Khadija Magardie
A series of pamphlets on HIV/Aids have been written with specific commercial and industrial sectors in mind. The briefs are the result of a joint project by the University of Natal’s health economics and HIV/Aids research division (Heard) and UNAids.
A set of 28, the pamphlets outline projections on the impact that HIV/Aids will have on each sector, and offer practical advice to the 11 professions and 17 commercial or industrial sectors on ways they can effectively manage the HIV/Aids pandemic.
Written by health consultants and professionals in each area, the project is part of a project entitled “Operationalising HIV and Aids Issues for Development”. The project’s architects say the briefs were released in response to a need for specific sector guidelines on how various sectors should respond to the impact of HIV/Aids on their respective workforces.
According to Heard director, Professor Alan Whiteside, the briefs were necessary because several sectors of society are not adequately equipped with information to respond effectively to the threat posed by HIV/Aids. He said the briefs “offer hope to minimise the impact of the epidemic”.
Various commercial industries such as the mining industry are covered, but the briefs also include sectors of civil society, such as the media and religious leaders. In addition, a set of “reference guides”, called Aids Toolkits, have been launched, which are aimed at government ministries and departments.