Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
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HIV treatment has, for the first time, been made in Africa.

The Global Fund has just made history – now it must start a revolution

Africa’s first locally made HIV treatment is more than a milestone, it’s a political, economic and moral turning point in the fight for health sovereignty

Students from the University of the Witwatersrand explain the self HIV testing kit, in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, on March 19, 2018. – Self-testing kits and vending machines distributing prescription drugs are two ways that HIV treatment is being automated to reduce stigma in South Africa, home of the world’s biggest HIV epidemic. (Photo by MUJAHID SAFODIEN / AFP)

A to Z guide on HIV: The top 10 things to know from prevention to a possible cure

The HIV pandemic isn’t going anywhere until a cure is found. In the meantime, HIV clinicians say South Africa should protect its victories

Dolutegravir was initially dubbed a wonder drug but a small possible risk of birth defects stalled a global rollout. South Africa has put strict monitoring in place to catch any potential defects early.

Risks & benefits: new HIV drug combo could change the course of SA’s epidemic

South Africa’s next chapter in HIV treatment holds amazing promise, but unlocking it rests on having the right kind of discussions with women

Patients are still forced to pay out of their own pockets for ARVs

#AIDS2016: ​HIV may be a prescribed benefit, but not all medical schemes cover ARVs

In theory medical aids fund ARVs, but in practice it’s a complex process, say doctors and activists.

Activists lead fight for the right to cheaper drugs

There is a big move afoot to alert SADC members to the concessions on intellectual property rights that they can take advantage of.

Tholakele Memela sought help when she realised the symptoms for HIV and a sangoma’s calling were similar.

Sangomas learn to meld muti with conventional medicine

Traditional and Western healers team up to treat patients with HIV and tuberculosis because many people consult more than one health system.

US health policy weighs on SA’s HIV patients

Hundreds of thousands of HIV patients could be affected by Pepfar’s shift in funding policy, according to a new report.

State consolidates HIV treatment

New medicine combines ARVs into one pill, making them easier to supply.

Lesotho is battling to find ways of paying the specially trained HIV and TB counsellors who help people with the virus to adhere to the antiretroviral treatment.

Funding crisis looms large

HIV counsellors play a vital role in Lesotho’s health system, but the money is running out.

Nearly 80% of first-line ARVs used in the developing world are produced in India

Cheap drugs a bitter pill for the West

A global squabble over property rights could see the price of medicine soar in poor countries.

Studies have shown that antiretroviral drug Truvada helps shield HIV-negative people from contracting HIV

Women confound HIV researchers

Why would young, single African women not take free drugs that could potentially save them from contracting a life-threatening infection?

Drop in infections follows ARVs’ success

ARVs have slowed down the rate of new HIV infections and increased the life expectancy of the general population in rural KZN

One of the reasons why the death rate is lower among HIV-positive women than men in similar circumstances is that men take longer to seek healthcare

Aids takes heavier toll on men

A study published in the latest edition of a leading medical journal explains why the survival rate of HIV-positive women is higher than that of men.

An Australian scientist has said he discovered how to turn HIV against itself to stop it progressing to Aids.

Light shines at the end of the HIV tunnel

For the first time an Aids vaccine in our lifetime is possible, but scientists need money and support to make it work.

A pill a day: Studies have shown that antiretroviral drug Truvada helps shield HIV-negative people from contracting HIV.

A pill a day could keep HIV away

A new report says men are able to plan their sex lives better than women and the day of the week on which the fewest people have sex is Tuesday.

Weighing up the odds: Money spent on a ­prophylactic could be at the expense of providing life-saving ARVs.

Clash over HIV drug’s ‘success’

Pressure’s mounting on SA’s Medicines Control Council to register the use of Truvada by the HIV-negative to lower chances of being infected with HIV.

Employment in the month of October increased by an annualised rate of 1% boosted by the informal sector.

Domestic violence a driver of HIV

Health professionals must note the link between women abuse and an increased risk of infection, writes Kate Joyner

‘It’s better to provide guidance so that ARV prophylaxis is used properly

Jury out on using ARV prophylaxis

South African clinicians have outlined best practice as use of the treatment to prevent infection increases, writes Mia Malan.

Once-promising HIV drug trial called off

A large trial of the drug Truvada, hoped to be a successful HIV-preventing treatment for women, has been halted after it was found to be ineffective.

Researchers criticise Aids spending, stigma

Nearly three million lives have been saved by HIV/Aids treatment, according to a new book commissioned by the United Nations.