Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 474 030 88 at 12.45pm on Thursday June 27
Legal action looming: The Treatment Action Campaign wants to act against provinces that, it claims, do not want to roll out the programme to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV since the high court ruling that provinces that have the capacity must implement the programme. Provinces identified as culprits are Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and Mpumulanga. The lobby groups says of the three, the latter is the “worst”.
No to sensationalisation: Says Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi of the report of the impact of HIV/Aids within the public service. She was responding to a question from the Democratic Alliance that Aids is the biggest killer in the public service and yet the government does not want to make this known. Moleketi says the report was meant to inform government planners on the effect the epidemic would have on the delivery of service and employee health and well-being.
African HIV infection: United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids executive director Dr Peter Piot says that 28-million Africans are living with the virus and that more than 30% of the adult population in some African countries is infected.
Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 47 301 863 at 12.03pm on Thursday, June 20
Losing out: South African banks, which stand to lose close to R30-billion in the next 10 years as an increasing number of HIV/Aids sufferers die before settling their bonds. South African Banking Council CEO Bob Tucker says banks are negotiating with insurance companies with a view to reducing the risk posed by the pandemic.
Challenge: South Africa will be faced with 1,85-million Aidsorphaned children in 2015, according to the Medical Research Council?s burden of disease research unit. This figure represents 15% of children under the age of 15, whose mothers would have died of Aids.
Rich world, poor world: The World Health Organisation launched an attack on rich nations during the unveiling of its plan to fight HIV/Aids and tuberculosis in Durban. Donald Enarson, director of the International Union against TB, accused First World countries of incapacitating Africa with debt repayments instead of freeing them to use the money to address health issues.
Medication: The Western Cape cabinet has given the nod to supplying free medication to treat sexually transmitted diseases at selected private practitioners and doctors.
Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 47 202 100 at 1.46pm on Thursday June 13
Last week we erroneously reported that the African National Congress called for HIV/Aids to be declared a notifiable disease. In fact, it was Dr Confidence Moloko, the deputy chairperson of the ANC’s health committee, who made the call in his personal capacity.
Minister Kader Asmal to the rescue: Of a four-year old girl, Tholakele, who has been rejected three times by nursery schools in Gauteng because of her HIV status. In his letter to the Montessori Buccleuch Nursery School, the education minister said the action was blatant discrimination. He referred the matter to the Department of Social Development, under whose jurisdiction nursery schools fall.
We’ll quit: Say specialist doctors at Rob Ferreira hospital in Mpumalanga over the firing of superintendent Dr Thys von Mollendorff. Von Mollendorff was sacked after giving permission to a charity organisation, which provides anti-retrovirals to rape survivors, to operate from the hospital. If the doctors quit, this will affect the capacity of the hospital, as it will be able to perform only minor surgery.
Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 47 100 419 at 12.19pm on Thursday June 6
Ready to roll: North West MEC for Health Molefi Sefularo said nevirapine would be available at two pilot sites in the province by the end of the year. He said his department officially launched its prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV campaign and would be working hand-in-hand with the national Department of Health.
Not yet out: The Department of Health’s annual HIV survey has been delayed because the minister did not have time, according to a department spokesperson. The survey is the only source of statistics about the epidemic and the results are usually released every March. The survey is based on data collected from pregnant women at government clinics every October.
Don’t make it known! Experts warn against the African National Congress’s call to make HIV/Aids a notifiable disease. Dr Confidence Moloko, the ANC’s national health committee deputy chairperson, says this would oblige physicians to report infected people to the appropriate health authorities. However, Mark Heywood of the Treatment Action Campaign disagrees, saying the correct way to go about controlling the spread of the disease is to start a training campaign for councillors.
Aids helpline number: 0800 012 322