Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association - August 11, 2006
Fran Blandy, Toronto, Canada
"Sick people can't farm, they can't work. Hungry people can't eat Aids messages," said HIV/Aids and food security officer Dr Gabriel Rugulema, speaking to journalists ahead of the 16th International Aids conference in Toronto, which starts on Sunday.
He said people who have little access to food cannot be bothered with Aids warnings. Bad nutrition depresses the immune system, resulting in a higher likelihood of contracting HIV, the faster development of Aids and subsequent death.
Rugulema said too much emphasis is currently being placed on Aids as a medical problem, when in rural areas good nutrition is the key to the efficacy of anti-retroviral drugs, as they have to be taken after a meal. "The critical role of nutrition must be given its proper attention in Aids policy," he said.
Rugulema said a well-nourished person living with HIV/Aids can maintain a good appetite, stable weight, experience less illness and recover quickly should illness occur.
Rugulema said the South African Department of Health can "do more and do better" when it comes to fighting HIV/Aids. South Africa has the highest number of people living with the virus in the world, accounting for more than one-eighth of the estimated 40,3-million cases.
Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has come under criticism from Aids activists and opposition parties for her stance on anti-retrovirals, concentrating on their negative side effects and saying people should eat healthily as a primary way to fight HIV/Aids.
She has often said that foods such as lemon, beetroot, olive oil and raw garlic can protect one from HIV/Aids. Rugulema said the efficacy of those particular foods has not been proved.
"They should be part of a broader basket of foods," he said.
He said he would like to see "very aggressive" HIV-prevention programmes in townships and good anti-retroviral treatment programmes.
Ionel Belfiore, a 17-year-old HIV-positive advocate with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, attributes his ongoing health to "a lot of healthy living, exercise, vitamins and luck".
Having been separated from his parents in Romania and put in an orphanage after he contracted HIV from contaminated blood at about one year old, Belfiore has been lucky enough to have lived longer than the expectancy rate for HIV-infected children.
After spending a year in a steel crib under appalling conditions, he was adopted by an American family and as a 17-year-old has become a strong advocate for the fact that it is possible for infected young people to grow up happy and healthy.
Every day, 1 800 children become newly infected with HIV and half-a-million are expected to die this year, said the foundation's president and CEO, Pam Barnes.
Barnes says the evidence that anti-retrovirals can help children live longer shows how important they are, even though nutrition is important. "We know drugs work, even in resource poor settings," she said.
She said children have been grossly neglected in the world's response to Aids, with a lack of medicines or even the testing of medicines for infected children who are being jeopardised by being given smaller doses of adult medicines not tested for their needs.
In South Africa, the challenge is the "sheer numbers" of Aids orphans, which makes it difficult to reach these children, said Barnes.
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