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WORLD AIDS DAY |
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WORLD AIDS DAY |
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TOGETHER WE CAN ADVANCE THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS |
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Over the past few years we have seen a steady increase in the number of those who are infected. At the same time, the impact on our communities has been increasing. As more people get sick, more relatives have to spend more time and resources looking after them. As more people die, so also does the number of children orphaned increase. While HIV/AIDS can affect anybody, it hits the poor hardest. Our programme to combat the epidemic must therefore be part of the fight against poverty; to make basic health services, clean water and sanitation accessible to all our people; to improve nutrition and food security; to fight against diseases such as tuberculosis and sexually-transmitted diseases, malnutrition and to promote the empowerment of women and young people. For decades the ANC led the struggle against apartheid, which resulted in the democratic breakthrough of 1994 and a period of progressive political, social, cultural and economic advance for all our people. It is these advances that are now under threat because of the HIV/AIDS scourge. The ANC as a political organisation, was the first to develop a plan for AIDS and it remains at the forefront of our people's fight against this scourge guided by policy and programmes based on the thesis that HIV causes AIDS.
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ABSTAIN from sex for as long as possible |
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BE FAITHFUL to your sexual partner. |
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CONDOMISE. If you cannot abstain or be faithful, use a condom everytime |
National government has spent over R500m largely for public awareness campaigns to promote this message. This is in addition to allocations by provincial governments and expenditure on clinical work such as the management of opportunistic infections. During the last financial year alone, government distributed more than 200 million condoms through the public health system.
The government has introduced the HIV policy for learners and educators which has led to the inclusion of life skills programmes as a compulsory part of the curriculum in schools. We call on all parents to support this initiative as a necessary intervention for the future of our children.
Adequate treatment of sexually transmitted diseases also reduces the spread of HIV.
To manage HIV infection requires, as a starting point, identifcation of those who are infected in a non-discriminating and non-threatening way. The ANC-led government is therefore increasing access to counseling and voluntary testing at health facilities and non-medical sites. It is promoting the use of rapid tests that have proven to be accessible, and cost-effective.
A second area of focus is the treatment of opportunistic infections such as pneumonia, diarhoea, skin infections and fungal infections. It has been shown in many countries that if opportunistic infections are diagnosed early and managed rigorously, people who are HIV positive can lead longer and productive lives.
The ANC-led government shall continue to support the treatment of those who present themselves to the public health system for any condition as best we can and within the resource constraints we face regardless of their HIV status. Guidelines for health workers on how to treat and manage opportunistic infections have recently been published.
The ANC promotes affordable and equitable access to medicines for all our people. We support the efforts of government to engage the pharmaceutical companies as part of the international effort to ensure affordable access to medicines, including medicines used against HIV/AIDS in the developing world.
At the same time, we reiterate that as a country, we currently cannot afford the use of antiretrovirals for wide scale treatment at their current prices. In addition we do not have adequate infrastructure necessary to monitor any widespread introduction of antiretroviral drugs for treatment purposes in the public health system.
There is a lot of evidence that where antiretrovirals are introduced without the necessary meticulous follow-up, which requires good laboratory support, then the outcomes are at times worse than if people had not been put on these drugs at all.
We are firm in our view that the interests of public health and those of our people are better served by government investing in the all round development of a robust public health infrastructure and health system to better confront the many diseases we face Ð such as TB, malnutrition, malaria, cholera and opportunistic infections Ð as opposed to spending all our limited resources on the purchase of antiretrovirals.
This approach is consistent with that of many other countries and is backed by solid scientific evidence, which indicates that early and aggressive treatment of opportunistic infections leads to a prolonged, good quality, and fully productive life.
Our programme also includes fighting discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and creating a supportive and caring social environment for AIDS orphans and other affected individuals. Many legal and other measures already in place prohibit discrimination against those with HIV/AIDS including at work and in our schools.
The ANC supports the current negotiations between the Ministry of Health and the pharmaceutical industry on the reduction of drug prices, which are facilitated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS.
The prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) remains one of our major challenges. Our goal is to prevent the transmission of HIV from an HIV positive mother to the child and to assist the mother to sustain the HIV negative status of the child.
While antiretroviral drugs such as AZT and Niverapine have been shown to reduce the transmission of the virus from mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth, this could be reversed if the mother breastfeeds the baby. The long-term safety profile of these drugs has also not been well established.
Bottle feeding is not a straightforward option since breastfeeding is an important and well-established cultural practice and there are still millions with no access to safe water and sanitation. It becomes important therefore to link any medical intervention with sustainable safe, infant feeding options so as to ensure real overall benefit.
The ANC supports the extension of research sites for Niverapine use so that we can better understand some of the scientific and operational challenges that will arise.
Another element in the reduction of MTCT is the effective management of pregnant HIV positive mothers. Guidelines are being implemented in our institutions to help reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child. Amongst others, it include vigorous treatment of opportunistic infections with a special focus on sexually transmitted diseases and non-invasive methods of monitoring the foetus.
As the movement that embodies the aspirations and hopes of our people, the ANC, its members and cadres should lead with commitment and dedication the programme to turn the tide of the epidemic.
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Let us remember that there is no cure for AIDS.Let us individually and collectively be advocates
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