cases of HIV in many impoverished states including Tajikistan

n response the WHO said that it was "totally wrong" to claim that condoms did not protect against HIV and:

"It is quite dangerous to claim the contrary when you realize that today we are facing an epidemic which has already killed 20 million people and 42 million people are infected today."²⁵

There was a sharp rise in trafficking of heroin through central Asia. This caused an increase in drug addiction and cases of HIV in many impoverished states including Tajikistan. Since the fall of the Taliban, who had banned the growing of opium poppies (the raw material for making heroin), production had skyrocketed in Afghanistan.²⁶

In the US, estimates suggested there had been fewer than 100 AIDS diagnosses among children during 2002, compared to nearly 1,000 in 1992. The dramatic reduction was due to widespread use of antiretroviral drugs and avoidance of breastfeeding.²⁷

South Africa approved the long-awaited provision of free antiretroviral drugs in public hospitals

In November the UN World Food Programme said it would shift its humanitarian aid effort in southern Africa from traditional emergency food supply to a greater response to HIV/AIDS including providing nutritional support, awareness campaigns, food baskets and other services to HIV-positive people.²⁸

Many drug manufacturers lowered their prices of antiretroviral drugs in resource-poor countries during 2003. Although these price reductions were welcomed by many countries and organisations, it was understood that 'lower price medicines alone will not deliver treatment'. What was also needed was the ability of countries to deliver these drugs, building of stronger health systems and training of more health care workers in resource-poor countries.²⁹

South Africa approved the long-awaited provision of free antiretroviral drugs in public hospitals in November. The cabinet instructed the Department of Health to proceed with implementation of the plan, which envisaged that within a year there would be at least one service point in every health district across the country, and within five years, one service point in every local municipality.³⁰

UNAIDS warned that the efforts to stem the world's AIDS epidemic were 'entirely inadequate'. It was estimated that every day in 2003, around 14,000 people became infected with HIV. It was estimated that 40 million around the world including 2.5 million children were living with HIV/AIDS.³¹

Meanwhile India's health minister said that there would never be a widespread AIDS epidemic in the country.

"I will prove all experts wrong. We are taking on the disease from all fronts. We are tackling it very bravely."Sushma Swaraj -³²

On World AIDS Day the WHO announced a new plan called '3 by 5' to provide HIV/AIDS treatment for many resource-poor countries. The plan had many different elements, but the WHO were not planning to provide the drugs themselves. The WHO was hoping to have 3 million people in resource poor countries on AIDS drugs by the end of 2005