SOUTH AFRICA: Government reports progress on Nevirapine pilot project

Up to 691 pregnant HIV-positive women and 457 babies were treated with the anti-retroviral drug nevirapine this year, according to the health minister.

'Beeld', a Johannesburg-based daily Afrikaans newspaper, quoted Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang as saying that KwaZulu Natal, the province with the highest HIV infection rate, had the highest number of patients (373 pregnant women and 228 babies) receiving treatment. Msimang was replying to a question by a member of the opposition on the progress of a Nevirapine pilot project since it was introduced earlier this year.

Apart from this project, involving state hospitals and clinics in all nine provinces, the government has banned using anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS patients in the public health sector. The report said departmental calculations indicated at least 106,000 babies, annually, were infected with the virus.

At an earlier briefing in parliament, Tshabalala-Msimang was reported as saying that treatment packages with nevirapine would now include drugs, multi-vitamins, voluntary counselling and treatment for opportunistic infections. More than 9,000 women had received post-natal treatment through the trial projects. More than 6,400 of them had agreed to participate in trials which entail follow-up visits and continuous monitoring of their health, the report said.

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