Not all HIV-positive South African National Defence Force members are on anti-retrovirals, says Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota.
He told Democratic Alliance MP Moulana Sayedali-Shah on Tuesday that only HIV positive members with a CD4 count of less than 200 or members displaying symptoms of an HIV/Aids defining disease, were eligible for anti-retroviral medication.
”This is in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines as well as those from the National Department of Health,” said the minister.
It is estimated that in the worst-case scenario, the prevalence rate of HIV infection in the SA National Defence Force stands at 23%.
”It is important to note that in 1999/2000 health assessments were done in a high-risk sample group, which showed a prevalence rate of 17%. Annually SA National Defence Force members undergo pre-deployment health assessments on members who tested negative in their previous health assessments.
”These pre-deployment health assessments showed a rate of a new infection rate of 1,2%. If from an epidemiological viewpoint the baseline of 17% is used and the new infection rate of 1,2% is factored in over time, the current prevalence estimated at about 23% is eminent. It must be emphasised that this is an extrapolated conclusion.”
The minister said it was not possible to indicate precisely into which age groups the HIV-positive members fell. The units tested during the pre-deployment health assessments consisted of members over a wide range of ages.
Asked if the provision of healthy troops for peacekeeping was affected by the HIV questions, the minister said: ”All members in a military unit train together, they learn to know each other and understand each other.”
”If one or two members of the army platoon, for example, cannot deploy due to an ailment, they must then be replaced by members from the other unit who did not train together and are not well known to members of that particular unit.
”This already [has an impact on] the optimal functioning of that component as a system. If this happens for instance within the leader element, or with members in key positions, it is even more disruptive and a challenge to manage.” – I-Net Bridge