WSJ.com - WHO Is Likely to Miss Its AIDS-Program Goal

WSJ.com - WHO Is Likely to Miss Its AIDS-Program Goal:

WHO Is Likely to Miss
Its AIDS-Program Goal

By GAUTAM NAIK
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 30, 2005; Page D4

LONDON -- The World Health Organization acknowledged that it is unlikely to meet its goal of providing life-saving drugs to three million AIDS patients in poorer countries by year end, a sign of how difficult it is to stem the death toll of the disease.

In a report released yesterday, the United Nations health agency said about one million people in poorer countries receive antiviral drugs, compared with a target of 1.6 million. Half of the patients on treatment are in sub-Saharan Africa, the region hardest hit by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

'It is disappointing because we're not saving as many lives as we can,' said Jim Yong Kim, director of the WHO department of HIV/AIDS, in an interview.