GUINEA: HIV gains overshadowed by dependence on donors

CONAKRY Tuesday, November 25, 2008 (IRIN) - Five years ago, antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in Guinea cost US$100 per patient per month; today, thanks to a large injection of donor cash, ARVs are now freely available in government hospitals. HIV testing services are being rolled out across the country and an estimated 8,000 people are on ARVs. Patients no longer need to travel over 700km to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, to have their CD4 count measured to determine the strength of their...