Health e News
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“Never give up. No, never give up. Never, never, never give up. No, never give up.” Swaying and clapping in unison, the women of Mzinoni outside Bethal seem to draw strength from singing before dispersing to visit their patients.
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Mpumalanga women in Bethal have banded together to visit bars and shebeens on a daily basis to arm their community against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Anso Thom joined them during one of their campaign visits.
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After Mercy Makhalemele disclosed that she was HIV positive, she lost almost everything. But she fought back and is now presenter of a TV series that offers practical advice to people living with HIV/AIDS. Kerry Cullinan reports.
What can be done in societies with a legacy of violence and division to help heal children to enable them to develop to their full potential and break the cycle of violence and poverty? Sue Valentine attended a meeting of the Northern Ireland-South African colloquium for a day of realistic and inspiring discussion of what interventions can make a difference.
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There 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.
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Nkosi Johnson is 11 years old and is living with AIDS. His mother died from AIDS when he was very young and he has grown up in Johannesburg with his adopted mother, Gail Johnson. Among the giant sets and razzmatazz of the opening ceremony of the 13th International AIDS conference in Durban in July, Nkosi cut a small figure as he stepped onto the stage to deliver his poignant message to the world.
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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.
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Volunteering is no longer just for those with time and money to spare, it can be a major social force and will become a necessity in order to care for people with HIV/AIDS, says the director of The Volunteer Centre in Cape Town, Joan Daries.
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The Compensation Commissioner’s Office has been strongly criticised for the time it takes to settle workers’ occupational health claims. Some say this is the fault of companies that obstruct the commission’s work, but regardless of where the blame lies, it is workers like Derick Wolfaardt who suffer the consequences. Jo Stein reports.
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The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is heading for a showdown with the government if it does not approve the use of Nevirapine to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. The question of giving Nevirapine to pregnant women is on the agenda for the next MINMEC meeting on August 12 when the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is scheduled to meet with the provincial MECs for health.
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Ella and Paul Hartley’s lifestyle characterises the lifestyle of many South African middle-class whites. Their neat small home is in Sasolburg’s suburbia. They have three children. He works, she is a housewife and they have two pet dogs. By Cecelia Russel.
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Gail Johnson adopted Nkosi Johnson when he was three years old. Despite being HIV positive, Nkosi is now eleven. Nkosi dreamed the other night that a voice told him he must die. When Gail asked him if he wanted to die, Nkosi said, “No, not yet.” “Well then,” replied Gail, “We’ve got to fight.”