A prison story from Nelson Mandela captivated journalists at the world AIDS conference as the former president used the opportunity to drive home the link between HIV and TB.

The Medicines Control Council has said that it did not foresee any disruption to the mother to child prevention HIV programme in South Africa in the light of the announcement that the antiretroviral drug nevirapine was not recommended as a single treatment

The Treatment Action Campaign was given a key platform at the XV International AIDS Conference to address delegates on the confusion regarding the South African health department'€™s position on the use of nevirapine.

The World Health Organisation has high expectations of what South Africa'€™s care and treatment plan for HIV/AIDS can mean for encouraging other African countries to introduce similar programmes.

Hopes for a controversy-free South African presence at the 15th International AIDS conference were dashed when the health minister opened the South African stand at the conference.

After an exhilerating four months of restored health and high energy on antiretroviral therapy, chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign Zackie Achmat has had to face up to certain side effects and to change one of his drugs. He talks about how he's doing now and the long-term public health challenges of prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

This week we hear from people living with AIDS who readily admit they owe their lives to the support and information they receive from being part of an organisation committed to securing access to treatment.