First ever Burden of Disease Report released in South Africa

A research team from the Medical Research Council of SA (MRC) just completed the first ever Burden of Disease study in South Africa where it estimates that HIV/AIDS accounts for 39% of premature mortality experienced in the year 2000 based on the years of life lost by each person who dies.

Mixed blessings for HIV couples

When a partner shows signs of HIV resistance in the face of a mate's positive status, it is at once a blessing and a burden. Known as discordant couples, thse pairings happen more often than one would think, according to doctors and HIV/AIDS counsellors. In the absence of conclusive findings, some medical professionals attribute the apparent HIV resistance of some partners to factors ranging from genetics to anatomy.

Research report on gender, poverty and HIV/AIDS

The Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness (PACSA) have released Phase One of their Research Report on their project entitled Gender, Poverty and HIV/AIDS: How Do Women Survive and What Support Do They Need? This report documents the first phase of a joint research project conducted by the Gender and Poverty and Economic Justice Desks of PACSA.

Factsheet on Children and HIV/AIDS - Child Protection Week 2003

One of the greatest threats to the realisation of child rights in South Africa and, more broadly, in Sub Saharan Africa, is the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Results of the 2002 Durex Global Sex Survey

The results of the 2002 Durex Global Sex Survey produced some interesting results.

"Letting Them Die - Why HIV/AIDS intervention programmes fail"

"In the old South Africa we killed people. Now we're just letting them die." - Pieter-Dirk Uys, South African satirist. Why do people knowingly engage in sexual behaviour that could lead to a slow and painful premature death? Why do the best-intentioned HIV-prevention programmes often have so little impact?

Water and HIV/AIDS - some strategic considerations

At first sight, the issues of HIV/AIDS and water would appear to bear very little relation to each other. HIV/AIDS is a global-scale pandemic that is transmitted between people primarily through sexual contact, while water is a renewable natural resource of which the availability depends on a variety of geographic and climatic factors.

UNDP Human Development Report 2003

Since 1990, the United Nations Development Programme has commissioned the Human Development Report by an independent team of experts to explore major issues of global concern. The concept of Human Development looks beyond per capita income, human resource development, and basic needs as a measure of human progress and also assesses factors such as human freedom, dignity and human agency, that is, the role of people in development. The Human Development Report 2003 argues that development is ultimately "a process of enlarging people's choices", and not just raising national incomes.

The long-run economic costs of AIDS - World Bank Report

"The Long-run Economic Costs of AIDS: Theory and an Application to South Africa" is a report presented by the World Bank. Most existing estimates of the macro-economic costs of AIDS, as measured by the reduction in the growth rate of GDP, are modest.

HIV/AIDS and the plight of food insecurity within the SADC region

HIVAN Researcher, Anam Nyembezi, presented a paper entitled "HIV/AIDS and the Plight of Food Insecurity within the SADC Region" at the SA AIDS Conference 2003 (held in Durban from 3rd to 6th August). His paper concluded with some recommendations for improving food security within the SADC region in light of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.