Reports in January suggested that the rate of HIV in Swaziland

History

Reports in January suggested that the rate of HIV in Swaziland was the world's highest with almost four out of ten adults infected. Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini said that prevalence had risen to 38.6% from 34.2% in January 2002. Although this figure was just under Botswana's rate of 38.8%, health officials said that Swaziland's figures were already out of date.¹

Botswana was struggling to expand its antiretroviral treatment programme, largely because of a shortage of health workers. The government had hoped to provide drugs to 19,000 people by the end of 2002, but had enrolled only 3,200 by the end of January 2003.²

Jerry Thacker, a controversial Christian extremist chosen by the White House to sit on a presidential AIDS advisory panel and who once described the virus as the 'gay plague', was forced to withdraw his name after protests from gay rights groups.³

In his State of the Union address on 28th January, US president George Bush proposed spending $15 billion in combating AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean over the next 5 years. He called the scheme 'a great mission of rescue'.⁴

"This comprehensive plan will prevent 7 million new 'AIDS' infections, treat at least 2 million people with life-extending drugs, and provide humane care for millions of people suffering from AIDS, and for children orphaned by AIDS." President Bush⁵

Just two days later, US Health Secretary Tommy Thompson was elected as the new chairman of the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria. It was hoped this move would prevent a conflict between the Bush administration and the international health community.⁶

In February, a rare case of female-to-female sexual transmission of HIV was reported. Doctors suggested the woman may have been infected through sharing sex toys after drug resistance tests found striking similarities between the HIV strains in her and her female partner.⁷