Scientists have completed their laboratory research on a potential HIV vaccine for South Africa and the process is underway to begin human trials later this year. Kerry Cullinan reports.
Read More »SA HIV vaccine steams ahead
One person is sure to be at the forefront- putting the view of business across - when government and the pharmaceutical industry tackle one another in the much hyped court case. But is Mirryena Deeb really the Cruella de Ville of the industry or is she just a woman caught up in the demands of trying to juggle a stressful job, motherhood and a sick nation calling louder and louder for medicine to ease its pain...Anso Thom from Health-e News Service spoke to her.
Read More »Meeting the drug industry’s
Living with HIV for eight years without picking up an opportunistic infection, Lundi Ntikinca is worried about the day when he will need expensive medication that could save his life. An option he cannot afford.
Read More »Living without medicineHealth economists have responded cautiously to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's "generous" allocations towards interventions targeting HIV/AIDS.Manuel announced a R300-million supplementary allocation for targeted HIV/AIDS interventions in 2002/03 and R313,5-million in 2003/04.
Read More »The Budget ‘ cautious response to AIDS allocationHealth specialists have expressed concern that the budget announced by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel did not go far enough in addressing South Africa's developmental health challenges. Anso Thom and Sue Valentine reports.
Read More »The Budget – health spending falls behind national expenditureThe United Nations Secretary-General says HIV/AIDS is the biggest challenge of our time and has called for intensified and broadened political and financial commitments by nations in their response to the AIDS crisis.
Read More »UN calls for leadership to stem the AIDS tide
A grandmother, whose life was made a living hell after she was wrongly diagnosed HIV-positive is claiming R2-million in damages from the laboratory that tested her blood. Now she has launched a damages action against Van Drimmelen Laboratorium, the laboratory which carried out the initial test, claiming she suffered severe emotional stress, loss of dignity and humiliation as a result of the initial Elisa test finding that she was HIV positive. Subsequent tests showed that she was in fact HIV-negative. Health-e investigated the reliability of the Elisa test and others, the protocol followed by the life insurance industry and government's own investigation into HIV testing'¦
Read More »Many grey areas in the HIV testing arena
A few weeks ago, the generic drug, Biozole, was successfully tested and found to be a valid equivalent of the anti-fungal medication, Fluconazole. This fulfils the conditions required by the Medicines Control Council before it can grant a Section 21 exemption that will allow Biozole to be used as a valid generic for specific purposes. Provided the exemption is granted, Biozole will be imported from Thailand by the Brooklyn Medical Centre and distributed free of charge to HIV/AIDS patients. Dr Steve Andrews, is a partner at the centre and is the man who will defy the Pfizer patent to dispense the life-saving generic drug. Sue Valentine spoke to him to find out what prompted this action.
Read More »Doctor who puts patient rights before patent rights
Nkosi Johnson is in a semi-coma at his home in Melville, Johannesburg. During his 11years, the soft-spoken but determined little boy who was born with the HI virus has achieved more than many do in a lifetime. He has addressed world conferences, fought and won the right to attend his local school and established a haven for HIV positive mothers and children in Johannesburg. In July last year, on the eve of the 13th International Conference on AIDS in Durban, Health-e interviewed the young boy about his life, his hopes and his dreams.
Read More »Little boy with a big heart
A rape centre in Somerset West not only offers a refuge of kind words and practical care for women who've been raped, it also adheres to a strict code for the collection of forensic evidence which results in the conviction of many of the rapists. Kerry Cullinan reports.
Read More »Rape Centre helps convict rapistsIn this audio feature we meet some of the people who seldom make the news headlines, but who make all the difference to those people who are bed-ridden with AIDS-related diseases.
Read More »Women who walk the extra mile
Living with AIDS – part 13 
Several short films about innovative health care projects won recognition at the the South African National Television and Video Association awards ceremony recently. Top honours went to "Hero of the Hills", a video about the Transnet Phelophepa train which has been delivering health care to remote communities for the past four years.
Read More »“Hero of the Hills” scoops film awardsThe impact of HIV/AIDS on the generation of young parents has resulted in many grandparents assuming responsibility for their orphaned grandchildren. Effective programmes of treatment and care would not only enable parents to live longer, healthier lives, they can also reduce the rate of mother to child transmission of HIV and ensure the birth of healthier children who do not need constant medical care.
Read More »Grandmother keeps family together
Living with AIDS # 12
Caring for the terminally ill with AIDS is emotionally taxing. Kerry Cullinan visits some carers in Daveyton
Read More »Sent home to die
Today (Dec1) paediatricians throughout the country are launching a protest campaign against government?s failure to fast-track plans to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.An estimated 200 HIV positive babies are born every day in South Africa, but this figure could be halved if all HIV positive mothers were given anti-retroviral drugs during pregnancy and labour. KERRY CULLINAN reports.
Read More »Paediatricians take on government
