Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
Business Day (South Africa) (10.06.05) - Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Tamar Kahn
The company offers a wellness program and provides AIDS drugs to employees, their partners, and workers who have been laid off or retired.
"Testing is important because it changes behavior," said Busi Boikanyo, a nurse with Careways Group, which conducts counseling and testing at De Beers' Cullinan mine near Pretoria. De Beers brought Careways into Cullinan in response to workers' unease about the confidentiality of in-house services. When workers asked for testing facilities within the mine, the company complied. Two weeks into Cullinan's latest testing drive, launched last month, 70 percent of the company's 2,700 workers had been tested.
Thabo Manne, Cullinan's HIV/AIDS coordinator, said area residents have asked the mine to provide testing facilities for them, too. Manne said such interest could result from reluctance to use overburdened government clinics and a desire to avoid stigma by not being tested in their communities.
Although increased testing has upped the number of workers and spouses enrolled in wellness programs, few take advantage of the drugs offered, said De Beers' HIV/AIDS community program manager Tracey Peterson.
The company estimates 10 percent of its 10,000 workers are HIV-positive. By the end of August, only 310 were enrolled in the wellness program, and half of them were taking AIDS drugs. Manne said many still rely on traditional remedies, believing media reports that antiretrovirals are not the only way to deal with HIV/AIDS.
051011
AD052040
Copyright © 2005 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.
.