Hi 20C° Low 3C° | 
The Social
11 hours, 28 minutes ago
Pendock Uncorked
14 hours, 3 minutes ago
Minor Matters
22 hours, 21 minutes ago
The Frock Report
1 day, 10 hours agoView all Times LIVE Blogs
HIV drug resistance at about 5% in Sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa has initiated more than 700 000 people with HIV on antiretroviral drugs and – along with scaling up the rollout of treatment – a major challenge for 2010 and beyond will be containing drug resistance.
A presentation at the HIV Clinicians Society of Southern Africa this year outlined the increasing number of patients failing treatment, and the steps required to avert the widespread development of drug resistance.
The human cost of drug failure is vividly illustrated in an Associated Press feature from South Africa published today.
The Associated Press did a six-month investigation into soaring drug resistance to a range of diseases worldwide.
Among the key points this excellent story highlights are:
* HIV drug resistance ranges from 5% to 30% across the world, up from about 1% to 5% 10 years ago;
* HIV drug resistance is increasingly common in South Africa;
* Monitoring for HIV drug resistance is scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the highest number of people have the virus;
* HIV drug resistance “mirrors the rise worldwide of new and more deadly forms of killer infections, such as tuberculosis and malaria. These diseases have mutated in response to the misuse of the (drugs),” the story says;
* “In some high-risk populations worldwide, HIV drug resistance rates soar as high as 80 percent”, according to studies published in the journal AIDS;
* Drug resistant strains could cost $44 billion to treat by 2010;
* Every year more drug resistant strains are detected: in 2008 there were 93, up from 80 different documented strains in 2007, according to Stanford University’s HIV Drug Resistance Database; and
* Adherence among children is difficult “because they depend on someone else to make sure the meds are swallowed”.
Cape Town’s mayor Dan Plato has dropped the ball: he has slammed a proposal, to brand condoms with soccer balls, as “nuts” for promoting prostitution.
In fact the innovative idea from the sex workers union (SWEAT) and the SA National AIDS Council (SANAC) is aiming to promote HIV prevention and awareness.
“I think they (Sweat and SANAC) are nuts thinking they can somehow promote prostitution through the World Cup,” Plato reportedly said.
He said there was “no way” he would condone the decriminalisation of prostitution and he was worried about “young girls on the streets”.
Young girls are particularly vulnerable to abuse while sex work remains illegal and underground.
SANAC’s health researcher Marlise Richter said: “Sex work has links to the World Cup, HIV/Aids, human rights, the law and public health.
“With the influx of an estimated 450 000 visitors to the country and with our high rates of HIV, it is critical that our laws create an environment (to achieve) the best possible public health outcomes.”
The decriminalisation of adult sex work in South Africa is under review and a paper by the SA Law Reform Commission, released this year, tabled four options from total criminalisation to non-criminalisation with regulation.
Adult sex work needs to be legalised to protect sex workers against violence and exploitation, reduce their risk of getting or spreading HIV and upholding labour and human rights.
Vivienne Lalu, SWEAT‘s advocacy officer told me: “We have been campaigning for decriminalisation for more than 14 years.
“Allegations that we are only pressing for 2010 spin-offs is a complete denial of not only sex worker rights, but human rights.
“The Amended Sexual Offences Bill to be delivered to the Department of Justice is due only in 2011,” she said.
Errol Naidoo, director of the Family Policy Institute, reportedly said he was concerned about reports that young girls were being trafficked into South Africa from rural areas and neighbouring countries to service visitors to the World Cup.
South Africa needs to create an environment to protect all sex workers ahead of the World Cup from violence and disease. 2010 condoms could contribute to this, and could even become souvenirs.
Substitute stavudine (d4T) in first line regimens
The end of an era
Former health minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang passed away yesterday, on South Africa’s Day of Reconciliation December 16, at the age of 69.
Condolences are due to her family and loved ones as they grieve.
But I don’t think respect and reconciliation require being silent about her disastrous mistakes – estimated to amount to at least 330 000 lives lost to AIDS between 2000 and 2005.
Yes, she was a veteran activist who committed her youth to overcoming injustice and apartheid and she should be honoured for that. But her leadership as as health minister for almost decade (1999 to 2009) was catastrophic.
The book “The Virus, Vitamins & Vegetables, The SA HIV/AIDS mystery” – in which I have a vested interest having written a chapter -documents how she and former President Thabo Mbeki allowed the HIV/AIDS epidemic to spiral out of control and obstructed the rollout of antiretroviral treatment.
“The book chronics the tragedy that unfolds when leaders choose to play with people’s lives”, former deputy health minister, Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, said at its launch.
“Dr No” didn’t only do untold damage in HIV/AIDS, she also exacerbated the decline of the public health system in many ways, including driving dedicated doctors out of the public service and undermining scientific programmes.
As Professor Francois Venter, president of the HIV Clinicians Society of Southern Africa, said: “The family should be allowed to grieve in privacy.
“Equally, political leaders should keep eulogizing to a bare minimum, to respect the large number of people who died unnecessarily of HIV or who suffered at the hands of a decimated health system.”
Today Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, extended condolences to those who grieve for her passing and urged South Africans to move forward determined to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS.
“Let us use the death of Dr Tshabalala-Msimang as a milestone on our journey, a signpost towards a future with an Aids-free South Africa,” he urged. Let’s do that.
It is the first time on World AIDS Day that South Africa’s leaders have announced such good news: from April all babies under one years old will be able to get antiretroviral treatment and adults will be able to access to antiretrovirals with a CD4 count of 350 (up from the low bar of 200) – in line with international guidelines.
The government is also scaling up HIV testing, with Zuma and Motsoaledi indicating they will take HIV tests themselves.
I’m going away for two weeks and this is the perfect way to start my holiday. Will be back on December 16.
