Estimated worldwide HIV infections: Thursday September 27 2.50pm: 43 473 796
Farewell princess: Hundreds of Capetonians last Saturday bade farewell to five-year-old Sibongile Mazeka, who died of an Aids-related illness. Sibongile’s last wish was to have a huge birthday party, and she lived long enough to see it come true. She was diagnosed with Aids when she was two. Mourners paid tribute to “the Princess of Guguletu”, saying she brought hope to the community.
Hamba Kahle mama: Aids activist Emily Khwili Mabote died on Tuesday. Mabote was the first person on the West Rand to publicly announce that she was HIV-positive. She was born in Kagiso where she established the Emily Jordan Aids Centre with donations from the United States.
Poverty’s the cause: The absence of widespread developmental programmes aimed at eradicating poverty continues to thwart the effort to fight HIV/Aids, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said in his address to the provincial legislature this week where he presented Gauteng’s annual Aids report. “Without larger developmental programmes to combat poverty, the world will never overcome the scourge of this pandemic.” Gauteng will spend R70-million to fight the epidemic over the next year.
Estimated worldwide HIV infections: Thursday September 20 3.40pm: 43 372 956
The right to know: Representatives of the Anglican Church, the South African Catholic Bishops Conference, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the Treatment Action Campaign met on Thursday and resolved to join forces against the Aids epidemic. They say it can no longer be denied that Aids is the leading cause of death for adult South Africans. The meeting expressed concern over the government’s attempts to downplay the impact of the disease. “No organisation or individual should try to suppress the facts – that way lies disaster,” they said in a statement.
Lift the blackout: The government will not be able to hold back the Medical Research Council?s (MRC) report on Aids mortality in South Africa for much longer due to pressure for the paper to be released, the MRC said on Thursday. The MRC was hoping to release the document, which says that Aids is the country’s leading cause of death.
Jailed and dying: Altogether 1 101 inmates died of HIV/Aids in South African prisons during the first seven months of this year – an increase of 328% over the 257% during the same period last year, according to Minister of Correctional Services Ben Skosana.
Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 43 271 892 at 2.27pm Thursday September 13.
World praise: Botswana, Brazil, Thailand and Uganda were given awards for their actions against Aids at the beginning of an international conference on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Vaccine hope? Scientists attending a conference focused on the creation of a vaccine against HIV say they are more hopeful than ever that a vaccine will be developed – but that it is likely to take at least a decade. There has been a scattering of preliminary positive results, such as monkeys given a trial vaccine that have so far survived for more than 600 days lethal doses of simian HIV.
Call to action: Leading medical journals have acccused the pharmaceutical industry of interfering in human clinical trials of new drugs, and have called for greater independence of such research.
Breast may not be best: If HIV-positive pregnant women stop breastfeeding and take anti- retroviral drugs that counter the transmission of the virus, the infection rates in babies could be cut by 70% to 80%.
Estimated worldwide HIV infections: Thursday, September 6 3.30pm: 43 171 782
Legal issues: Governments across the world must pass laws that forbid discrimination against people with HIV, executive director of UNAids Dr Peter Piot said at the World Conference against Racism on Wednesday.
Call for help: Minister of Social Development Dr Zola Skweyiya urged South Africans to support a “Serve-a-Thon” – an initiative aimed at boosting the number of volunteers at centres for people with disabilities, orphanages for children infected with HIV/Aids or affected by the disease, old age homes and pension pay-outs.
Clinical trials: An anti-Aids vaccine should be on the market in the near future, researchers said on Wednesday from a conference of international Aids specialists in Philadelphia. “A new generation of promising HIV vaccine candidates is now in human trials in the United States and around the world,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Concerned commuters: Drivers of Rwanda’s minibus taxis have called through their public transport association, Atraco, for the opening of HIV clinics near bus stations where they pick up customers, Radio Rwanda reported on Thursday.
Aids helpline number: 0800 012 322