Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 47 705 527 as at 12.47pm on Thursday July 18 2002.
Experts say a traditional African herbal medicine, Metrafaids, substantially reduces the viral loads of HIV-positive patients and increases their immunity.
The medicine reduced opportunistic infections, dermatosis, weight and clinical symptoms in more than 85% of the patients undergoing clinical trials, researchers said, adding that there were no documented adverse reactions throughout the study. Metrafaids is a combination of five herbal plants and, although scientists were not prepared to divulge the ingredients, they said most of the herbs were easily available and that it would cost “pennies”.
Cape Town commits 12,5-million: The Cape Town unicity has committed R12,5-million to fight HIV/Aids in the coming financial year, the city’s director of health Ivan Toms said on Wednesday.
In a statement he said Cape Town was leading the rest of the country in the administration of nevirapine and other anti-retrovirals in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. “We just couldn’t stand by and do nothing while the Aids time bomb ticked away. In Cape Town alone, an estimated 45 people are being infected each day — this is one person every 30 minutes,” Toms said.