"Let's embrace those with HIV/AIDS" - Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela made a heartfelt appeal to South Africans to "go beyond mere declarations", and to embrace people with HIV/AIDS, to show them support, care and love.

A village with a mission

Fikile Ndlovu brings a cup of liquidised sour fig and bulbinella to the lips of a spectral young man, lying listlessly in bed. "The herbal remedy is for oral thrush. It is very good. I have treated quite a number of patients and it has cured them of it," she says, her eyes glowing with excitement as she shows me the green remedy.

Nine Major Companies Commit to Co-Investment to Expand Community HIV/AIDS Programmes Using Corporate Infrastructure

Nine global companies with operations in developing countries – Anglo American, Bristol-Myers Squibb, ChevronTexaco, DaimlerChrysler, Eskom, Heineken, Lafarge, Pfizer and Tata Steel - announced today that they will use their facilities, employees and other infrastructure to expand workplace HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes into communities where they operate. By using infrastructure that was created to serve their employees, this corporate contribution will reduce the start-up and running costs of public programs.

Getting abreast of baby feed formulas

In an attempt to encourage breastfeeding, the government wants to introduce stricter controls over the promotion of bottle feeding. Stringent regulations proposed by the government call for a ban on pictures on baby feeding formula packaging, which will have to carry health warnings in three official languages. This is expected to have serious implications for the baby food and allied industries.

When is prevention better than cure?

Benjamin Franklin once wisely observed, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." On reflection, Michael Bixby Dudley noted in 1994: Zealous reformers have obviously discarded this proverb. Several billion pounds of cure are seemingly required to ensure "health care security" for all. Forget the ounce of prevention - it is no longer sufficient.

Beneficial HIV/AIDS drug deal on the horizon

HIV/AIDS drugs are costing South Africa no more than drugs for serious asthma, complicated diabetes or hypertension. And prices will plummet even further, to around R100 monthly, if the government takes advantage of a deal negotiated recently by former United States president Bill Clinton.

16% of health workers are HIV-positive - HSRC

An estimated 15,7 percent of workers employed in the public and private health sectors in 2002 were infected with HIV/AIDS.

Court ruling favours children oprhaned by HIV/AIDS

Orphaned HIV-positive children in South Africa will be able to access antiretroviral (ARV) treatment more easily after a High Court ruled that permission for such an intervention can now be granted by their caregivers.

Fokus on AIDS - Review

Andre Smith and Ida Jooste were recent finalists in the Vodacom Journalist Awards. Part of the Fokus (SABC2) team, their work has been concentrated on the AIDS epidemic. As a result of their exposure to the sufferers and victims of this disease over an extended period of time, theirs is a singular vision.

Community in action: Ottawa KZN pulls together

The Ottawa/Parkgate community, situated on KwaZulu-Natal's North Coast, is a very small one. On World AIDS Day, its residents and representatives from a range of sectors joined together to mobilise around HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support, and a small team from HIVAN participated in the first such event of its kind in the area. By all accounts, it was an exemplary day, with groups from the private sector, the arts, as well as local schools, NGOs and CBOs taking part. The guest speaker was Dr Atom Dilraj from the MRC in Durban.