of infected persons to 620,000.
According to report issued by the World Health Organisation the number of new cases in Brazil dropped by 5%, from 22.2 in 2002, to 19.5 in 2005 and to 17.5 every 100,000 people in 2006. WHO says the programme of swift detailed testing and free distribution of anti-retroviral therapy used by Brazil is an example for all developing countries.
Government reports say the number of deaths due to AIDS in 2006 dropped to 9.561, compared to 11.100 registered in 2005.
Brazil's successful anti-AIDS programme is due firstly to swift testing even in isolated parts of the Amazon region to prevent new cases and avoid future deaths. And secondly to the fact that the Brazilian government insisted that the cost of anti-retroviral treatment should be lower. It went as far as to suspend a patent for an AIDS therapy drug produced by a multinational company and sold 38% of the patients, because the price was too high. When the company in question refused to lower the price, Brazil took the unprecedented decision to withdraw the company's patent altogether and to import a cheaper generic anti-AIDS drug produced in India which will be distributed in Brazil next year.
(AP) (13/12/2007 Agenzia Fides; Righe:32; Parole:409)
