WHO hopes to treat 3M with HIV drugs
The WHO announced efforts to treat 3M people with antiretroviral drugs according to this New York Times story (registration required). The WHO also called on developing countries to train 100,000 healthcare and nonprofessionals to help implement its plans by 2005. Wesley Clark announced his plans in a speech today, World AIDS Day.
The organization, a United Nations agency, said 6 million of the 40 million people infected with the AIDS virus were in immediate need of antiretroviral treatment, but that only about 480,000 were receiving it.
The new program, which the organization said would cost at least $5.5 billion, is intended to reach half those in need by the end of 2005 — two million more than would be reached by then without such a program.