Mark Willis

Mark Willis, head of Nigerian programs for the Global Fund at its headquarters in Geneva said charges by Nigeria and other African countries for anti-retrovirals do "cause problems with adherence .... It's a problem which needs to be addressed."

Treatment "interruption for any reason gives me concern about developing resistance to the drugs," he added.

In October, a Global Fund team recommended the organization's board of directors freeze millions of dollars in funding to key Nigerian anti-retroviral programs, citing concerns about data gathering and spending.Willis said the board is due to decide on the matter next week.

Mark Willis, head of Nigerian programs at the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said that "interruption for any reason" causes "concern about developing resistance to the drugs," adding, "It's a problem which needs to be addressed"(AP/Pravda.ru, 12/7).