10 July 2000

Home / July 10, 2000

Safe sex undermined by pessimism

Health

For many young people, resigned to a life with few opportunities and a future without promise, sex is one of life's few pleasures. But their lack of faith in the future means that many are not bothering to practice safe sex.

Ali Karriem
July 10, 2000

Making clinics youth-friendly

Health

When Nokubonga Ntzimela lost her patient's card for the local clinic, she was scared to go back, fearing that the nursing sisters would shout at her.Ntzimela's experience is perhaps unusual from other 16-year-olds in that she visited the clinic at least once. Surveys show that most adolescents avoid public clinics because they are concerned about being chastised, embarrassed or rudely treated by clinic staff.

Ali Karriem
July 10, 2000

Manguzi family affected by AIDS

Health

Indigo storm clouds are mounting on the horizon as we go into the Mthembu family home in Manguzi. We are just a few kilometers from the Mozambique border and the sandy soil suggests we're also not too far from the coast.

Ali Karriem
July 10, 2000

Fight AIDS like we fought for the World Cup – Winnie

Health

If South Africa had given HIV/AIDS the same attention as we did to hosting the Soccer World Cup, we could have saved millions of lives, ANC Women's League president Winnie Madikizela Mandela told some 3 000 people in Durban yesterday at an international march to demand cheaper HIV/AIDS drugs.

healthe
July 10, 2000

The impending catastrophe

Health

Overall, at least 3.5 million South Africans are already infected with HIV, a disease for which there is no cure. The best case scenario predicts six million South Africans will be HIV positive in 10 years' time.

Kerry Cullinan
July 10, 2000

Mbeki sites poverty and not AIDS as biggest killer

Health

Extreme poverty and not HIV/AIDS is the world's biggest killer and the greatest cause of ill-health and suffering, President Thabo Mbeki told some 12 000 delegates at the opening of the13th world AIDS conference in Durban.

kerrycullinan
July 10, 2000

Destitute Feroza finds a place to die

Health

It is impossible not to notice how thin Feroza Mohamed is. The several layers of clothing she wears fails to protect her frail and disease-ridden 27-year-old body from the Highveld winter. Mother of six-year-old Ismail, Mohamed arrived at Nkosi's Haven, in December - HIV positive, destitute, shunned by her Muslim family and three months' pregnant. Nkosi's Haven is a Johannesburg shelter for HIV positive mothers and their children.

Anso Thom
July 10, 2000

ABC of HIV transmission

Health

Although there is no cure for HIV/AIDS it is easily preventable. You can only get HIV if you get infected blood or sexual fluids into your system. To infect someone, the virus has to get past the body's defences such as the skin and saliva.

Anso Thom
July 10, 2000

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