HIV/AIDS treatment target beyond reach

Lesotho will not meet its target of providing 28,000 HIV-positive people with antiretroviral treatment by the end of the year, says a UN official. "The current 6,500 figure is a start," said World Health Organization (WHO) global HIV/AIDS director Jim Kim, citing the lack of money and health workers as the main reasons for failing to meet the target. Kim said health workers were succumbing to AIDS-related illnesses and the country needed additional funding and staff to distribute the life-prolonging medication. Lesotho's goal of treating 28,000 patients is part of the WHO '3 by 5' initiative, which aims to have three million people in developing countries on ARVs by the end of 2005.