afrol News, 30 November - Botswana , one of the world s worst AIDS-hit countries, reports successes in its national programme to treat its AIDS patients. Approximately 48 percent of those eligible to receive anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy are now being treated, according to the Botswana government. Botswana s national A
National AIDS decision makers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are to converge in Maseru, Lesotho , next week to discuss best practices in fighting the pandemic. National authorities in the world s hardest hit AIDS region have chosen different approaches and hope to learn from each other. SADC
The number of people needing food assistance in Zambia has now climbed to at least 1.7 million due to crop failure and rising food prices. As the food crisis grows more severe, young rural girls are increasingly found in urban nightclubs, hoping to earn a petty revenue for their family by selling sex. AIDS rates are ex
Rural men in Southern Malawi are convinced that being HIV positive reflects well on their masculinity and sexual prowess, a new report reveals. While many Malawian men were enlightened on the HIV-AIDS issue, some boast of having the virus as it proves they are sexually powerful. This is documented in a study carrie
Lesotho , which has one of the world s highest HIV prevalence rates, is targeting its large group of migrant workers in a new effort to stop the spread of the pandemic. Migrant workers are a special risk group when it comes to taking the deadly virus back home to the family. Last week, the International Organisation
Zimbabwe is currently facing the world s fastest rise in child mortality, mostly due to the AIDS pandemic. However, also severe droughts, human rights violations and lack of foreign investment and support have contributed to the worst humanitarian crisis the country has ever faced. The under-five mortality rate h
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Southern Africa has enraged South African government officials and groups fighting the AIDS pandemic. The Catholic Church had criticised South Africa s government for promoting condoms in the fight against AIDS when it is clearly not working. Cardinal Wilfred Napier, the head of the C
South Africa s Nelson Mandela mourns the death of his eldest and last surviving son. The former South African President today broke a widespread taboo, publicly saying that his son Makgatho had died of AIDS. The 54-year-old had been critically ill for several weeks. Mr Mandela, aged 86, thus has outlived both his two s
According to the Red Cross, HIV/AIDS prevalent rates are up to 50 percent at the border between northern Botswana and Namibia s Caprivi Zipfel. The Red Cross in its appeal to donors also operates with an adult HIV prevalence of close to 40 percent in Botswana, despite government figures at 17.3 percent. In Namibia, HIV
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.