SIR Richard Branson made an angry appeal to President Thabo Mbeki and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to stop killing your countrymen . He was speaking at the launch of the Loomba Trust in Johannesburg this week, attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair s wife Cherie Booth QC. Loomba is a charity that sup
If we can learn to open up, it will make it easy to seek emotional and physical help, and we can defeat the virus ONE Sunday afternoon I went to visit my long-time friend from the other side of Soweto. I woke up missing her and I decided to catch a taxi to Tladi to see her. My friend was staying with her boyfriend in a
I M 34 years old, born and bred in KwaMashu. I have been infected with HIV for 10 years. I have two sons, aged 15 and 11. I am a fourth child, and I am a mother, sister, counsellor and HIV educator. I belong to the United Congregational Church. For nine years I lived without ARVs, eating healthily, exercising and prayi
MORE than 2000 critically ill HIV patients in a remote district of North West have been rescued from an early death - thanks to one man s tireless efforts. Dr Vanga Siwisa, a Gauteng doctor who single-handedly set up the first antiretroviral (ARV) clinic in Taung, has been credited with saving the lives of many HIV suf
A question without an answer is what impact these celebrities have had in helping the continent IT USED to refer to the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood, but nowadays the term A-list stands for something else entirely - the Africa List. With Madonna becoming the latest celebrity to adopt an African baby - and, de
Wally Mbhele was called to his brother s bedside just hours before his death. Soon afterwards, his brother s children became orphans when their mother died too MY BROTHER: We prayed for his speedy recovery. We prayed for his wife too. We prayed that God would give their children courage in the face of a difficult situa
Malawai - DAVID Banda was facing death from malnutrition when his desperately poor father dropped him at the mission-run Home of Hope orphanage in November last year. But within a month, the infant, affectionately known as Davie, was a healthy bouncing boy - thanks to being given proper nutrition and medical care at th
KHUMO Seopela, a clinical psychologist, is offering HIV counselling to Sunday Times readers from next week. Seopela, who has been in practice since 1990, has degrees in psychology and in journalism. Her work as a clinical psychologist has spanned both corporate and private practice. Seopela was the True Love magazine r
MADONNA this week proved she still has what it takes to keep the public enthralled - with a guessing game over whether she has adopted a Malawian orphan. The 48-year-old pop star, who is in Malawi for charity, was reported by a Malawian government spokesman to have adopted a one-year-old boy. She asked us to identify b
IT ALL happened when I returned from exile in 2001. My younger brother was married with two kids and living with my mother at our home. While I was out of the country, I had learned that he had contracted TB and been admitted to hospital for several months. During this time his wife was expecting their second child. Ou
THE Sunday Times fundraising drive to build a dining hall for a community ravaged by HIV/Aids in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town of Eshowe is approaching the R25000 mark. The aim is to build a structure with all the necessary facilities for Aids orphans at the facility, which is run by the Nurturing Orphans of Aids for
Eighty-year-old Jan de Groot, who learnt he was HIV-positive at the age of 67, writes about living and coping with Aids THE year is 1993. The occasion is my donating of blood to the Natal Blood Transfusion service. The result is that I am not allowed to give blood and that I must see the office. The outcome is that I a
When she was sick, my days would feel like I had lost all there was in life I MET her at a party on the 15th of December 1998. She was beautiful but I did not like her at all. She was introduced to me by a cousin. I thought she was too full of herself, so I avoided her. I did not know that she would become my partner a
A CHATSWORTH doctor has been accused of recklessness by a top South African researcher for claiming that a lethal drug ravaging the community can cause Aids. Prof Jerry Coovadia, head of the University of KwaZulu-Natal s HIV/Aids research unit, has trashed a theory by prominent Croftdene general practitioner Dr Nassim
A DRUG registration backlog at the Medicines Control Council is delaying the roll-out of life-saving drugs needed to fight HIV/Aids and the killer strain of TB ravaging the country. The backlog, which means delays of over three years for some drugs, has also blocked plans for a new one-pill-a-day Aids drug that could t
THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has vowed to pass a scathing and radical resolution against the way Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is handling the HIV/Aids crisis. Although Cosatu s general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, refused to divulge the federation s resolution on Tshabalala-Msimang, th
A MEDICAL Research Council study has revealed shocking data on the prevalence of HIV/Aids in Chatsworth. The study, conducted in 2004, says the suburbs of Welbedacht, Croftdene, Westcliff, Silverglen and Crossmoor were sitting on an HIV/Aids time-bomb, with a prevalence rate of between 40% and 50%. Of 319 women who vol
NEW blood donation regulations to be enforced from next month will allow gay men to give blood - but only if they haven t had sex for six months. Revised rules - already accepted by South Africa s two transfusion services, in a bid to expand the donor community - are a major shift from the previous five-year embargo im
THE grieving women sang a gospel tune behind the hearse as it carried a body away from the Church of Scotland Hospital in Msinga, near Tugela Ferry, in the rural heartland of KwaZulu-Natal. The hearse was soon followed by another, carrying another body. In the past, bystanders would have been moved by the solemn atmosp
What is TB? Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, although they can attack any part of the body, including the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB can be fatal. What is multi-drug-resistant TB? MRD-TB is a strain of TB that is r
SONIA Makeleni was only 18 when she was forced to give up her ambitions of becoming an air hostess and an international model. Diagnosed with tuberculosis four years ago when she was still at high school, Makeleni defaulted on her medication and, about a year later, her health deteriorated. Eventually she was told she
I m not saying CAT would have solved all the problems, but it would have had a great impact A MASSIVE anti-TB initiative involving private firms, civil society and the government was culled two years ago by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. The Coalition Against TB (CAT), a network of mining firms, drug compan
THE Health ministry has instructed provincial departments not to have any dealings with the United Nations special envoy on Aids in Africa. Letters written by the department s Director-General, Thami Mseleku, also order all provincial senior Health officials not to speak to the media about the Aids issue or comment on
The rules of politics are being rewritten. No longer can a distant ANC leadership be sure of imposing its will, write Brendan Boyle and Moipone Malefane. The ideological commitments are all on a back burner. For now it s about power, personalities and old scores FROM an executive more used to telling than explaining, i
WHITE and Indian South Africans are least likely to support a tax to finance the treatment of people with HIV/Aids, according to the findings of a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) survey. The survey tested the willingness of South Africans to pay a hypothetical tax for HIV/Aids treatment. The HSRC interviewed 160
AS PRESIDENT of the Republic I have come to the conclusion that the circumstances dictate that, in the interest of the Honourable Deputy President, the government, our young democratic system, and our country, it would be best to release the Hon Jacob Zuma from his responsibilities as Deputy President of the Republic
ACTIVISTS have welcomed moves to include men as victims of rape - especially with widespread gang-rape incidents in prisons. According to current law a man cannot be raped, only indecently assaulted - effectively a less serious crime than the rape of a woman. According to Friends Against Abuse, an organisation supporti
THE Sunday Times fundraising effort to build a suitable dining hall for a desolate community ravaged by HIV/Aids in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town of Eshowe is gaining momentum. The aim is to build a structure with all the necessary facilities for Aids orphans at the centre, which is run by the Nurturing Orphans of Ai
THE Sunday Times fundraising effort to build a suitable dining hall for a desolate community ravaged by HIV/Aids in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town of Eshowe is gaining momentum. The aim is to build a structure with all the necessary facilities for Aids orphans at the facility, which is run by Nurturing Orphans of Aids
Two friends have conquered considerable adversity to take on a great challenge, write Nashira Davids and Philani Nombembe It is not the end of my life. I might be sick, but that doesn t mean I can t live a great life. I do things many healthy people don t do. Since I was diagnosed, I ve had a perfect life Print Send to
THE Sunday Times has been co-ordinating a fundraising effort for a desolate community ravaged by HIV/Aids in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town of Eshowe. We want to build a suitable dining hall with all the necessary facilities for the Aids orphans at the facility that is run by Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity (No
So what s the best lesson you ve learnt from playing an HIV-positive character? Well, that HIV/Aids is not a death sentence, and that the most intrinsic thing of beating this virus is a solid and caring support system of family and friends. How has playing Nandipha affected your life? It s shown me that even though I m
I salute all South Africans who are in relationships with HIV-positive people. I know our society will eventually embrace, and not discriminate against, HIV-positive people THE tears came running down my cheeks while reading When your partner is HIV-positive by Anonymous on page 35 last week. I realised that I am not
BEING in an intimate relationship with someone who is HIV positive brings its own challenges. Here, one reader tells how she fell deeply in love with an HIV-positive person. The relationship ended but the lesson, that with love anything is possible, remains. I always like waking up to the birds singing and chatting in
The films aim to highlight what happens when we don t put into practice the values we profess Over R25-million is being spent to encourage South Africans to walk the talk when it comes to social values, in a new television series, Heartlines. The series is backed by First National Bank, SABC2, the John Templeton Founda
SUNDAY Times readers have opened their hearts and donated R2751 to the paper s appeal last week to help build a dining hall for the Aids orphans of Eshowe. The plea followed a report last year highlighting the desolate community ravaged by HIV/Aids in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town. Education authorities have since bu
A YOUTH leader has warned that India is sitting on an HIV/-Aids time-bomb and that infections could soon rival those in Africa if the disease is not quickly contained. Dr Bianca Nazareth, deputy president of the Asia Pacific Alliance of the Young Men s Christian Association (YMCA), said the disease was growing at an al
LESOTHO S handling of the Aids crisis is an example to the Southern African region, former US President Bill Clinton said this week, adding that, although mixed messages had slowed South Africa s response, he was encouraged at how much better it is than a couple of years ago . Clinton, accompanied by Microsoft billiona
This country has Aids, and if you care about this country, then in a weird way, you have it too THE moment that this year s Alan Paton Award was announced was one of the most exciting of my life. Holding Judge Edwin Cameron s hand and walking up to the podium to accept this honour will remain forever one of the most pr
Judge Edwin Cameron and Adam Levin were joint winners of the Alan Paton Award last month for their books Witness to Aids and AidSafari respectively. Here they share their thoughts on the award, on Aids, and on living with hope The most important fact about Aids is good news - the hope-filled fact that Aids is no longer
The report cites action against Travelgate MPs and former Deputy President Jacob Zuma as evidence of a commitment to clean government CORRUPTION - in the public and private sectors - has been identified as an acute problem facing democratic South Africa . This is contained in a comprehensive, but sanitised, self-assess
ENRAGED Alexandra residents are planning to march on the Department of Health offices tomorrow to protest against the transfer of a nurse they call Sister of Mercy . Sister Rose Letwaba - who won the national Cecilia Makiwane award for nursing excellence in 2001 - faces disciplinary action for alleged moonlighting, cor
MEC commissions task team to crack the problem by early next year I take the point that we could have made meaningful interventions earlier. But I want to believe that those who came before me did their best to deal with the backlog THE wheels of justice grind too slowly for 22000 of Gauteng s orphans who cannot get ap
Nashira Davids, Ilse Fredericks and Philani Nombembe
THE University of Cape Town is investigating a professor who has been touting a herbal concoction as an Aids treatment. The university is taking disciplinary action against Professor Girish Kotwal, the principal investigator in its Medical Biotechnology Department. This week international journal Nature exposed Kotwal
MAGGIE (not her real name) writes: I went to the clinic as I had been suffering from pain everywhere in my body, especially my feet and legs. I was constantly getting flu and chest infections. The clinic sister [at the Petervale Health Clinic] suggested an HIV test. What a dreadful day! My results came. Oh! I thought o
Government s long-standing chief communicator gives up that role to devote himself full-time to hatching plans, writes Brendan Boyle JOEL Netshitenzhe, the silver-tongued policy wonk who has been the primary voice of the government for 12 years, plans to talk less and do more. After a lifetime as a communicator, Netshi
ONE in six teenage girls failed to attend schools or other educational institutions last year, mainly because of poverty, illness and pregnancy. A total of 547000 young girls, aged between 13 to 19, abandoned their studies, including a shocking 183000 who did not have money to pay for fees. The figures, released by Sta
THE richest Africans have higher HIV prevalence rates than the poorest, disputing commonly held beliefs that Aids is driven by poverty, according to an analysis released this week of recent data from eight African nations. The study, which was presented and debated at the third annual US President s Emergency Plan for
ZULU warriors are being armed with traditional weapons in the body s war against HIV. A group of healthcare providers in KwaZulu-Natal has come up with a novel way of teaching illiterate HIV-positive patients about Aids, describing CD4 cells as Zulu warriors and antiretroviral drugs as traditional weapons. BroadReach H
POLICE carrying out a raid on a housing complex in Johannesburg s northern suburbs this week seized the anti-Aids medication of an HIV-positive man - and then arrested him for being in possession of the drugs. Martin Leigh, who was diagnosed with HIV six years ago, was horrified when police banged on his door in the ea
THE judges of the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award, the country s most prestigious prize for non-fiction, were so impressed by two autobiographies dealing with Aids that they decided on both authors as winners. The award went to Supreme Court of Appeal judge Edwin Cameron for Witness to Aids and journalist Adam Levin for
YOUTH leaders have slammed a local company and clothing giant Levi Strauss for a social responsibility campaign that hopes to use a famous struggle image in an Aids-awareness campaign. Matchboxology, a Johannesburg corporate social opportunity company, is negotiating to re-shoot the famous photograph of slain child act
Thirty years after hundreds of Soweto children died on June 16 1976 while protesting the use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction at schools, today s generation faces a new struggle that is just as perilous - the burgeoning orphans crisis fuelled by HIV/Aids. This week Metro spoke to two children who have been orp
A MONTH ago, Christine Williams and her domestic worker read a Sunday Times article about Bev White, a woman supporting her HIV-positive employee. Three days later, Williams s domestic worker, too, was diagnosed with the virus. We read the story again and called Bev, said Williams. She and her domestic worker, who aske
WHEN Angie McLaren shows up at her HIV/Aids care centre in Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal, children clamour for her attention. Their faces brighten as she greets them. McLaren and her sugar-cane-farmer husband Keith have established a centre where nearly 100 HIV/Aids orphaned and abandoned children from the commun
Everyone Knows Someone is a Sunday Times campaign to encourage people to know their HIV status and to destigmatise the disease. We would like readers to share their experiences of how they have coped with the disease. We would also like to publish personal experiences (and, where readers feel comfortable, photos) of So
IT IS, of course, every parent s worst fear to outlive their children. It is a violation of the natural rhythm of life. The deaths of our two children, Nelisuzulu and Mandisi, from HIV/Aids within a few months of each other in 2004 left Irene, my children and me numb with grief. Yet, we knew that this was not a singula
RESIDENTS of the remote St Helena Island have declared war on over-sexed, over-paid South African construction workers. The island s governor will decide this week whether to bar South Africans found to be HIV-positive from entering that isolated world - because residents believe lonely South African workers will bring
A COLLECTION of artworks painted by a host of local and international celebrities will go under the hammer at a charity auction at Sun City. More than 200 drawings, sculptures and paintings, including canvases by singer Katie Melua and diva Diana Ross, will be sold at the inaugural Positive Arts event, which runs for f
SEVEN years ago it felt like a death sentence. But Brett Anderson has turned the shock of being HIV-positive into a triumph of learning and sharing. Since discovering his status, Anderson, 34, a Cape Town-based TV producer, has made 29 Aids-awareness commercials, co-founded the human development consultancy LifeLab, an
Wherever you go in Africa, there s Irish nuns and priests jumping out from behind bushes. Now there s rock stars ALONG a dusty road with no name near Lesotho s capital, Maseru, the diplomat became a rock star. Stripping off the shirt and tie he had worn to a meeting with King Letsie III, U2 front man Bono glanced arou
A HIGH Court judge has ruled that a woman he described as a carrier of Aids may not have custody of her children because she is HIV-positive and may transmit the virus to her children. Pretoria High Court Judge Johan Smit made the comments during the divorce proceedings of the woman and her husband, a well-known multi-
The play In the Continuum, written and performed by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter and currently wowing audiences at the Market Theatre, won one of the most prestigious awards in theatre earlier this week - a Village Voice Obie Award, which honours achievement Off Broadway. Undoubtedly deserving of the award, In the C
BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair has called the next five days a watershed week for Africa, with initiatives on Aids, the Darfur conflict and trade to be thrashed out in London. In a letter to the Sunday Times ahead of a visit to the UK by President Thabo Mbeki, the UK Premier said it was a week in which unprecedented
BONO S guest editorship of Britain s Independent newspaper on Tuesday, an innovative bid to raise awareness of HIV/Aids, particularly in Africa, has drawn a favourable response, with most praising the U2 frontman s passion and commitment to humanitarian causes. The singer s spokesman has told journalists that he was t
There she was with eyes full of tears. I was shocked because we were laughing a moment ago. She said: Can I tell you something? ... I am HIV- positive I am a 26-year-old South African male, born in rural Limpopo, and I am an HIV/Aids youth agent/activist . When I first heard of HIV, I thought it was something that woul
I want to live - and refuse to do so in fear and self-pity, writes David Patient. Having lived with HIV for 23 years, I have learned the hard way that people attach all sorts of judgments to me for being infected. I have also learned that I have no control over what people think about me. No matter how hard I may try t
One can hide from the test, but not the truth. If you are infected with HIV, you will know about it sooner or later. Ignorance does not buy time, it wastes time I WILL now give you the test result ...and the result is positive. These words were spoken to me by an HIV counsellor at the Durbanville Clinic last October.
THE exhibition at the Standard Bank Gallery invites viewers to ponder the role of religion in contemporary society. Entitled Figuring Faith: Images of Belief in Africa, it features some 250 works by the likes of South Africans Penny Siopis, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Jackson Hlongwane, William Kentridge, Kendall Geers, Steven
SCHOOLGIRLS as young as 11 have turned to prostitution in Durban so that they can compete with their more affluent peers by buying designer-label clothing and the latest hi-tech gadgetry. The phenomenon has been described by community leaders as a social scourge that is spiralling out of control, particularly in Chatsw
HE MIGHT have been acquitted in a court of law, but in the court of international public opinion, Jacob Zuma is guilty - of chauvinism and irresponsible sexual behaviour. He is also said to have exposed the fragility of South Africa s new democracy. Following his acquittal on Monday, newspapers in the US and UK declare
What motivated you to write this book? Initially it wasn t intended as something I would publish. It was a diary for myself, documenting an overwhelming process - not knowing if I was going to live or die. Everything was so unknown about Aids and my solace and way of making sense of things has been to write. I wrestled
FORMER President Nelson Mandela has come out in support of the Everyone Knows Someone campaign. We are all affected, or infected, by this disease and it is therefore very important to know your status. Silence is as big a killer as HIV/Aids itself, and we believe the Sunday Times campaign will help the fight against th
THE head of South Africa s Catholic church has questioned whether condoms will reduce the transmission of HIV/Aids - despite a possible ruling by the Vatican which may allow married couples to use condoms. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier said this week that, although reports say the Vatican may allow condom usage between marri
BEV White and Thembi have started a support group to help domestic staff, nannies, caregivers and their employers to deal with HIV. Living Positively at Home aims to facilitate support, strength and inspiration between the caregiver and her employer . Its mission statement reads: We believe that the outlook, effective
BACTERIA or microbes found naturally in the body are being genetically modified to act as a live condom - a revolutionary new way to possibly block HIV infection. We have been tinkering with normal bugs so that they secrete an anti-HIV substance, said molecular biologist Dr Dean Hamer of the US National Institutes for
We need to design these products so that women and their partners enjoy them, and want to use them A GEL or cream offering sexually active people protection against HIV infection could be on the market by 2010, when South Africa hosts the soccer World Cup. Such creams ought to be made as easy to use as toothpaste in o
Everyone Knows Someone is a Sunday Times campaign to encourage people to know their HIV status and to destigmatise the disease. Last week, we launched the campaign with South African celebrities taking public HIV tests, and invited readers to share their stories. Today we publish the first of these - how Bev White and
NOT since the so-called Black Death, the bubonic plague that left a swathe of destruction in Europe in the mid-1300s, has the continued existence of the human race been under so much threat. The scourge of our times is, of course, Aids. Not so long ago it sounded like a mythical disease, something that afflicted unknow
Judging by what the Johannesburg High Court has heard this week, the Lover Boy category could include ANC deputy president and rape accused Jacob Zuma WHAT kind of lover are you? You probably fall into one of five categories: Faithful, Conservative, Responsible, Scared or Lover Boy. That s according to the independent
WAITING to fast-track a meeting with elusive Mr or Miss Right? Then take your chances in a speed-dating charity event at Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom s Krakatoa this month. The event, intended to raise funds for the Starfish Greatheart Foundation HIV/Aids orphans, is aimed at singles interested in meeting ne
Charles Molele, Moipone Malefane and Ndivhuho Mafela
ON MONDAY morning ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma walked into the Johannesburg High Court wearing a black suit and red tie. The man, touted in some quarters as the future president of the country, appeared unfazed as he prepared to face the world to deny the rape charge against him. Over the next four days, Zuma, a tra
She ll cut you to pieces in court with her wit She is quite diminutive and seems fragile, but she is in fact a tough cookie. THE state prosecutor in ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma s rape trial is known for being meticulous and unyielding in her prosecutorial duties. She heads up the public prosecutions directorate wit
PROMINENT Durban academic Prof Jerry Coovadia has won a lifetime achievement special award in India for his research and teachings on HIV/Aids. Coovadia, a scientific director at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, received the award at the 2006 HIV Congress in Mumbai last month. Coovadia said it was an honour
THE details of the 10 minutes of sex Jacob Zuma had with a close family friend will be revealed when he takes the stand tomorrow. Zuma will have to tell Judge Willem van der Merwe at the Johannesburg High Court of the events in his Johannesburg home in November last year that have led him to the dock, where he stands a
Anyone who pushes the send or forward button [to send a defamatory e-mail] to any other person can be sued A DEFAMATORY e-mail claiming that celebrity couple Zam and Nkhensani Nkosi are HIV-positive was disseminated far and wide, even reaching friends in London. Two weeks ago Metro reported how an employee at a Joburg
BABALWA Sitshaka was warned that telling the world about her life with HIV would see her cast down to the lowest rung of township society. But last week it earned her a spontaneous standing ovation in the White House. And this, after hugging and hanging out with US First Lady Laura Bush in her private suite - discussin
I danced to show that I was normal. People were amazed by my stamina and energy A TEMBISA man who was given just three months to live after being diagnosed with HIV threw himself a party last week - to celebrate a decade of survival. HIV/Aids activist Solomon Zimba, 31, hosted the party last Saturday to prove that bei
We won t distribute condoms as this would encourage sexual activities THE Gauteng Education Department has placed teenage pregnancy at the top of its agenda after 2542 schoolgirls fell pregnant over the past two years. Statistics released by the department show that Ingqayizivele Secondary School in Tembisa on the Eas
CELEBRITY couple Zam and Nkhensani Nkosi put up a R50000 reward on Friday to trace the culprit responsible for claims made in a widely circulated e-mail that they are HIV-positive. The defamatory e-mail also contained allegations that TV star Zam regularly cheated on his wife. Lawyers were called in after the couple go
POPULAR SABC weatherman and musician Jabu Sithole disclosed his positive HIV/Aids status yesterday. Supported by the kwaito star Zola and others at a press conference in Johannesburg, Sithole cried as he spoke to reporters. He has been in and out of hospital since December. Famous for his energetic sign-off phrase Oku
WHY are senior members of the government, from the Health minister to the mayor of eThekwini, promoting unproven traditional medicines for Aids at the expense of antiretroviral drugs? Touting the latest herbal remedy , Ubhejane - which is taken to the exclusion of Aids drugs that work - for hospice patients in Durban i
AIDS brought former President Nelson Mandela s grandson and his wife to the altar. Mandla Mandela and his wife Thando hosted high-profile guests, including President Thabo Mbeki, and hundreds of villagers when they tied the knot at one of a series of colourful wedding ceremonies during a two-day celebration at the Mand
Claire Keeton and with additional reporting by Sapa
MATTHIAS Rath, the controversial doctor whose promotion of vitamins to treat people with Aids has won support from health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has been ordered to stop attacking and defaming the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). On Friday, the Cape High Court instructed Rath and his organisation, the Dr Ra
IS THAT recurring sore throat, post-nasal drip-induced cough, flu-related headache or stomach bug keeping you from work at least once or twice every two months? It s not uncommon. Studies abroad and locally indicate that short-term absenteeism in the workplace is spiralling out of control, costing the SA economy more t
THE LATE theatre and music legend Gibson Kente is set to educate theatre enthusiasts about HIV/Aids - with a play he wrote in 2003. The founding father of township theatre died of Aids in November 2004. The Call, which Kente wrote shortly after he went public about being HIV-positive, will premier at Uncle Tom s Hall i
LEADING humanitarian aid agency Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is pulling out of one of South Africa s most successful Aids treatment programmes. MSF has already reduced its involvement in the antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape. This week Dr Eric Goemaere, head of mission for MSF
A BOLD initiative by the University of KwaZulu-Natal to provide treatment to HIV-positive students has struck a snag. The university has failed to persuade a large number of students to enrol in its anti-retroviral programme. This could be a major setback to a recent call by the South African Students Congress (Sasco)
SOUTH Africa is one of several countries worldwide running an HIV trial that could revolutionise treatment of the disease. The ambitious trial is one of the first in the world to treat people with antiretroviral drugs during the early months of infection, as opposed to later. The researchers hope to block the virus bef
ONE of the country s foremost centres for HIV research has made a breakthrough discovery that could benefit child- en with the disease. Researchers of the University of KwaZulu-Natal s medical school have completed the first safety tests on the use of zinc supplements in HIV-infected children, with positive results.
AN AMBITIOUS project aims to put South Africa back on the world research map by creating 210 new academic research positions around the country over the next four years. The additional research chairs - each with funding of up to R2.5-million - will allow successful academics for the first time to work only on research
A WHOPPING 97% of the country s youth are proudly South African. This is according to new statistics released by the research company African Response, which analysed trends and attitudes among South Africans between the ages of 16 and 24. The research also reveals that 94% believe all people are equal regardless of ra
THE Department of Education has shot down a plan by one of its directorates to install condom dispensers for teachers at schools. The department confirmed this week that it had withdrawn a tender for the installation of condom dispensers intended for teachers because schools were centres of learning and teaching and n
THERE are now 25000 private medical aid members enrolled in South Africa s biggest HIV/Aids management programme, Aid for Aids (Afa). More than 70% of them are on antiretroviral drugs and their health has improved measurably. The programme controls HIV/Aids medical care for more than 53 medical schemes and several comp
PETER Busse, who has died in Johannesburg at the age of 47, was known to just about everybody who had anything to do with HIV/Aids, not only in South Africa but abroad as well. He had been living with HIV for 20 years. After his diagnosis in 1985 he was one of the first to cock a snook at the massive stigma surrounding
On my way to the airport I was told that R500000 had already been donated A 21-YEAR-OLD Cape Town student raised R700000 in 12 hours for a Joburg orphanage. Jon-Paul Bolus persuaded eight companies to donate money to Nkosi s Haven, an Aids orphanage in Mellville, Joburg. The home was established and named after the l
TWO of South Africa s top HIV experts have resigned in a major blow to the government s Aids treatment roll-out. The head of the Western Cape HIV/Aids programme, Dr Fareed Abdullah, leaves his post on Friday and Dr Chris Jack, head of the HIV/Aids programme in KwaZulu-Natal, left at the beginning of the month. The West
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.