South African Press Association - December 26, 2004
A Soshanguve woman begged police not to arrest her for perjury on Saturday after she lied about being raped to get anti-retroviral treatment following unprotected sex with her boyfriend, said police. Clinic staff refused to treat her until she reported the rape to the police, said Pretoria police spokesperson, Captain
South African Press Association - December 19, 2004
Alexandra Zavis
Charmaine and her husband tried for over a year to have a child. The day she found out she was pregnant, a doctor told her she was HIV-positive. Devastated, Charmaine considered abortion, but opted instead to try an Aids drug called nevirapine to protect her newborn girl -- now a healthy one-year-old miracle, she says.
South African Press Association - December 14, 2004
Until a week ago, elderly Hannah Dube and her five grandchildren living in the dusty village of Kezi in soutwestern Zimbabwe had been surviving on small portions of dried white melon. Then Zimbabwe s social services stepped in, handing the 75-year-old Dube emergency aid of the staple corn grain to feed her family, caug
South African Press Association - December 13, 2004
Wangari Maathai, civil activist, recently-turned politician now has another role to fill: Nobel peace prize winner. The Kenyan was officially awarded the prize on Friday at a ceremony in Oslo. Thrust suddenly into the limelight like never before, the 64-year-old Kikuyu woman has taken it all on with grace and good humo
South African Press Association - December 7, 2004
Details about President Thabo Mbeki s blood donations should not have been made public, the Minister of Health said on Monday. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was concerned that the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) had failed to observe the principle of confidentiality in the handling of medical records . She was
South African Press Association - December 2, 2004
Maseru - Lesotho and United Nations agencies have embarked on a new project to feed orphans and HIV/Aids-affected children due to a staggering increase in orphaned children in Lesotho. With a staggering increase in orphaned children from 73,000 in 2001 up to 100,000 orphans in 2004, prospects for the future of Basotho
South African Press Association - December 2, 2004
The government vowed on Wednesday to intensify its comprehensive campaign against HIV/Aids - including prevention, treatment and home-based care. At its final meeting of the year in Pretoria, the Cabinet noted that the number of people receiving anti-retroviral therapy had increased to just under 20,000 by the end of O
South African Press Association - December 1, 2004
Speaking as a man who had been personally touched by the Aids pandemic, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi likened the effects of HIV/Aids to apartheid. Apartheid cruelly blunted the majority of our people s inalienable right to live in dignity. We stopped looking at each other the way God looks at us. I
South African Press Association - November 25, 2004
Candles representing South Africa s 660,000 HIV-infected children are to be lit countrywide on Sunday. A total of 66,000 candles are to be lit at the main event at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The event was being organised by World Vision, an international Christian relief and development organisation, said World V
South African Press Association - November 24, 2004
South Africans can call the Nelson Mandela Foundation s toll-free number to donate their talents, time and skills to the fight against HIV/Aids. The number 08000-46664 was launched on Tuesday and is the cornerstone of the 46664 volunteer campaign for World Aids Day on December 1. The 46664 campaign is a Nelson Mandela
South African Press Association - November 22, 2004
The HIV/Aids infection rate among babies in Gauteng was declining and the province s antenatal survey also showed a declined in the HIV rate, premier Mbhazima Shilowa said on Monday. Tabling the province s annual HIV/Aids report in the legislature, he said a growing number of South Africans understood the seriousness o
South African Press Association - November 22, 2004
Life insurers will not refuse cover to people with HIV/Aids from January 1 next year, the Life Offices Association (LOA) said on Monday. LOA director Gerhard Joubert said while some members of the LOA had already announced that they will remove all HIV/Aids exclusion clauses for new and some existing business, this is
South African Press Association - November 17, 2004
Wendell Roelf
South Africa is testing the safety and efficacy of a seaweed-based microbicide, which once inserted into a woman s vagina could help prevent the spread of Aids. The final phase three testing of the Carraguard gel is currently under way at Soshanguve in Pretoria, Isipingo in KwaZulu-Natal and Gugulethu in Cape Town.
South African Press Association - November 12, 2004
MASERU - Lesotho s prisons authorities are concerned about deaths from Aids, and the incidence of sodomy in the country s largest prison. Recently four inmates of Maseru Central Prison were found guilty of sodomy on fellow inmates and were sentenced to a total of 10 years. On average, two prisoners die a week (from HIV
South African Press Association - November 10, 2004
An estimated 15% of babies born in Lesotho become infected with HIV each year, the Lesotho government and Unicef said on Wednesday. The United Nations Children s Fund (Unicef) and the government released a mid-term review on Wednesday of their programme of co-operation for 2002-07. The review noted that a baby born to
South African Press Association - November 6, 2004
Former president Nelson Mandela has called on all South Africans to participate in the 2004 national HIV/Aids survey, starting on Monday. The survey is the second to be undertaken in two years, and will help to determine the prevalence of the disease in the country. It will also help identify the social and economic fa
South African Press Association - November 5, 2004
Sir Richard Branson and Cyril Ramaphosa were at the Cida campus in Braamfontein to launch two projects to fight HIV/Aids in South Africa . The Your Finest Hour project brings the music and business world together in the fight against HIV/Aids by having people donate one hour of their salaries, Branson said. Also la
South African Press Association - November 2, 2004
Aids lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign, is to take the health department to court on Thursday for allegedly obstructing its attempts to obtain information on government targets for the roll-out of antiretroviral drugs. TAC deputy national chairwoman Sipho Mthathi said on Tuesday the department has led the publ
South African Press Association - October 25, 2004
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has not withdrawn its legal action or its claim that the health department had a legal duty to have an Aids implementation plan and to make it publicly available, the organisation said today. A press release by the department of health misleadingly titled TAC withdraws legal action a
South African Press Association - October 25, 2004
Provision of anti-retroviral therapy to people living with HIV/Aids in Botswana is progressing at a steady rate, resulting in fewer deaths, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday. The overall mortality of patients on treatment is less than 10%, says a report compiled by Botswana s Health Ministry and WHO ex
South African Press Association - October 19, 2004
Africa is keenly awaiting the outcome of the United States elections and wondering how it will affect the fight against HIV/Aids on the world s poorest continent, which is also the hardest hit by the deadly viral disease. Some slam US President George Bush s conservative policies but others wonder whether his rival, De
South African Press Association - October 12, 2004
The Democratic Alliance has called for the trustees of the South African National Aids Trust, including Deputy President Jacob Zuma and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, to appear before Parliament s health portfolio committee to account for the trust s activities. The call comes after an Auditor-General s repo
South African Press Association - October 12, 2004
The prevalence of HIV among health workers in South Africa is very high and they need to be targeted with anti-retroviral treatment as part of a multipronged approach to augment the sector, the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) warns. Given the high prevalence of HIV (of 15,7%) in the younger population of health wo
South African Press Association - October 12, 2004
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe wrapped up a three-day state visit to Mozambique on Wednesday by playing down the economic and social turmoil in his country. Speaking at Maputo airport before heading home to Harare, Mugabe told journalists the meeting with Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano was very fruitful and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned on Thursday that poverty and instability in Africa are providing a fertile breeding ground for terror and criminal organisations. Addressing the second meeting of a commission he set up to develop ways of helping Africa, Blair called for international attention to be turned into
The Treatment Action Campaign -- a South African ant-Aids lobby group --and its leader, Zackie Achmat, are joint nominees for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, to be announced on Friday. There could not be a better recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize than somebody who has contributed to save about 20 million people, said Dr E
South African Press Association - September 20, 2004
HIV and Aids could be responsible for five million deaths by 2011 and this figure could rise to nine or 10 million by 2021, according to new research released on Monday. On the basis of figures provided in the report, a conservative estimate points to more than five million Aids-related deaths by 2011. By 2021 this fig
South African Press Association - September 13, 2004
An additional R234-million will be given to South Africa by the United States in 2004 following the signing of a development co-operation agreement between the two governments in Pretoria on Monday. During 2003 and 2004, South Africa received more direct development assistance than any other of 27 African countries sup
South African Press Association - September 13, 2004
Ben Maclennan, Cape Town
The department of health is being taken to court again by Aids pressure group the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which is demanding the department release its detailed anti-retroviral (ARV) rollout programme. The application is to be heard in the Pretoria High Court on November 2, Aids Law Project attorney Fatima Has
South African Press Association - September 9, 2004
The Traditional Health Practitioners Bill, which gives formal recognition to the about 200 000 traditional healers in South Africa , was approved in the National Assembly on Thursday. During debate on the matter, the Democratic Alliance s (DA) Ryan Coetzee said there were three good reasons to support the bill. It
A nurse at Sterkfontein mental hospital has been suspended for allegedly using the same needle on several patients, an action that could spread the HI virus. The Gauteng health department said on Tuesday the senior nurse was conducting routine glucose needle-prick tests on patients at the hospital in Krugersdorp last W
Birthday wishes poured in on Sunday for former president Nelson Mandela, who turned 86. The New National Party in a statement congratulated Mandela and said the nation is indebted to him for the selfless service he continues to give the nation and especially those in need. To Mr Mandela there is never a thought spared
The charisma of Nelson Mandela and the cheque book of Bill Gates joined forces at the International Aids Conference in Bangkok on Thursday to lay assault on tuberculosis (TB), a companion killer disease to HIV. Mandela, an iconic figure at the global Aids forum, branded TB -- of which he himself was once a victim -- a
Experts called on Thursday for urgent work on HIV-killing gels that could help protect women who can t rely on condoms, while democracy icon Nelson Mandela told the world not to ignore tuberculosis (TB) in its battle against Aids. With research over the past two years showing that an Aids vaccine is still a long way of
The European Union s head office said on Thursday it is delivering another €42-million ($52-million) to a United Nations-sponsored global fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria. The money -- part of a €460 million ($569-million) pledge for 2002-2006 -- will go toward programs geared to boost prevention, treatment
The fight against Aids cannot be won by relying solely on condoms, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said at the International Aids Conference in Bangkok on Monday. Museveni, credited with slashing HIV infection rates in Uganda, said that abstinence, loving relationships and marriage are even more crucial than relying
The Catholic Church is planning a further roll-out of its anti-retroviral (ARV) programme for HIV and Aids patients in South Africa , the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) said on Tuesday. Of the five million HIV-positive people in South Africa, it is estimated that 600 000 are in need of ARVs, the S
Life expectancy in Southern Africa, the world s hardest-hit region by Aids, has dropped to 49 and without large-scale treatment programmes it could plummet to below 35 in some countries, says a United Nations Aids report released on Tuesday. Food shortages hitting at least six countries are also giving Aids a magnifyin
South African Aids activists sang and danced through the streets of Cape Town on Thursday as part of a worldwide campaign to get the US government to reduce military spending. Some 500 marchers made their way to the US consulate in central Cape Town to deliver a letter addressed to President George Bush calling for les
Illegal traders have taken advantage of the Aids crisis and are smuggling anti-retrovirals (ARVs) from southern African countries into Zimbabwe for resale. The problem we have now is some of the cross-border traders who are importing ARVs and selling them to people without a prescription, and this is dangerous, Dr Chr
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria says it will not withdraw funding granted to South Africa . This follows reported comments last week by fund executive director Richard Feacham that the funds, which have been available since 2002, are being held up and that the money will be withdrawn from the go
About 11 million copies of an HIV/Aids and treatment booklet are being distributed nationally as part of the government s Aids action plan. Spokesperson for the plan, Thami Skenjana, said on Wednesday that the 49-page booklet contained detailed information on how HIV/Aids was transmitted and how it could be prevented.
Black economic empowerment, poverty, education, HIV/Aids, tourism and the Soccer World Cup in 2010 were some of the issues KwaZulu-Natal Premier S bu Ndebele touched on in his state of the province address in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday. One area he plans to pay particular attention to is a broad-based economic empower
South African Press Association - Thursday May 20, 2004
The role of sexual child assault in the transmission of HIV is underestimated and needs further research, Professor Simon Schaaf said in Pretoria. Schaaf, from the department of paediatrics and children s health at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Children s Hospital in Cape Town said a during a single episode of
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Wednesday she was humbled and honoured that President Thabo Mbeki appointed her for another term. The past five years have been challenging, she said in a statement. But within our limited resources we have managed to lay a foundation for the delivery of quality health c
Concern is mounting over what will become of thousands of sick people, especially the elderly and people with HIV/Aids, once it becomes illegal for their doctors to give them medicine without a prescribing licence. Under the Medicines and Related Substances Act, by May 2 dispensing doctors, nurses and dentists must obt
Africa s Anglican archbishops have vowed not to receive donations from western churches which support the ordination of gay priests. We do not want any money from the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. This is not rhetoric. It is not a matter of a joke. We mean what we say, the chairman of the Council o
The Ethiopian government and United States drug giant Pfizer on Friday signed a partnership agreement to provide free medicines to people living with Aids in the Horn of Africa country, the Health Ministry said. Under the deal, Pfizer will provide 50 000 Diflucan tablets to treat cryptococcus meningitis and esophageal
New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk promised jobs, more police officers, teachers, the rapid roll-out of anti-retrovirals and the rights of parents in school governing bodies while touting family values at a rally at Eastridge, Mitchells Plain, on Monday. Working parents are the backbone of our society,
The messages sent out to South African youths by the government s loveLife Aids prevention campaign are inadequate and dangerous , says the African Christian Democratic Party. The campaign sends out mixed messages about sex, and causes passions to become inflamed by their explicit advertising with sexual images , ACDP
The HIV/Aids epidemic appears to be stabilising among young South Africans, with a prevalence rate of 10.2% in the 15-to-24 age group, a new study revealed. While it was not possible to gauge definite trends, the similarity between these findings and those of two other recent studies seemed to support the idea that HIV
Unruly and disruptive behaviour caused the adjournment of a regular monthly general meeting of members of the Aids Consortium at Cosatu House in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Tuesday. Consortium spokesperson Sharon Ekambaram, who is an advocacy officer for its social transformation programme, said in a statement that
A newspaper report that 100 000 civil servants were infected with HIV/Aids was based on a resource document ... not yet finalised into a report . This is according to a joint statement by the Director General of the Department of Social Development, Vusi Madonsela, and a researcher with the University of Pretoria s Cen
A senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official told a conference on Tuesday that traditional medicine had helped improve the condition of two of his nieces, who are HIV-positive. Dr Welile Shasha, the WHO liaison officer in South Africa , said he took the two to a traditional healer and their conditions improved.
Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Wednesday responded to the Treatment Action Campaign s call last week for her to authorise the immediate procurement of anti-retroviral drugs. The TAC said Tshabalala-Msimang was failing to make use of regulations that clearly allow the government to purchase an urgent int
The first medicine-dispensing licences, allowing health-care practitioners to provide medicine to clients, were handed out by the Health Ministry in Pretoria on Tuesday. Health practitioners have until May 2 to apply and qualify for such certificates. This follows a law promulgated last year to prevent doctors from dis
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said on Tuesday it would file court papers against the Department of Health if Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang failed to respond by Wednesday to the TAC s demands to supply Aids patients with anti-retrovirals. In a letter of demands sent to Tshabalala-Msimang on March 10,
The poor infection control practices in some of South Africa s top academic hospitals raise the spectre of unexplained HIV/Aids transmission, an article in the SA Medical Journal (SAMJ) says. There is an urgent need to re-evaluate and improve infection control practices in health care settings, the article concludes. I
The minister of health has until close of business on Wednesday to respond to a letter of demand from the Treatment Action Campaign, or face litigation. The letter, sent on March 10, gave her seven days to authorise the immediate procurement of antiretroviral drugs. Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is failing to make
For a third consecutive year, hundreds of thousands of people in Lesotho are going to need international help to survive due to the combined effects of drought and Aids, a United Nations envoy said on Thursday. Any hopes that Lesotho s humanitarian crisis would begin to ease this year have been dashed, said James Morr
South African Press Association - February 24, 2004
The government s much-anticipated Operational Plan for Comprehensive HIV and Aids Care and Treatment, which provides for the rollout of anti-retrovirals, was presented to Parliament s portfolio committee on health on Tuesday. The plan -- approved by the Cabinet last August -- aims to provide at least one anti-retrovira
South African Press Association - February 18, 2004
Spending on fighting Aids is to be boosted by R2,1-billion over the next three years, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced on Wednesday. This bulk of this will go towards the cost of the provincially-administered antiretroviral treatment programmes. The additional spending will bring total spending on Aids by the p
South African Press Association - February 12, 2004
The Aids virus is spreading in the main cities and towns of the Republic of Congo, with a higher average rate of HIV-positive people among women than among men, according to a survey published on Thursday. Carried out in November by the Central African country s Study Centre for Public Health Development (Credes) with
South African Press Association - February 12, 2004
The Treatment Action Campaign s (TAC) condemnation of President Thabo Mbeki s stance on HIV/Aids death figures stemmed from a misunderstanding, the government said on Thursday. They seem to have misunderstood what the president was saying, said government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe. The TAC claimed on Wednesday tha
South African Press Association - February 11, 2004
President Thabo Mbeki was misrepresenting facts on HIV/Aids and making a mockery of our illness , Zackie Achmat, chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg, Achmat said the president had made some serious factual misrepresentations in a speech on SABC te
South African Press Association - February 9, 2004
Malawi s President Bakili Muluzi will on Tuesday launch the country s first-ever policy on HIV/Aids amid claims by health officials that the alarming infection rates in the Southern African nation have stabilised over the years. Biswick Mwale, head of Malawi s national Aids commission, said the policy, on which work st
South African Press Association - February 3, 2004
South Africa is to get an initial $40-million (R275,86-million) from a sum of $2,4-billion approved by the United States Congress to fight HIV/Aids in 14 countries in the 2004 financial year, it was announced on Tuesday. So far we have been able to obligate slightly over $40-million here with groups in South Africa,
South African Press Association - January 12, 2004
Khayelitsha Magistrate s Court number one was packed on Monday for the appearance of a 15-year-old and two co-accused appear in connection with the vicious gang-rape and murder of a Cape Town Aids activist. Luyanda Zono (18) and Ncedile Ntumbukana (20) and the juvenile were arrested in connection with the murder in Dec
A Kenyan judge ordered the government and the East African country s oldest and largest Aids orphanage Wednesday to try to work out a deal to get primary schools to admit children in infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids. The Nyumbani home, which receives most of its funding from groups in the U
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