OF NOTE THIS WEEK
The Foundation for AIDS Research, amfAR, released a new report on the proposed budget cuts by the incoming Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives. A press release on the report states that the Republican proposal to return to FY2008 budget levels "will drastically limit HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and research spending, affecting millions of people in the U.S. and around the world".
The mHealth Summit was also underway this week in Washington, DC, where leaders in government, the private sector, academia and not-for-profit organizations joined to share information on the use of mobile technology in health research and policy. The authors of a study on the effects of a mobile phone on antiretroviral treatment adherence presented their findings at the conference, which show that "Using mobile-phone text messages to remind HIV patients to take their dose of life-saving medications can give a major boost to drug adherence", the AFP reports.
NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DONORS
- Rwanda donates US$ 1 million to the Global Fund; 'Gift From Africa' Private sector summit in Rwanda raises US$ 2 million; and Anglo American pledges US$ 3 million
- UNAIDS released the third of five animated films on HIV Prevention as part of the Prevention Revolution campaign
OTHER NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS
- Africa: PEPFAR Showing Greater Effectiveness, Efficiency Against HIV/AIDS (All Africa)
- New Lines of Attack in H.I.V. Prevention (New York Times)
- Experts meet to discuss effect of HIV on agriculture (Daily Monitor)
- U.S. expands assistance for grassroots HIV/AIDS groups (The Zimbabwean)
- Rwanda: Gov't Receives U.S. 379 Million Global Fund Aid (All Africa)
- Zambia: AIDS accounts for 13% of agric staff deaths in Zambia (Afrique en ligne)
- Text messaging joins Africa's war on AIDS (AFP)
- Bush's memoirs: Confronting AIDS 'a key element of my foreign policy' (The Guardian)
- Africa: Mobile Phones 'Powerful' in Promoting Health, Advocates Say (All Africa)
RECENT CGD HEALTH POLICY BLOGS
- Getting More Than a Buzz out of mHealth By Nandini Oomman
- Coke in Africa: Please Market Diet! By Amanda Glassman
HIV/AIDS MONITOR RECOMMENDATIONS AND POLICY IMPACT
- The HIV/AIDS Monitor has been tracking the policy changes among PEPFAR, the Global Fund and the World Bank MAP related to the recommendations that have come out of our research. Explore these changes using our interactive flash tool.