AIDS

A "deadly game" on the streets of Dhaka

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:34:09 +0100

As antiretroviral treatments continue to make progress, the AIDS scare is finally calming down in the West. On the other side of the world however, the virus continues to kill. In Bangladesh, it's drug users who are falling prey to this devastating disease. Our Observer in Dhaka sent us these arresting images.

Ever since the first case of HIV was reported back in 1989, AIDS has been a quietly growing but deadly problem in Bangladesh - and in particular in Dhaka. Although the country as a whole is deemed by the UN to be "low-risk", the disease is spreading at a worrying rate among one section of society: intravenous drug addicts who reuse dirty needles in the urban slums of the capital. According to UNAIDS statistics, the number of HIV-positive drug users more than doubled between 2001 and 2005. Health experts warn that the risk of an epidemic is increased by that fact that many of the addicts also admit paying for sex - and only 10 percent say they always use a condom. Our Observer in Bangladesh has been documenting the plight of these people for the past three years. Here is what he found: a "deadly game" on the streets of Dhaka.

Sarkozy and Obama puppets paraded through Dakar

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:24:37 +0100

One of our Observers sent us this video, which he shot yesterday during a march in Dakar. The message: "Obama, Sarkozy, keep your word in the fight against AIDS".

Puppets Obama Sarkozy in Dakar to fight Aids by Bruno Demeocq on Vimeo.

Bollywood singing out for condoms

Julien — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:57:23 +0200

A group of Indian campaigners is singing and dancing their way to the glorification of condom use. It's a crucial fight in their central region, where two percent of the population is HIV positive. And the result - a Bollywood style video clip - is hilarious.

According to a 2007 survey by UNAIDS and India's National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), between 2 million and 3.6 million people live with the HIV virus in India, placing the country third in the world after South Africa and Nigeria. However, AIDS prevention in the country is not an easy job. A large part of the population, particularly in rural areas, cling on to preconceived taboos about sex, and are often hesitant to use condoms.