Food crisis could hit HIV treatment
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Spiralling food costs could cause a new crisis in Africa’s HIV programme, a UK aid agency has warned.
Speaking ahead of an HIV-Aids conference in Mexico, Cafod said advances in treatment for the virus could be swiftly undermined by the soaring price owf foodstuff.
Its partners in Africa have reported sufferers coming off anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, while the effectiveness of the treatment was being weakened by poor diets.
The last few years have seen a surge in the availability of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs in poor areas of Africa. But as the cost of food continues to rise, people are increasingly struggling to afford a balanced diet essential for the success of ARV treatment.
HIV patients are also coming off treatment to avoid the cost of travelling to clinics and in some cases buying the drugs, Cafod said.
There is also evidence that some people are coming off ARV treatment so that they do not incur the increased appetite that the treatment gives.
If people stop taking ARVs there is a higher risk of resistance. This in turn could lead to a drug resistant strain of the virus being passed on, aid workers have warned.
Tags: Food, food crisis, ford, rvs, spira