Tragically, South Africa has failed to manage and control the spread of HIV. Although a comprehensive national plan to fight the epidemic was formulated by a range of organisations before 1994, this has not been put into practice effectively.
The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) in Pretoria has taken the workers' compensation commissioner to court twice in the last year - and won. The commissioner was found guilty of unreasonable delay and received a penalty in the form of interest payments. The LRC is now considering taking the commissioner to court again, this time concerning delays in the objection process whereby rejected claims can be disputed.
Sarafina, Virodene, unspent millions - in a country with one of the fastest growing AIDS epidemics in the world, it's sobering to say the least that these are the predominant associations one makes with the fight against AIDS in South Africa. The AIDS Review 2000, released by the Centre for the Study of AIDS at the University of Pretoria and written by Hein Marais, offers a fascinating overview of the South African response to HIV/AIDS since 1994.
Although the HIV prevalence is high, the rate of increase in South Africa is beginning to stabilise, Health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang revealed this week at the release of the tenth annual ante-natal HIV survey.
Until recently, the National Association for People Living with AIDS (NAPWA) has had a policy of hiring only HIV positive employees. However, NAPWA has been re-thinking this policy on the grounds that each and every South African is affected by the disease. Some also feel that the continuing distinction between HIV-positive and HIV-negative people runs the risk of feeding into the very prejudice and stigma which organisations such as NAPWA hope to overcome.
"The South African government is not stupid... We will not say tomorrow that HIV does not cause AIDS," says the health minister, who says that the international panel on HIV/AIDS that she is putting together will help to find an African approach to the epidemic.
Anti-AIDS drug Nevirapine remains an option for the treatment of mother to child transmission despite the deaths of five women during the course of a local trial involving the drug, according to Health minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
A small minority of researchers seem to have succeeded in South Africa where they have failed elsewhere. They have gained the ear of the media and the public in calling to question whether HIV does cause AIDS. Worldwide, the vast majority of reputable scientsists are clear about the transmission and effect of the HI virus on the human body. ANSO THOM goes back to the basics. See also: How safe is sex?
Every day South Africans are being bombarded with safer sex or HIV/AIDS messages. Many, generally from unreliable sources, are simply urban legends while others should be taken seriously.But how do we know whether we are having safe sex?
Alcohol abuse, unemployment and zero prospects make the Northern Cape the country's most violent province, with the highest rape and assaults rates per 100 000 people.
Policing domestic violence is difficult at the best of times, but virtually impossible when the police officers expected to arrest the attackers also assault their partners. This is one of the dilemmas facing Captain Annette Strampe, head of the Northern Cape's victime empowerment programme.
Despite high levels of alcohol and drug abuse in Cape Town, very few public rehabilitation centres exist to provide free treatment to those without private medical aids. This is according to a recent study by the Medical Research Council. Jo Stein reports.
President Thabo Mbeki has never said that HIV does not cause AIDS, but he is prepared to consult all players and question all theories including "the unwavering belief that HIV is the sole cause of AIDS -- in his quest to get to grips with the disease.So said presidential spokesperson Parks Mankahlana this week in response to the controversy caused by Mbeki's contact with a group of scientists who deny HIV causes or plays any role in AIDS.
A new fortified cookie designed to suppliment micronutrients in school children is being launched in Durban today (22 March 2000). The carotino-nutritional biscuit is the product of four years of scientific tests. It was developed by the MRC to eliminate the widespread deficiency in vitamins A, E and iron which is essential for good mental and physical development in South African children.
In one year, five community health workers and two volunteer nurses have transformed health care in the Masiphumelele community near Noordhoek, reversing the low cure rate for tuberculosis to reach an astounding 100%.
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