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IRIN PlusNews Weekly Issue 202, 8 October 2004


	Monday 11 October 2004

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IRIN PlusNews Weekly Issue 202, 8 October 2004

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

NEWS:

SWAZILAND: Men urged to take more responsibility in curbing HIV/AIDS
SOUTH AFRICA: Vaccine research struggles to find trial participants
SOUTH AFRICA: Using theatre to encourage HIV testing
LESOTHO: Challenges in implementing anti-AIDS policy
UGANDA: Policy on HIV-testing for children reviewed
UGANDA: Global fund gives $70 million for ARVs
COTE D IVOIRE: AIDS prevention measures collapse in rebel-held city

HAYDEN'S DIARY

Black pots and blacker kettles

CONFERENCES/ EVENTS/ RESEARCH/ RESOURCES:

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

SWAZILAND: Men urged to take more responsibility in curbing HIV/AIDS

Heterosexual men need to take more responsibility for trying to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa, according to regional health experts.

"As we know, in sub-Saharan Africa HIV is spread primarily through heterosexual means and, again, it is well known that Africa, by and large, remains a patriarchal society. Hence, the participation of men in matters of sexual and reproductive health is crucial," Swaziland's Health Minister, Sipho Shongwe, told participants of a workshop held in the capital, Mbabane.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Vaccine research struggles to find trial participants

South African HIV vaccine research efforts are being threatened by the low number of people willing to participate in trials, said the Medical Research Council (MRC).

According to researchers from the MRC in the port city of Durban, the fear of stigma and discrimination from their communities prevented people from taking part in the trials. The country began conducting vaccine trials in November 2003.

The stringent eligibility criteria also saw many potential study participants being rejected.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Using theatre to encourage HIV testing

A trade union in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province has launched a theatre project to encourage more union members to know their status by coming forward to be tested for HIV.

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) AIDS Project has employed five retrenched workers from the textile industry to perform in four soap-opera style plays, shown during lunch breaks in clothing factories throughout the province.

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LESOTHO: Challenges in implementing anti-AIDS policy

The Lesotho government has drafted an impressive anti-AIDS policy, but the country's lack of a "sound revenue base" and inadequate capacity could render it meaningless, a new report has found.

Lesotho, a small mountain kingdom surrounded by South Africa, is in the grip of an HIV/AIDS emergency. An estimated three out of every 10 people are infected with the virus, including 60 percent of the country's workforce. In the last six years, the average life expectancy has plunged from 60 years to 39 years.

But, in a country with no meaningful national economy, responding to the epidemic would be a "formidable challenge" for Lesotho's policymakers, said a paper by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS).

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UGANDA: Policy on HIV-testing for children reviewed

The Ugandan government is reviewing its policy on HIV voluntary counselling and testing for children, following recommendations by experts that disclosure of a child's sero-status should only be done by a person with whom the child feels most comfortable.

A Ugandan below the age of 18 years is legally a child. According to policy, a child cannot be tested for HIV without the consent of a parent or guardian. But officials say the reality is that many children who lack parental support begin sexual activity early or have been caught up in war situations and got infected.

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UGANDA: Global fund gives $70 million for ARVs

The Ugandan government's efforts to scale up antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs to cater for about 120,000 people living with HIV/AIDS received a boost with the donation on Friday of US $70.35 million dollars from the Global Fund on Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The funds will also help the East African country offer assistance to orphans and vulnerable children, according to government officials.

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COTE D IVOIRE: AIDS prevention measures collapse in rebel-held city

First came the rebel movement. After the Ivorian rebels, the Liberian mercenaries swept in. Now, the western town of Man is bracing itself for another invasion - the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Nobody knows exactly how many people are affected, but everybody agrees that the prevalence rate must be alarmingly high.

"It's so hard to make money here that, for girls, sex has become an acceptable way to earn a living," said a bartender who gave his name as Jean-Baptiste.

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HAYDEN'S DIARY

Dear Diary

In a scary case of the pot calling the kettle black, South Africa's Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and former apartheid-era president FW de Klerk were this week at each other's throats over who could have done better in addressing the country's escalating HIV/AIDS pandemic.

De Klerk remarked that the ruling African National Congress had lost years in the battle against HIV/AIDS by shelving a "good" action plan drawn up by his government.

Tshabalala-Msimang countered that the former oppressor's statement was "disturbing" and accused the apartheid-era government of not properly responding to HIV/AIDS during its tenure.

I never thought the day would come when I'd actually agreed with anything Tshabalala-Msimang had to say about HIV and AIDS, and I never will.

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[ENDS]

Recent AFRICA Reports

HIV/AIDS remains a big child killer, 8/Oct/04

HIV/AIDS care centre not being fully utilised, 8/Oct/04

Using theatre to encourage HIV testing, 6/Oct/04

Vaccine research struggles to find trial participants, 5/Oct/04

IRIN PlusNews Weekly Issue 201, 1 October 2004 , 1/Oct/04

Links

Sida Info Services

Le Fonds mondial de lutte contre le SIDA, la tuberculose et le paludisme

Le Réseau Afrique 2000

PlusNews does not take responsibility for info in links supplied.

PARTNERS

PlusNews is produced under the banner of RHAIN, the Southern African Regional HIV/AIDS Information Network. RHAIN's members currently include:

UNAIDS
IRIN
Inter Press Service (IPS)
SAfAIDS
PANOS
Health Systems Trust
Health & Development Networks
GTZ/Afronets

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