Health e News
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One in four deaths last year can be attributed to AIDS with 194 892 South Africans projected to die from the an AIDS related disease this year alone. This is according to the Medical Research Council’s long-awaited report, “The impact of HIV/AIDS on adult mortality in South Africa”.
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Women are more at risk of contracting HIV than are men. In this audio report on the female condom, researchers speak about the extent to which it enables women to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.
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In this audio report, another look at the female condom. Researchers speak about the pros and cons of the femidom and how acceptable it is to women – and to men.
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South Africa’s Health minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has made it clear that her budget does not allow for anti-retroviral treatment, but she has recommitted herself to treating opportunistic infections, boosting people’s immune systems and addressing nutrition as a matter or urgency. She also refuted reports that Government was de-emphasising spend on HIV/AIDS.
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The death of parents due to HIV/AIDS is leaving a growing number of children vulnerable and in need of care. The more fortunate are taken in by grandparents or other relatives, but this does not protect them from the a life of poverty where food and clothing is scarce and often they are turned away unconstitutionally from schools because they can’t afford school fees. In this audio report we hear from amongst others, a young girl from the Northern Province.
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South African scientists are reluctant to comment on and engage with President Thabo Mbeki’€™s interpretation of cause of death statistics and whether AIDS is the biggest killer in the country or not.
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The Health Minister has until today, (Wednesday 12th) to respond to court papers demanding that she offers the anti-AIDS drug Nevirapine to all pregnant HIV positive women.
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The new head of the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative is a former medical doctor and virologist who has moved a long way from his one-time vision of himself as a rural GP administering to poor people in remote areas. So who is Dr Tim Tucker?
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The National Children’s Forum brought together 90 children from around the country to talk about how HIV/AIDS is affecting them – either directly or indirectly. In this audio report, two children describe their lives and forum organiser, Sonja Giese of the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town, speaks about the successes and disappointments of the workshop. If you’d like to donate money to any of the organisations working with children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, please visit the non-profit, “kidz positive” website at www.kidzpositive.org
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Ninety children, in one way or another severely and personally affected by the AIDS epidemic, made their voices heard this week by sharing their stories of grief, hope, sadness and pain with adults.
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The Department of Health has still not tied up an agreement with drug manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim, which would ensure the free supply of its anti-AIDS drug, nevirapine, to South Africa and all other SADC countries for five years.
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As the Treatment Action Campaign lodged papers in the Pretoria High court in a bid to compel the government to implement a national programme to prevent the mother to child transmission of HIV, two mothers spoke out about their experience of pregnancy. One did not know her HIV status and gave birth to a daughter who was HIV+ and died nine months later. The other was reached by the MTCT programme in Khayelitsha and has a healthy, happy two year old.