South Africa targets 50 percent drop in new HIV cases
By, Fran Blandy, Agence France Presse, December 1, 2006
NELSPRUIT - South Africa has unveiled plans to halve the number of people being infected with the AIDS virus within five years by persuading youngsters to delay the start of their sex lives.
A new action plan launched by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka also contained target pledges to provide care for 80 percent of sufferers and their families in a country with the second highest incidence of HIV in the world.
"Key priority one: reduce by 50 percent the rate of new infections by 2011," read the plan which was unveiled in one of the regions worst hit by the epidemic.
The plan emphasised that the key to success in the fight against AIDS rested on the ability to reduce the number of new infections among young people.
Greater sex education was needed while it was also vital to ensure that "a large proportion of youth 14-17 years of age delay the initiation of sex".
"The future course of the epidemic hinges in many respects on the behaviour young people adopt and maintain," it added.
With South Africa registering one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the world, Mlambo-Ngcuka said that there had to be a change in attitude towards sex among the country's youth.
"The estimate suggests that there are still many new infections among young people in our country and that delaying sexual activity by the young is critical," she said.
Her comments came after US President George W. Bush said that abstinence was "the only sure way to avoid the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS."
The South African government has been heavily criticised both at home and abroad over its approach to the epidemic which affects 5.5 million of the 47 million population.
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, dubbed Dr Beetroot, has attracted particular derision for advocating a diet of garlic and vegetables to help combat the epidemic.
Mlambo-Ngcuka however has come to play an increasingly high-profile role in the fight against the disease. Tshabalala-Msimang, who has had health problems, was absent from the launch in this northwestern city.
The new 2007-2011 action plan however said that further research would be financed on the role of nutrition as well as traditional medicine in building up immunity to the disease.
The government has been riven by internal divisions over the approach to the epidemic with Tshabalala-Msimang's deputy attacking a culture of "denial".
The vice-president said it was important that the government did not become distracted by internal battles.
"If we focus our energy on conflicting with one another and on differences between us we will lose sight of our shared goals and weaken collective resolve and efforts to implement this plan," she said.
Anti-AIDS campaigners have said that Tshabalala-Msimang's focus on vegetables has been at the expense of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) which they say are the key to winning the fight against the disease.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said that a total of 213,000 people were beneficiaries of a government-funded ARV programme and 11,000 were joining every month. In addition, more than 360 million condoms were being distributed annually.
Macharia Kamau, chief representative in South Africa of the UN children's fund Unicef, hailed the government's recent performance.
"This country has made great strides in the provision of treatment over the past couple of years. It has the fastest growing uptake and largest number of people on ARV treatment," he told AFP.
"I make a special plea that this country makes a special effort to contain the impact of AIDS on children."
The words of praise are in stark contrast to criticism from the UN's chief envoy on AIDS in Africa who accused the government in August of espousing "theories more worthy of a lunatic fringe than of a concerned and compassionate state."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061201/wl_africa_afp/healthaidssafrica_061201113227
NELSPRUIT - South Africa has unveiled plans to halve the number of people being infected with the AIDS virus within five years by persuading youngsters to delay the start of their sex lives.
A new action plan launched by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka also contained target pledges to provide care for 80 percent of sufferers and their families in a country with the second highest incidence of HIV in the world.
"Key priority one: reduce by 50 percent the rate of new infections by 2011," read the plan which was unveiled in one of the regions worst hit by the epidemic.
The plan emphasised that the key to success in the fight against AIDS rested on the ability to reduce the number of new infections among young people.
Greater sex education was needed while it was also vital to ensure that "a large proportion of youth 14-17 years of age delay the initiation of sex".
"The future course of the epidemic hinges in many respects on the behaviour young people adopt and maintain," it added.
With South Africa registering one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the world, Mlambo-Ngcuka said that there had to be a change in attitude towards sex among the country's youth.
"The estimate suggests that there are still many new infections among young people in our country and that delaying sexual activity by the young is critical," she said.
Her comments came after US President George W. Bush said that abstinence was "the only sure way to avoid the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS."
The South African government has been heavily criticised both at home and abroad over its approach to the epidemic which affects 5.5 million of the 47 million population.
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, dubbed Dr Beetroot, has attracted particular derision for advocating a diet of garlic and vegetables to help combat the epidemic.
Mlambo-Ngcuka however has come to play an increasingly high-profile role in the fight against the disease. Tshabalala-Msimang, who has had health problems, was absent from the launch in this northwestern city.
The new 2007-2011 action plan however said that further research would be financed on the role of nutrition as well as traditional medicine in building up immunity to the disease.
The government has been riven by internal divisions over the approach to the epidemic with Tshabalala-Msimang's deputy attacking a culture of "denial".
The vice-president said it was important that the government did not become distracted by internal battles.
"If we focus our energy on conflicting with one another and on differences between us we will lose sight of our shared goals and weaken collective resolve and efforts to implement this plan," she said.
Anti-AIDS campaigners have said that Tshabalala-Msimang's focus on vegetables has been at the expense of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) which they say are the key to winning the fight against the disease.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said that a total of 213,000 people were beneficiaries of a government-funded ARV programme and 11,000 were joining every month. In addition, more than 360 million condoms were being distributed annually.
Macharia Kamau, chief representative in South Africa of the UN children's fund Unicef, hailed the government's recent performance.
"This country has made great strides in the provision of treatment over the past couple of years. It has the fastest growing uptake and largest number of people on ARV treatment," he told AFP.
"I make a special plea that this country makes a special effort to contain the impact of AIDS on children."
The words of praise are in stark contrast to criticism from the UN's chief envoy on AIDS in Africa who accused the government in August of espousing "theories more worthy of a lunatic fringe than of a concerned and compassionate state."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061201/wl_africa_afp/healthaidssafrica_061201113227
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 10:11 am
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