Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - October 18, 2008
Stating the obvious, right? Not in South Africa, which has more HIV-infected residents than any other country in the world.
Hogan's appointment is a blessing.
Until now, South Africa's AIDS policy has been driven by denial. President Thabo Mkebi and his health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, spent much of their tenure thwarting the fight against AIDS.
Tshabalala-Msimang described anti-retroviral drugs, which are lifesavers for many AIDS sufferers, as toxic. She suggested that home remedies such as beetroot, garlic, olive oil, lemons and African potatoes were sound alternatives. Under her watch, South Africa was notoriously slow to promote the drugs that prevent HIV transmission from pregnant mothers to their unborn children.
She and Mbeki were notoriously blind to the real causes of HIV and the devastation it was inflicting on their country.
Some 5.5 million South Africansù11 percent of the populationùare infected with HIV. One thousand people there contract HIV each day, and 1,000 die. Half of all patients admitted to South African hospitals are there because of AIDS-related problems. More than a quarter of the country's health budget is funneled to fighting the disease.
AIDS has taken the largest toll on the country's youngest citizens. According to UNAIDSùthe United Nations Joint Programmeon HIV/AIDSù280,000 South Africans under 15 were living with HIV in 2007. Another 1.4 million were orphaned by the disease in 2007.
Mbeki has resigned under pressure, and caretaker President Kgalema Motlanthe has appointed Hogan to lead the health ministry. Hogan understands the gravity of the crisis facing South Africa and she intends to act quickly.
She may not have much time. Hogan could be replaced next year if, as expected, African National Congress President Jacob Zuma becomes South Africa's head of state.
Zuma's ascension following 2009 elections is hardly a sure thing, though. And Hogan, a longtime anti-apartheid activist, has a history of overcoming challenges. She was jailed for eight years by the apartheid regime, the first white woman in South Africa to be convicted as a traitor. She openly challenged Mbeki over his legendary myopia on AIDS.
AIDS in South Africa has decimated the workforce, scared off potential business investors and taken a shocking human toll. Let's hope Hogan stages a revolution. Let's hope she has time.
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