MELBOURNE scientists have developed a HIV test that could significantly improve the lives of millions of people living with the disease in developing countries. Suzanne Crowe, from the Burnet Institute, said yesterday that she and three other Australian and American scientists had created the first portable, low-cost test that monitored the progression of HIV, allowing health-care workers to ascertain when treatment was needed. Similar in design to a pregnancy test, a finger is pricked for a blood sample to determine the number of CD4 T-cells in the blood.

 

Health-care workers rely on a CD4 count to decide when treatment should start for HIV-positive patients. The cells are critical for a functioning immune system and are slowly destroyed during the course of HIV infection, making people more vulnerable to illness. Professor Crowe said the test could be used in developing countries, where most people did not have access to CD4 testing because it was expensive and relied on sophisticated laboratory testing and trained operators.

Members of the Universal Access for Children Affected by AIDS in Nepal (UCAAN) have expressed deep concern over the recent expulsion of HIV infected and affected children by schools in different parts of the country. "Incidents in Kavre, Kailali, and Banke districts, and most recently in Kaski district, have deprived these children of their basic human rights as expressed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Nepal is a signatory. Non-discrimination is a principle of the Nepali Constitution and a right to education is constitutionally guaranteed for every Nepali child," a statement issued by UCAAN said.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued verdict directing the government authorities to promulgate the Act for protecting the rights of people who are HIV-positive. Two-member bench of justices Kalyan Shrestha and Sushila Karki ordered the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Law, Justice and Constituent Assembly Affairs to prepare the bill and table it before the House for endorsement at the earliest possible. The apex court has also asked the authorities to consult experts and the patients before tabling the bill in the legislature-parliament.