International poverty relief organisation, Oxfam has thrown its weight behind the South African Government and AIDS activists'€™ attempts to bring affordable life-saving drugs to marginalised South African communities. Launching Oxfam Great Britain'€™s (GB) "Cut the Cost" Campaign in Pretoria, International Director Stewart Wallis, said he hoped Government would "win the court case" against the pharmaceuticals. Anso Thom reports
Read More »Oxfam joins the drug warThe Mail & Guardian newspaper recently printed two highly critical responses to Charlene Smith'€™s article on free medication and milk formula to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV (Mail & Guardian, January 26 '€“ Feb 1), but a letter sent to the newspaper by Professor Hoosen "Jerry" Coovadia, co-convenor of the AIDS 2000 Conference, Professor Anna Coutsoudis and other colleagues at the University of Natal went unpublished. Coutsoudis approached Health-e to clarify several key issues regarding HIV transmission and breast-feeding.
Read More »Breastfeeding: Setting the Record Straight
A few weeks ago, the generic drug, Biozole, was successfully tested and found to be a valid equivalent of the anti-fungal medication, Fluconazole. This fulfils the conditions required by the Medicines Control Council before it can grant a Section 21 exemption that will allow Biozole to be used as a valid generic for specific purposes. Provided the exemption is granted, Biozole will be imported from Thailand by the Brooklyn Medical Centre and distributed free of charge to HIV/AIDS patients. Dr Steve Andrews, is a partner at the centre and is the man who will defy the Pfizer patent to dispense the life-saving generic drug. Sue Valentine spoke to him to find out what prompted this action.
Read More »Doctor who puts patient rights before patent rights"It is deeply ironic that despite widespread concern about the lack of sustainable development in numerous countries around the world, government leaders, policy makers and development agents seem blinded to the one investment opportunity with almost guaranteed returns '€“ ensuring children start a good life." This is how the United Nation Children'€™s Fund (UNICEF) summarises "The State of the World'€™s Children" in its 2001 report. By Anso Thom
Read More »Ensuring children start a good lifeVoluntary HIV testing and counselling is among the priorities listed by the South African health department in its HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan for South Africa 2000 '€“ 2005, but in reality it'€™s difficult to find a public clinic that will offer this service to citizens.
Read More »In search of voluntary HIV testing and counsellingThe past 11 months have seen HIV/AIDS assume the spotlight in South Africa as never before. However, despite all the meetings, protests and discussions, people have continued to die from AIDS-related symptoms and the numbers of AIDS orphans and HIV positive babies have continued to climb. In this article, we take a month by month look at AIDS in South Africa in 2000.
Read More »Look back in anger?If party political promises would translate into improved basic health care, the lives of many underprivileged South African would be transformed - and yet when it come to health issues most parties are only interested in beating the HIV/AIDS drum to woo voters. By Anso Thom
Read More »Pre-election focus on AIDS outweighs other health issues
An epidemic of trauma is killing South Africans and draining public health resources at a rate second only to AIDS. But trauma is yet to become a priority public health issue within the Department of Health. Violence and alcohol are the main culprits causing trauma in our country. Jo Stein reports
Read More »An epidemic of trauma requires prevention rather than cure.The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has challenged pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to take action against it for defying their patent on Fluconazole and importing the generic version from Thailand at a fraction of the cost of what it is being sold in South Africa. ANSO THOM reports.
Read More »TAC defy drug patentsTobacco giants Philip Morris and British American Tobacco both stated explicitly yesterday that nicotine is addictive and that smoking causes a variety of diseases. SUE VALENTINE reports.
Read More »Tobacco companies declare: smoking causes cancer
Now that the delegates have left town, the exhibition halls emptied and the media centre silent, what impact has the 13th International AIDS conference had on efforts to prevent and treat the disease in our country? Sue Valentine reports
Read More »The highs and lows of the AIDS 2000 conferenceThe 11th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health currently underway in Chicago has honoured the South African health ministry for its leadership in tobacco control.
Read More »S A wins Anti-Tobacco Award
Nelson Mandela has joined the powerful chorus of voices appealing to government to approve "large-scale actions for PMTC" at the close of the international AIDS conference in Durban.
Read More »Durban 2000 where to now?
It is death rather than renaissance that draws the foreign press to Africa. But where are the ethics that protect HIV/AIDS sufferers from unscrupulous journalists?
Read More »Journalists, ethics and HIV/AIDS
An article by Kerry Cullinan published in The Star, June/ July 2000.
It is death rather than renaissance that draws the foreign press to Africa. But where are the ethics that protect HIV/AIDS sufferers from unscrupulous journalists?
Read More »Journalists, ethics and HIV/AIDS