
Positive living
39-year old Fikelephi Elizabeth Dombolo SIthole shares her story.

39-year old Fikelephi Elizabeth Dombolo SIthole shares her story.

Raising a child isn't child's play, and many young mothers struggle when raising their first children, but parents from around Pimville and Meadowlands have been given the opportunity to learn about parenting toddlers.

Pupils from five schools at Ha-Makuya in Vhembe were last week treated to painting, drama and workshops by students from the University of Johannesburg as part of a programme which attempts to affect social change through the arts.
Bonginkosi Vincent Buthelezi is a 17-year old high school pupil. He shares the story of how he became HIV-positive.

TSHWANE. - A youth camp with the theme: 'Together taking responsibility to end HIV infection; 'No' to teenage pregnancy, 'No' to discrimination, and 'No' to gender based Violence' was recently held at the Stoney Ridge camp site in Magaliesburg.
VHEMBE. ' With news about the gruesome rape and murder of Anene Booysen still fresh in the country's psyche, news about the gang rape of a six-year-old girl shook the community of Mulodi Village in Limpopo where the crime took place.
Activists have sent a final letter of demand to the Eastern Cape health MEC in an attempt to address the critical situation at Village Clinic, a busy clinic which is operating from tents.

VHEMBE. - The Department of Health and Social Development in Limpopo is collaborating with the Zimbabwean government to curb a cholera outbreak in the region.

People living with HIV in South Africa, who access antiretroviral therapy (ART) before their immune systems are severely compromised, have life expectancies close to that of the general population, researchers have found.

MEDIA RELEASE: As of this month (April), some public sector AIDS patients will start to take simplified ARV treatment of just one pill a day to manage their infection. The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) welcomes this change in treatment protocols by the Department of Health.

From April 1, HIV positive people on antiretroviral therapy will be able to take one pill a day, instead of three pills twice a day.

MEDIA RELEASE: Recent news reports across the world included the incredible information that a baby had been cured of HIV. Is this really true?

Aidsmap: A study from France has found 14 adult patients who also started a course of ART soon after infection, who subsequently stopped it, and have not had to re-start because they have largely ' and in eight cases completely ' maintained undetectable viral loads for at least four years after stopping therapy (a baby has, so far, only managed a year off therapy). Read the full aidsmap article here.

VHEMBE. ' Gloria Mathukha is used to be called 'crazy' or 'mad woman', but this doesn't make it any easier. This 36-year-old woman from Matavhela village in Limpopo has a mentally disability and suffers constant discrimination from members in her community.

VHEMBE. ' The health services here has been unable to help a pensioner who is suffering from strange illness.