Desirable Services and Guidelines for the Treatment and Palliative Care of HIV Disease Patients with Cancer in Africa: A World Health Organization Consultation

Abstract

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) due to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) first surfaced in 1980. By 1998 HIV infections and AIDS were the fourth leading cause of death globally resulting in 2.3 million deaths a year. The number of new AIDS cases diagnosed and of deaths due to AIDS in North America Western Europe and Australia have substantially fallen in the past five years. This is due to inter alia improved prophylaxis against opportunistic infections growing experience among health care professionals and increased use of potent anti-HIV drugs. Unfortunately the trend in developing countries and especially in sub-Saharan Africa is the reverse as the epidemic continues to march unabated. Of the estimated 34.3 million adults and children living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 1999 24.5 million (>70%) were in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the estimated 5.4 million adults and children newly infected with HIV during 1999 four million (75%) were in sub-Saharan Africa. (excerpt)