Five to six million people infected with HIV/AIDS in the developing world need access to anti-retroviral drugs, but only about 400 000 receive this life-prolonging treatment.

Good nutrition and traditional or complementary medicines feature prominently in the government'€™s HIV and AIDS treatment and care plan approved by Cabinet last week. The plan provides for the roll-out of life-prolonging antiretroviral medicines for people living with AIDS. Khopotso Bodibe of Health-e News Service spoke to members of the AIDS Treatment Task Team to find out why the emphasis on food and traditional medicines.

Behind some trees, just off the N2 highway past Richards Bay, a unique village is taking shape that aims to address the many problems faced by people with HIV/AIDS.

Few white South Africans know their HIV status or are prepared to disclose it. But one woman, who lost her granddaughter and son to AIDS because doctors failed to recognize that both were infected, is speaking out.

Southern Africa is home to about 30% of people living with HIV or AIDS worldwide, yet this region has less than 2% of the world'€™s population.

Last month marked a turning point in the South African government's response to the AIDS epidemic as the Cabinet approved the final draft of the Operational Plan for Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care and Treatment. As the stage is now set for the roll-out, new challenges are looming for many sectors of society. The business community is one of these.

MAPUTO: Despite being one of Africa's poorest nations, Mozambique has started an ambitious HIV/AIDS treatment plan which has already been treating patients
with antiretroviral drugs for 300 days.

As Nepad's efforts to coordinate African development
creates jobs and opportunities, those who benefit may
become more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, an AIDS conference in Maputo hears.

People living with HIV/AIDS around the country are anxiously waiting to see whether Cabinet will approve an operational plan to introduce anti-retroviral drugs into the public health sector.

Projections in the Africa Journal of AIDS Research show that HIV incidence rates in the 15 to 49 years age group have decreased from 4.2 % in 1997 to 1.7 % in 2003. Health-e spoke to researchers who believe that new sexual practices among the youth are at the core of this change.

Children with AIDS can take antiretroviral medicines but caregivers need to know how to monitor these young patients. Health-e talks to Dr Mark Cotton, a children'€™s specialist at Tygerberg Children'€™s Hospital.

In this third and final feature, we travel with Goitsemang to the doctor as he learns more about HIV and AIDS in an effort to assist his sister, Dibuseng, who was diagnosed with HIV three months ago.