Almost half of South Africa's 15-year olds will become infected with HIV during the course of their lifetime. And the probability of die before the age of 60. But it is important to unpack these frightening figures in order to make sense of them. Jo Stein reports
Read More »45% of adults will become HIV infected
There are many men in South Africa who have sex with other men but don't consider themselves "gay". In the absence of funding for research, the extent of HIV infection among homsexual men in South Africa is largely unknown. But recent research conducted by the Triangle Project in Cape Town shows that risk-taking behaviour among gay men in the Mother City is alarmingly high. Jo Stein reports.
Read More »The gay community: a hidden HIV/AIDS epidemic?Tobacco giants Philip Morris and British American Tobacco both stated explicitly yesterday that nicotine is addictive and that smoking causes a variety of diseases. SUE VALENTINE reports.
Read More »Tobacco companies declare: smoking causes cancerThe first ever hearings by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to adopt a convention to control tobacco products worldwide began in Geneva yesterday (Thursday). SUE VALENTINE reports.
Read More »World grapples with tobacco controlLarge numbers of children as young as seven years old can recognise product logos and names - even for products they don't use such as cigarettes, snuff and beer.This, says Dr Krisela Steyn of the Medical Research Council, is all the more reason why the new tobacco control legislation should impose strict controls on the advertising of tobacco products and their logos.
Read More »Protecting kids from tobacco advertisingThere is little doubt of the urgent need to involve citizens in community development. But current labour legislation discourages, rather than encourages, volunteering in South Africa. Non-governmental organisations operating on shoestring budgets cannot afford to employ additional staff and need all the voluntary help they can get.
Read More »Labour legislation discourages volunteering in South AfricaThe Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act, which comes into effect on October 1st, imposes tight controls on smoking in restaurants, pubs, shebeens, hotels and workplaces, as well as limiting tobacco advertising and the sale of tobacco products.
Read More »Smoking ‘ what the regulations say
HIV positive mothers are often advised to bottle-feed their babies to avoid the possible transmission of HIV through breast-milk. This sets HIV-infected women apart from all other mothers, who are encouraged to breastfeed exclusively for six months. But exciting new research, conducted by Professor Anna Coutsoudis and colleagues at the University of Natal, shows that exclusive breastfeeding for the first three months may result in no greater risk of HIV transmission than exclusive bottle-feeding. Coutsoudis's findings still need to be confirmed by other studies. If they are confirmed, it will be extremely good news for HIV positive women, especially in developing countries such as South Africa where exclusive breastfeeding is cheaper, healthier, and a more socially acceptable option in many communities.
Read More »Breast or bottle? Don’t mix your milk
Now that the delegates have left town, the exhibition halls emptied and the media centre silent, what impact has the 13th International AIDS conference had on efforts to prevent and treat the disease in our country? Sue Valentine reports
Read More »The highs and lows of the AIDS 2000 conferenceThe 11th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health currently underway in Chicago has honoured the South African health ministry for its leadership in tobacco control.
Read More »S A wins Anti-Tobacco Award
Addressing delegates at the AIDS 2000 conference on the role of gender and sexuality in the transmission of HIV/AIDS , Dr Geeta Rao Gupta said that "Empowering women does not disempower men".
Read More »Empower women to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS
The South African Department of Health is "very pleased" with the results announced by researchers working on the Nevirapine Trials which showed a significant reduction in mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Read More »More work before Health Department considers Nevirapine
The "Positive Lives" exhibition features photos of HIV positive people from around the world in images which challenge the fear and prejudice that surround HIV.
Read More »Putting faces to the epidemic
A partnership between professors from Oxford University and Nairobi University has produced Africa's first AIDS vaccine, which is set to begin human trials in August.
Read More »Aids vaccine for Africa
The French wing of the international AIDS activist group, Act UP, disrupted conference proceedings during a presentation by the director of WHO.
Read More »Activists disrupt WHO presentation
