The “Free by 5” Campaign for Universal, Free Antiretroviral Therapy

August 2005 | Volume 2 | Issue 8 | e227 The Free by 5 declaration (http:⁄⁄www.ukzn.ac.za/heard/ freeby5/freeby5.htm), launched in November 2004, is a campaign to achieve free access for all individuals with HIV to a comprehensive minimum medical package including antiretroviral treatment (ART). The declaration was developed in response to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) “3 by 5” strategy, which aims to scale up access to ART to ensure that 3 million people have access to ART by the end of 2005 [1]. We believe that the declaration made an important contribution to the debate on provision of ART in resource-poor settings. A number of debates still surround the 3 by 5 strategy, including how it will be operationalised and funded [1]. Questions remain over how the poorest and most vulnerable groups can be reached and how a suitable level of adherence to the drugs can be achieved to avoid drug resistance [2].