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Department of Health - World AIDS Day Statement

• Prevention Campaigns are being enhanced to strengthen the promotion of abstinence and being faithful and 380 million condoms are being distributed annually.
• 380 million condoms are being distributed annually
• More than 1,7 million people have used the Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services available in 4 172 hospital and clinics in the past financial year. Services to reduce the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV are available in all hospitals and 86% of clinics.


We promise equal access to treatment, care and support for all of us who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS:


• More than 480 000 people have benefited from nutritional supplementation
• Treatment of opportunistic infections is available in most hospitals and clinics
• TB is curable even in the presence of HIV and AIDS. Get a free TB test and treatment at your nearest hospitals and clinics.
• Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is now available at 273 hospitals and clinics spread across the country.
• An average of 11 000 patients are joining the ART programme every month adding up to 213 828 adults and children who have been put on the programme by September 2006.


We promise to honour the rights of everyone:


• Our Constitution prohibits unfair discrimination and guarantees progressive realization of the right of access to health care
• The Medical Schemes Act outlaws discriminatory exclusion of people living with HIV and AIDS from joining a medical aid
• Labour legislation forbids discrimination on the basis of an HIV status and pre-employment testing
• Efforts to address the challenges of stigma are being intensified.
  
  We promise to support research, monitoring and evaluation of our collective response to HIV and AIDS:
  
  Government supports the following research efforts:
  
  
• South African AIDS Vaccine
• Development of microbicides
• Research and development of African traditional medicines that may alleviate conditions associated with HIV and AIDS
• Behavioural and HIV prevalence surveys.


Let us use the occasion of the World AIDS Day to join hands and reaffirm our collective commitment to curbing the spread of HIV infection and reducing the impact of AIDS. Working together with our partners from all sectors of the South African society, the Department of Health is committed to: Stop HIV and AIDS. Keep the promise.