1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Zambia
  • News

People urged to use free AIDS drugs

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has urged people living with HIV/AIDS to make use of anti-AIDS drugs, which are freely available at healthcare sites throughout the country. Mwanawasa was quoted by a local newspaper, The Times of Zambia, as saying: "The answer does not lie in sitting back with your disease but in presenting your case to authorities ... so that you can get treatment." He noted that antiretroviral treatment would improve their health. An estimated 10,000 people currently have access to anti-AIDS treatment, but with support from the World Health Organisation, Zambia plans to scale up its AIDS drug provision programme to cater for 100,000 people by 2005.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join