Virginity testers say they will ‘never quit’
The Commission for Gender Equality claims virginity testing is sexist and unconstitutional. But the testers say they are saving girls from teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.
Health
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Challenging stigma in Botswana
Living with AIDS – programme 60
With a prevalence rate of almost 39 percent and some 300 000 of its 1,9 million people estimated to be HIV positive, Botswana has taken bold steps to address the AIDS epidemic in their country. But even with government commitment and so many people affected, stigma runs deep and only a handful of Batswana have spoken openly about living with HIV/AIDS. In this audio package we hear about the origins of stigma, what is being done to support those who are HIV positive and about the antiretroviral therapy programme that goverment is rolling out over the coming weeks.
Living with AIDS – programme 60
‘If I forget these drugs, I forget my life’
A pilot project in Khayelitsha, Cape Town is hoping to show that it is possible to dispense antiretroviral therapy to people living in peri-urban, poor communities provided proper counselling and monitoring is in place. Matthew Damane has been taking a triple combination of drugs since June and is firmly convinced of the benefits the medication has made to his life.
SA scientist heads call for global AIDS fund to prioritise medicines
A group of African HIV/AIDS specialists representing 10 of the worst affected countries on the continent, including South African HIV/AIDS scientist Professor Hoosen Coovadia, is calling for 30% of the United Nations Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to be allocated towards making medicines for HIV/AIDS universally accessible. The group, led by Coovadia, met in Nairobi recently.
Local plant boosts immunity of people with HIV
Traditional healers and medical doctors alike are singing the praises of an immune-boosting medicinal plant, Sutherlandia, which they say offers hope to people living with HIV who cannot afford expensive drugs.
‘I hope I’ll live longer than anyone thinks’
December 1st is World AIDS Day, but for Jabulile Ngwenya, every day could be an AIDS day. Jabulile is a teenager from the North West province who contracted HIV after being raped by her father over a period of time. Despite the virus that threatens to cut short her life, Jabulile believes in a future that is bright and full of opportunities. And most of her days she spends teaching people, especially children, about the epidemic. This report is in English and Sesotho.
Medicinal plant faces scientific test
Sutherlandia (or unwele) has been used by traditional healers for years as a tonic. But now scientists are going to test whether it can be used as an immune booster for those with HIV.
The difference political commitment can make
While the run-up to World AIDS day in South Africa has been characterised by, among other things, a court case demanding that government implement a national plan to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, in neighbouring Botswana, construction workers are burning the midnight oil to complete a state of the art laboratory to support the introduction of a national antiretroviral therapy treatment programme.
Academics urge government to treat AIDS as ‘national emergency’
Health professionals at the Universities of Cape Town and the Witwatersrand have called on government to respond more effectively to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They expressed concern that the epidemic was "out of control" in South Africa and listed several key measures, including the provision of antiretroviral drugs, that they believed government should implement to address the situation.
Drugs reduce AIDS deaths by 60% – doctor claims
Antiretroviral drugs have made a significant improvement to the life expectancy of many people living with HIV/AIDS in Western countries. Although there is still no cure for the disease, Professor Robin Weiss of the Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences at University College London, says antiretroviral drugs have reduced the number of AIDS-related deaths by 60 percent.
TAC takes government to court
In this report, Khopotso Bodibe sketches the arguments from both sides in the court case.
AIDS epidemic continues to devastate around the world
A handful of countries continue to achieve a downward trend while in the rest of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, the AIDS epidemic continues to reverse development gains, rob millions of their lives, widen the gap between rich and poor and undermine social and economic security. Health-e reports on an update released by UNAIDS.
Opposite sides of a deadly coin – AIDS
It's World Aids Day on Saturday. Kerry Cullinan spoke to two men who have been living with HIV/Aids
Opposite sides of a deadly coin – AIDS
It's World Aids Day on Saturday. Kerry Cullinan spoke to two men who have been living with HIV/Aids
Bitter court battle ahead over HIV babies
A few short months ago, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and government were joined in court action against the pharmaceutical industry. But tomorrow (26th) they meet in the Pretoria High Court as adversaries in what promises to be a bitter and emotional case.