Scaling Up Treatment for the Global AIDS Pandemic - Challenges and Opportunities

An estimated forty million people carry the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and five million more become newly infected annually. In recent years, many HIV-infected patients in wealthy nations have enjoyed significantly longer, good-quality lives as a result of antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, most infected individuals live in the poorest regions of the world, where ART is virtually nonexistent. The consequent death toll in these regions--especially sub-Saharan Africa--is begetting economic and social collapse.
To inform the multiple efforts underway to deploy antiretroviral drugs in resource-poor settings, the Institute of Medicine committee was asked to conduct an independent review and assessment of rapid scale-up ART programs. It was also asked to identify the components of effective implementation programs.
At the heart of the committee's report lie five imperatives:

• Immediately introduce and scale up ART programs in resource-poor settings.
• Devise strategies to ensure high levels of patient adherence to complicated treatment regimens.
• Rapidly address human-resource shortages to avoid the failure of program implementation.
• Continuously monitor and evaluate the programs to form the most effective guidelines and treatment regimens for each population.
• Prepare to sustain ART for decades.

About the author

Summary

The Institute of Medicine committee was asked to conduct a review and assessment of rapid scale-up ART programs. At the heart of the committee's report lie five imperatives: immediately introduce and scale up ART programs in resource-poor settings; devise strategies to ensure high levels of patient adherence to treatment regimens; and more.

Product details

• Authors: Board On Global Health, Committee on Examining the Probable Cons, Committee on Examining the Probable Consequences of Alternative Patterns of Widespread Antiretroviral Drug Use in Resource-Constrained Settings, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
• Assisted by: Monisha Arya (Editor), James Curran (Editor), Haile Debas (Editor), Institute of Medicine of the National Ac (Editor), Patrick Kelley (Editor), Stacey Knobler (Editor), Leslie Pray (Editor), Leslie A. Pray (Editor)
• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 24.12.2004
• EAN: 9780309092647
• ISBN: 978-0-309-09264-7
• No. of pages: 344
• Dimensions: 165 mm x 227 mm x 19 mm
• Weight: 549 g
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Clinical medicine; Medical / Nursing, MEDICAL / AIDS & HIV