AIDS 2010: EXPANDED EDITION OF THE KAISER DAILY GLOBAL HEALTH POLICY REPORT
http://globalhealth.kff.org/News.aspx
The Kaiser Family Foundation and the International AIDS Society bring you
webcasts and news summaries from AIDS 2010 in an expanded edition of the Kaiser
Daily Global Health Policy Report, a synthesis of health news coverage from
around the world that focuses on U.S. policy discussions and debates on global
health, including HIV/AIDS.

View Kaiser's complete conference coverage
http://globalhealth.kff.org/AIDS2010
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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1. AIDS 2010: Study Finds Microbicide Containing HIV Drug Lowers Infection Risk In
Women By 39%
2. AIDS 2010: Number Of HIV-Positive Patients On ARVs Grew To 5.2M In 2009 With
10M Still In Need, WHO Says
3. AIDS 2010 Interviews
4. AIDS 2010 Webcasts Now Available
5. Sec. Of State Clinton Stresses Importance Of Science And Innovation For
Development
6. Opinions: AIDS Vaccine And Cure; China's Role In The Global Fund; Child
Marriage Prevention Act; Gorbachev On Safe Water
7. Washington Post Examines Haiti Rebuilding Challenges
8. Also In Global Health News: Malaria Drugs In Kenya; Dengue Epidemic In
Caribbean; Kenya's Controversial Draft Constitution; UN Women Budget
****************************************
1. AIDS 2010: Study Finds Microbicide Containing HIV Drug Lowers Infection Risk In
Women By 39%
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A microbicide gel containing Gilead's HIV  drug tenofovir  used by women before
and after sex has been shown to reduce their risk of HIV infection by nearly
40%, according to a study unveiled at the International AIDS Conference-AIDS
2010, Reuters reports (Ingham, 7/19).

The Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) trial
showed that the gel "curbed the risk of infection by the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) by 39 percent overall, but by 54 percent among those women who used
it most consistently," Agence France-Presse reports (7/19).  "The gel also
reduced the risk of contracting genital herpes by 51 percent, a factor which
could slow the spread of HIV even further, given that people with genital
herpes have double the risk of getting HIV," according to the study, HealthDay
News/U.S. News & World Report writes (Gardner, 7/19).

"The clinical trial of the microbicide  -- a 1% concentration of the drug
incorporated into a colorless, odorless gel and distributed in a plastic
applicator  -- was organized by the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Quarraisha
Abdool Karim and Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim of the Center for the AIDS Program
of Research in Durban, South Africa," the Los Angeles Times reports.

As detailed in the study, published online Monday in the journal Science,
researchers "enrolled 889 sexually active women between the ages of 18 and 40
in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal; about half received the gel
with microbicide and half a placebo. The women were told to use the gel in the
12 hours before they expected to have sex and in the 12 hours afterward. The
researchers collected applicators to monitor compliance," according to the
newspaper (Maugh, 7/20).

"The gel [used in the trial] was developed by CONRAD, a nonprofit organization
based in Arlington, Virginia, and funded by the U.S. and South African
governments under royalty-free license from Foster City, California-based
Gilead, the world's biggest maker of AIDS medicines," Bloomberg Businessweek
reports in an article that looks at the future production of the microbicide
(Randall/Bennett, 7/19).

The study "is the first time an HIV-prevention method controlled by women, who
bear the brunt of the epidemic in Africa, has been shown to work. About a third
of women in the study said their partners didn't know they were using the
clear, odorless gel," the Wall Street Journal reports. "The findings come at a
time when donor nations have been balking at continued large increases for
funding AIDS treatment, intensifying pressure on finding new ways to prevent
people from contracting the virus in the first place," the newspaper adds
(Schoofs/Wonacott, 7/20).

"Over the past 15 years, six other microbicides were tested in 11 clinical
trials, with none showing protection," the Washington Post  reports  (Brown,
7/19).

"All participants were tested for HIV at monthly follow-up visits, at which
they also received reproductive health services, such as pregnancy tests, and
HIV prevention services, including pre- and post-test counseling, HIV
risk-reduction counseling, condoms and treatment for other sexually transmitted
infections," CBC News reports. "At the end of the study, there were 38 HIV
infections among the microbicide group compared with 60 in the other group,"
the news service adds (7/19).

"[W]hy the drug-containing gel did not work even better perplexed some
scientists and will probably be a subject of more study," the newspaper adds.
"The net impact seen in the study reflects the combined effect of many
variables, only one of them the action of tenofovir, which penetrates into the
vaginal tissue, protecting the cells that HIV targets for infection. Other
variables include the prevalence of HIV infection in the male population; the
number of sexual partners a woman had; the amount of AIDS virus ('viral load')
in an infected man's semen; concurrent use of condoms; and, most important, the
consistency with which a woman used the gel," Washington Post writes.

"For that reason, the researchers said, it's impossible to say how much
protection this microbicide might afford any woman," the newspaper writes.  The
article includes comments by Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and other HIV/AIDS experts (Brown,
7/19).

More Trials Needed

"Broader trials are needed to confirm the results, and it will most likely be
years before the product is publicly available, but if produced on a large
scale the gel would cost less than 25 cents per application, the lead
investigators estimated," the New York Times reports. "Because the trial was
relatively small and the gel was nowhere close to 100 percent effective, AIDS
scientists and public health officials wanted to see another trial get similar
results before they undertook the large fund-raising and public education
efforts that would be needed to make billions of doses of the gel, as well as
the applicators, which are more expensive, and then to persuade women to use
them and governments of poor countries to adopt them" (Dugger, 7/19).

The Wall Street Journal also notes caveats to the study, including the fact
"[t]he effectiveness of the intervention seemed to wane over time, dropping
from 50% at one year to 39% at two and a half years" (7/20). "Rather than an
issue with the medication, the researchers speculate that it was 'largely due
to diminishing adherence,' Salim Abdool Karim said, noting that women might
have come to internalize the disclaimers repeated at their monthly clinic
visits -- that the gel was only experimental and might not work at all,"
Scientific American's "Observations" blog reports (Harmon, 7/19).

"At 12, 18, 24 and 30 months, the gel showed statistically significant
protection against HIV. Still, the trial wasn't designed to have enough
statistical power to win regulatory approval for the gel, said Anthony Fauci,
director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who
wasn't involved in the study. It is 'a proof of concept that needs to be
validated' by a second trial, he said," the newspaper writes. "A larger trial
of about 5,000 women, using the same gel but with a different dosing regimen,
is under way in Africa. Results aren't expected until 2013" (7/19).

"[T]he gel still needs to be further researched, licensed and approved and is
not likely to be available to women at clinics any time within the next year or
two, said [Salim] Abdool Karim," HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report
adds (7/19).

Still, HIV/AIDS experts gathered at AIDS 2010 expressed optimism in response to
the study, the New York Times continues. "This is very encouraging," UNAIDS
Executive Director Michel Sidibe said. "It can be controlled by women, and put
in 12 hours earlier, and that is empowering. They do not have to ask the man
for permission to use it. And the cost of the gel is not high" (7/19).

"In the study, each dose of the gel cost 32 cents, of which 30 cents went to
the plastic applicator and packaging. Economies of scale would likely slash
that price, and the drug itself would probably only cost a penny per dose,
according to the Clinton Health Access Initiative," the Wall Street Journal
adds (7/20).

"Even partial protection is a huge victory," according to the Associated
Press/Philadelphia Inquirer  and "[c]ountries may come to different decisions
about whether a gel that offers this amount of protection should be licensed"
(Marchione, 7/20).

"The CAPRISA 004 study is an exciting scientific achievement that moves us one
step forward to gaining another effective tool to prevent HIV infection," Fauci
said in a statement. "However, because no one approach will be appropriate or
acceptable to all, we must continue to pursue a range of HIV prevention
modalities, including microbicides, PrEP, and vaccines, as we simultaneously
pursue scientific strategies designed to bring us closer to finding a cure for
HIV/AIDS" (7/19)

"As a leader in implementation science, USAID will collaborate with PEPFAR,
multi-lateral agencies, and partner countries to ensure the full benefits of
this advance reach vulnerable women and girls across the world, particularly
those in low-resource settings," USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said in a
statement. Shah also noted that trials led by in-country investigators,  "builds
the research capacity of the developing world, contributes to sustainable
health systems, and exemplifies how President Obama's Global Health Initiative
intends to leverage technology and innovation to improve health around the
world"  (7/19).

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi,
who spoke Tuesday at the conference, said of the trial, "We believe in an
evidence-based approach and if scientists say this thing is going to work, then
we will definitely be looking at it. ... So far, evidence is showing that it is
... very promising." According to the news service, Fauci "said countries with
the greatest need should be able to move forward with using new HIV/AIDS
medicines without having to wait for regulators such as the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration to license them. ... He also said he could see no reason why ...
PEPFAR, would not be free to decide to pay for such a gel for the use in
developing countries even before it gets approval from drugs regulators"
(Kelland, 7/20).

A Reuters factbox highlights findings from the CAPRISA trial (7/19).

A Wall Street timeline explores scientists' efforts to develop a gel capable of
protecting against HIV, dating back to 1990 (7/19).

Webcasts of the trial presentation and press conference are now available.   All
of the Kaiser Family Foundation's webcasts of select sessions from AIDS 2010
are available at www.kff.org/aids2010.

2. AIDS 2010: Number Of HIV-Positive Patients On ARVs Grew To 5.2M In 2009 With
10M Still In Need, WHO Says

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"The number of HIV-positive people receiving antiretroviral drugs [ARVs] for
their infections jumped by more than a quarter in 2009, growing from 4 million
to 5.2 million, the World Health Organization said Monday at the International
AIDS Conference  in Vienna," the Los Angeles Times reports (7/19).

"Between 2003 and 2010, the number of patients receiving lifesaving
antiretroviral treatment increased twelve-fold, according to the Geneva-based
body," the Associated Press notes (Oleksyn, 7/19).

"This is the largest increase in people accessing treatment in a single year.
It is an extremely encouraging development," Hiroki Nakatani, WHO assistant
director-general for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical
diseases, said in a statement issued by the WHO (7/19).

The WHO in November revised its HIV treatment recommendations, advising HIV
treatment begin when the patient CD4 levels -- a measure of immune system
response -- fall around 350, rather than 200   (Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy
Report, 11/30). During AIDS 2010, the WHO will be calling for countries to
begin earlier HIV treatment for patients living with HIV, "stating that early
use of medicines also acts as a preventive measure by reducing levels of the
virus in the body, so carriers are less likely to pass on the disease," as well
as helping slash rates of HIV-related deaths, Bloomberg reports (Craig, 7/19).

On Monday at AIDS 2010 the WHO "issued the first overhaul of its guidelines on
HIV drugs in four years," Agence-France Presse reports. In the 156-page report
the WHO elaborated on the HIV treatment recommendations the agency issued last
November, "along with many other guidelines on drug use, including second-line
therapy if a first course of treatment fails," the news service writes.

"Guideline revisions have an enormous impact, both for new patients and health
budgets," AFP writes. "Earlier initiation means that people will be exposed
longer  -- about one or two years more, said the report  -- to ART's side effects
and the risk of viral resistance." According to the WHO, the report will be
updated again in 2012, AFP notes (7/19).

"WHO's treatment guidelines expand the number of people recommended for HIV
treatment from an estimated 10 million to an estimated 15 million. The cost
needed for HIV treatment in 2010 will be about US$ 9 billion, according to the
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)," according to the WHO
statement.

"Starting treatment earlier gives us an opportunity to enable people living
with HIV to stay healthier and live longer," Gottfried Hirnschall, WHO director
of HIV/AIDS, said (7/19).

"Earlier HIV treatment can prevent so-called 'opportunistic infections'
including tuberculosis (TB), which is the biggest killer of people with HIV,"
Reuters reports (Kelland, 7/19). "The agency estimated that AIDS-related deaths
could be reduced by 20% from 2010 to 2015 if the new recommendation was widely
adopted. Tuberculosis deaths ... could be reduced by as much as 90% if people
with both HIV and TB infections began treatment earlier," according to the Los
Angeles Times (7/19).

TV  Shows Help Change Attitudes About HIV/AIDS

A study of MTV shows in Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago and Zambia designed to
convey messages to young people about HIV/AIDS had "dramatic" results on
attitudes about the disease, Reuters reports. Researchers found that the
U.N.-backed shows changed the way young people think about HIV/AIDS, according
to the study, released Tuesday at AIDS 2010, the news service writes (Kelland,
7/20).

"UNICEF and PEPFAR worked out priority messages to get across to young people
through the story, about having multiple sexual partners, about the need to get
tested for HIV, and about stigma," the Guardian writes (Boseley, 7/20).

"MTV, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, commissioned
Johns Hopkins University to evaluate" the drama series, which reached youth in
96% of the Top 50 HIV/AIDS impacted countries working with over 85 broadcasters
in over 100 countries," according to a press release.  The study "shows that
young people understand the messages conveyed in [the TV series] Shuga, that
young people talk about HIV issues after seeing the programme. Among those
young people who have seen the programme, those who like and find the
storylines realistic are more likely to change their attitudes and behavioural
intentions around HIV and AIDS (towards healthier attitudes and behaviours),"
the press release states (7/20).

"More than 80 percent of those who saw Shuga believed it changed their thinking
about multiple concurrent partners, HIV testing and the stigma associated with"
HIV, Reuters writes (7/20).

News Outlets Examine Search For AIDS Vaccine

"AIDS experts and advocates gathering in Vienna ... will hear about progress in
protecting people from the deadly virus using drugs, and ways to affect
behavior. No breakthrough news is expected on a vaccine. But researchers are
more hopeful than they have been in years that it may be possible," Reuters
reports in an article highlighting recent progress towards and AIDS vaccine.

"Two studies published in the past year have greatly raised hopes," the news
service writes. "In one published last September, a combination of two older
vaccines lowered the infection rate by about a third after three years among
16,000 ordinary Thai volunteers. In a second study, published earlier this
month, researchers discovered human antibodies that can protect against a wide
range of AIDS viruses."

"There has been a renaissance in AIDS vaccines," Seth Berkley, president of the
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, said (Fox, 7/17). A related Reuters
factbox notes some recent AIDS vaccine developments (7/18).

"Experts are optimistic that breakthroughs in HIV vaccine research are possible
if they work together," Inter Press Service writes in an article examining the
quest to create an effective AIDS vaccine. According to IPS, the Global HIV
Vaccine Enterprise, a collaborative group comprised of more than 400 scientists
from around the world, plans to release a strategic plan in September. The
article also discusses other prevention approaches and outlines why a vaccine
is so desirable (Jaffer, 7/18).

Group  Wants Investigation Of U.S. Trade Policy's Affect On Drug Access; PEPFAR
Saves With Generics

A coalition of health and HIV/AIDS organizations announced Tuesday that they
had "formally asked" U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health Anand
Grover to examine whether U.S. trade policies are "violating the health rights
of millions of poor people around the world" because they can make it harder to
access "life-saving drugs," Reuters reports.

According to the groups, the U.S. has used an "annual report produced by the
U.S. Trade Representative's office that ranks countries with the worst records
on protecting U.S. intellectual property rights for goods ranging from CDs to
medicines ... to pressure countries to give up certain public health rights they
have under a World Trade Organization agreement on intellectual property rights
known as TRIPS."

"'Up to and including the 2009 Special 301 report, Brazil, India, Thailand and
other countries were threatened with sanctions under Special 301 for taking
advantage of TRIPS flexibilities, including utilizing transition periods and
issuing compulsory licenses' to allow domestic firms to produce cheaper
versions of drugs patented by U.S. companies, the groups said in their
allegation letter to Grover," Reuters writes. "This year's Special 301 report
again put Thailand on its 'priority watch list,' one step short of its most
serious designation. The country has battled with U.S. drug companies over
steps it has taken in its aggressive anti-AIDS campaign" (Palmer, 7/20).

In related news, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association shows that PEPFAR "saved an estimated $323,343,256 from 2005 to
2008 through the use of generic antiretroviral drugs (ARVs)," according to a
press release issued by PEPFAR, Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute and
Supply Chain Management System.

"Among PEPFAR-supported programs in 16 countries, availability of generic ARVs
was associated with increased ARV procurement and substantial estimated cost
savings. While ARV expenditures increased from $116.8 million in 2005 to $202.2
million in 2008, procurement increased from 6.2 million to 22.1 million monthly
packs. The proportion spent on generic ARVs increased from 9.2% in 2005 to
76.4% in 2008, and the proportion of generic packs procured increased from
14.8% in 2005 to 89.3% in 2008," the press release states.

Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, said, "Drugs are no
longer the main driver of treatment costs, so in addition to savings from
generics, the systems we've put into place for procurement and distribution are
making efficiencies possible throughout national health systems. Our increasing
efficiency is saving money that PEPFAR and the broader U.S. Global Health
Initiative can use to save more lives -- and that's the bottom line" (7/18).

All of the Kaiser Family Foundation's webcasts of select sessions from AIDS
2010 are available at www.kff.org/aids2010.

3. AIDS 2010 Interviews

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Managing editor of the Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, Jill Braden
Balderas,  talks with  global health leaders participating in AIDS 2010.

brightcove.createExperiences();

Family Health International President of Research Ward Cates, MD, MPH, and
CONRAD Executive Director Henry Gablenick, PhD, discuss the CAPRISA trial
results showing an antiretroviral-based microbicide reduced the risk of HIV
infection in women by 39%.

brightcove.createExperiences();

Lydia Mungherera, MD, an HIV-positive physician from Uganda who represents
African NGOs on the UNAIDS board, talks about what a viable microbicide would
mean for women and what she thinks is key for donor nations helping Africa.

brightcove.createExperiences();

Vienna Notebook: Jon Cohen, a reporter for Science magazine, provides daily
insights and observations from the conference in interviews with the Kaiser
Family Foundation's Jackie Judd.

All webcasts are available at www.kff.org/aids2010 .

4. AIDS 2010 Webcasts Now Available

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The following webcasts are now available at
http://globalhealth.kff.org/AIDS2010 .

Monday

The Double-Edged Sword: Long-Term Complications of ART and HIV

The Forgotten Epidemics: HIV and HCV in Prisons, Pre-Trial Detention, and other
Closed Settings

Youth: Providing Leadership on AIDS and Demanding Accountability

Law Reform in the Context of HIV: Are Human Rights Protected or Compromised?

Tuesday

Tuesday Plenary

Starting HAART: When to Take the First Step?

Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and HIV: Lessons
from the Field

Human Resources: The Ultimate Bottleneck

What have you Done for HIV/AIDS Lately? The Role of Human Rights Mechanisms in
Advancing the AIDS Response

Bridging the Divide: Inter-Disciplinary Partnerships for HIV and Health Systems

Safety and Effectiveness of 1% Tenofovir Vaginal Microbicide Gel in South
African Women: Results of the CAPRISA 004 Trial

Official Press Conference: Newsmakers of the Day -- About CAPRISA 004  Trial

The Future of Universal Access -- Part 1

5. Sec. Of State Clinton Stresses Importance Of Science And Innovation For
Development

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"Innovation, science [and] technology must again become fundamental components
of how we conduct development work," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
told a "high-level meeting of international development and science experts"
last week,  SciDev.net  reports. The meeting, Transforming Development Through
Science Technology and Innovation, "was originally billed as a consultation to
help map out a 'bold new' science strategy for [USAID]. But observers say it
went beyond that, putting science and innovation firmly at the heart of USAID's
work and the administration's development policy."  The article notes that the
meeting "follows the recent appointment of a science and technology adviser and
repeated calls for USAID to consider more focused approach to its support of
science and technology in developing countries," the news service writes.

Specifically, Clinton  "emphasised the need to collaborate with the private
sector, non-governmental organizations and, particularly, local groups." She
also said the administration is encouraging science diplomacy and exploring
ways to promote innovation by including competitions "that encourage more
people to put their own intellectual capital to work."

The article also includes comments from Alex Dehgan, conference co-chair; Rajiv
Shah, USAID administrator; Vaughan Turekian, an officer at the American
Association for the Advancement of Science; and John Holdren, director of the
White House office of Science and Technology, who "told the meeting that
[President Barack] Obama would be looking for ways to take concrete actions on
the conference recommendations" (Sharma, 7/16).

6. Opinions: AIDS Vaccine And Cure; China's Role In The Global Fund; Child
Marriage Prevention Act; Gorbachev On Safe Water

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AIDS Vaccine, Cure Important Long-Term Solutions

A Globe and Mail editorial discusses the importance of "the quest for an AIDS
vaccine and the search for a cure," stating that "it is simply not possible to
'treat' our way out of this disease." The authors write that  "for every person
who receives treatment -- which must continue over their entire lifetime -- about
three new people become infected."

The editorial cites two "exciting breakthroughs" and cautions that they "may
take years to become therapeutic realities." First, research published in
Science "identified two antibodies in an HIV-positive individual which, when
put together, block 90 percent of the HIV strains." Additionally, "one
researcher is focusing on the case of a leukemia patient in Berlin who appears
to have been cured of HIV after a stem cell transplant. The donor had a genetic
mutation that rendered him -- and his recipient -- resistant to HIV" (7/19).

China Should  Shift From Major Global Fund Recipient To Donor

In a Foreign Policy opinion piece, Jack Chow,  who was the lead U.S. negotiator
at talks that established the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria, writes about China's relationship with the Global Fund, noting that
although the  country has "$2.5 trillion in foreign currency reserves," it is
the fourth largest recipient of grants from the fund. "China has won malaria
grant money totaling $149 million (and $89 million more might be on the way)  --
in a country where only 38 deaths from the mosquito-borne illness were reported
last year. That is more than the $122 million awarded to the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, which reported nearly 25,000 malaria deaths during the
same period," Chow observes before explaining why China is eligible for these
grants and its motives in seeking them.

Despite his opposition to the amount of money China receives from the Global
Fund, he grants that China's health system faces "formidable challenges," but
writes that it is  "audacious for China to assert that it needs international
health assistance on par with the world's poorest countries." Chow continues,
"In fact, at the same time it is drawing from the Global Fund, China is
building its entire global image ... To boost its public profile and prestige,
China spent billions to host the Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai World Expo.
... Surely it could spend another $1 billion of its cash on health as well. And
why not take it one step further? By becoming a Global Fund donor, China could
win acclaim with the West and the world's poorest  -- earning exactly the kind of
respect that a rising power deserves" (7/19).

Congress Should Pass Act To Prevent Child Marriage

Congress can "take action by passing the International Protecting Girls by
Preventing Child Marriage Act (H.R. 2103), a bill with 100 bipartisan
co-sponsors that has the power to protect girls and bring an end to forced
marriage," Reps. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) write in
a Roll Call opinion piece.

"Beyond violating a girl's most basic human rights, child marriage causes
myriad negative educational, social and health consequences ... child brides are
at a higher risk for domestic violence, contracting sexually transmitted
infections such as HIV, and complications in pregnancy and childbirth," the
authors write. In addition, child marriage "undermines U.S. foreign assistance
investments to improve education, health and economic development" because it
hinders girls from accessing U.S. funded school or health assistance. The
legislation, according to the piece, would require the U.S. to create an
"integrated, strategic approach to protect girls" and "require the State
Department to identify countries where child marriage is common in the annual
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" (7/19).

Gorbachev Calls For Safe Water As A Human Right

"The right of every human being to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
should be recognized and realized," writes Mikhail Gorbachev in a New York
Times opinion piece. He notes that the U.N. estimates that nearly "900 million
people live without clean water and 2.6 billion without proper sanitation." The
former Soviet Union leader writes the "humanitarian catastrophe has been
allowed to fester for generations. We must stop it."

Gorbachev calls this month's U.N. General Assembly vote on an "historic
resolution declaring the human right to 'safe and clean drinking water and
sanitation'" a "pivotal opportunity." The piece examines  the situation in
nations that have declared safe water as a human right, including ones in Asia
and Europe, but writes "the United States and Canada are among the very few
that have not formally embraced the right to safe water." The author also
states that "expanding access to water and sanitation will open many other
development bottlenecks. Water and Sanitation are vital to everything from
education to health to population control" (7/16).

7. Washington Post Examines Haiti Rebuilding Challenges

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The Washington Post examines the international effort to rebuild Haiti after
the January 12 earthquake.

"U.S. lawmakers and international aid officials have expressed mounting concern
about the slow recovery of the hemisphere's poorest country ... Despite
ambitious plans to 'build back better,' as U.N. and U.S. officials promised,
the reconstruction has been hobbled by a lack of coordination and cash and by a
virtually incapacitated Haitian government, officials and experts say,"
according to the  article, which outlines the challenges facing the rebuilding
effort and the reasons why pledged aid has been slow to reach the country.

The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) has brought unique  obstacles.  U.S.
officials said Haitian President Rene Preval "was slow to warm" to the  IHRC -- a
"centerpiece" of the rebuilding effort -- and the Haitian government took weeks
to approve it and  "assemble a staff." Meanwhile,  the "commission's board has
held only one meeting. ... It still hasn't named a full-time executive director
to run it on a day-to-day basis." Leslie Voltaire, the Haitian special envoy to
the U.N., said,  "It's like Catch-22. I think the donors are waiting for the
IHRC to show its capacity. To have capacity, it has to have resources."

The newspaper notes that the U.S. has not yet disbursed about $900 million of
promised aid money, according to http://haitispecialenvoy.org. "Although the
U.S. government has spent hundreds of millions on short-term emergency aid, the
rest of the funds are in a supplemental budget bill that has been held up in
Congress by an unrelated dispute over state aid," the Washington Post writes
(Sheridan, 7/19).

8. Also In Global Health News: Malaria Drugs In Kenya; Dengue Epidemic In
Caribbean; Kenya's Controversial Draft Constitution; UN Women Budget

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Kenya To Benefit From Deal To Cut Malaria Drug Prices In Half

Business Daily reports that "Kenyans are set to benefit from a major deal that
is likely to cut prices of malaria drugs by more than half, easing the pressure
on family medical costs." The deal involves the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, six manufacturers of malaria drugs and the Clinton
Health Access Initiative, the paper reports. Under the new agreement,
"manufacturers will sell [artemisinin-based combination therapies] ACTs to
first-line buyers from the private sector at the same reduced prices as they
sell to those in the public sector," including government hospitals. The
article includes comments from, Global Fund Executive Director Michel
Kazatchkine and former  U.S.  President Bill Clinton. In addition to Kenya, "the
new initiative will benefit Cambodia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria,
Senegal, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Uganda and be expanded globally after two
years," Business Daily writes (Mbogo, 7/19).

Health Authorities Voice Concerns Dengue Could Worsen In Caribbean

Dengue fever is "reaching epidemic stages across the Caribbean," the Associated
Press  reports. Dozens of deaths have been reported and health authorities are
"concerned it could get much worse as the rainy season advances." The article
examines the  situation in the Dominican Republic and  Trinidad, where hospitals
are "running out of beds," and Puerto Rico where "at least five people have
died" and "another 6,300 suspected cases have been reported as of mid-July."
Senen Caba, president of the Dominican Medical Association, "said the last time
the country experienced a similar dengue epidemic was a decade ago" (Coto,
7/18).

Three Members Of Congress Accuse U.S. Of Supporting Kenya Draft Constitution
They Say Would Widen Access To Abortion Services

"Three Republican members of the U.S. Congress are accusing the Obama
administration of using money meant for civic education in Kenya to back a
draft constitution that they fear would increase access to abortion in the
African country," the Associated Press writes. The news service reports that
the U.S. Embassy provided $11 million in support to 200 subgrantees "in support
of constitutional reform"; an investigation found that nine supported a
constitutional draft that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) says "reduces the
qualifications needed of the abortion provider from current Kenyan law." An
embassy spokeswoman said it "has since suspended or concluded those nine
grants." The AP also notes that "[a] part of U.S. law known as the Siljander
Amendment makes it illegal for foreign assistance funds to be used to lobby for
or against abortion" (Odula/Straziuso, 7/17).

U.N. Women Agency Projects $500M Budget, But 'Enormous Needs' Remain

The U.N.'s new women's entity will have a projected annual budget of $500
million which "may still leave the agency lacking in influence and impact,
civil society advocates say," IRIN reports. U.N. Women, which will formally
exist in January 2011, will use the bulk of its budget for "programming to
directly benefit the world's most vulnerable women," the news service  writes.
Though the budget "more than doubles all the resources now available to the
four U.N. gender agencies," United Nations Development Fund for Women  Deputy
Executive Director Moez Doraid "says it is minuscule, compared to our needs,
and those are enormous needs" (7/16).

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