Brazil court rules on HIV

Officials in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro are studying a court ruling which says they must provide free treatment for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

The court upheld an earlier ruling that the state had a duty to protect public health regardless of cost.

The case was brought by seven people who complained after they were prescribed only two of the 12 combination therapy drugs needed to fight the virus.

One has since died.

The ruling could have implications for the estimated 540,000 people with the virus living in Brazil.

Currently, only 95,000 receive free treatment.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service