SA Government Reports on AIDS Campaign

August 5 - The South African Health Minister issued a statement this week on his government's progress in the battle against HIV.

Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi said that since the government launched its HIV, Council and Testing (HCT) campaign last year, nearly 12 million South Africans have been tested.

Before the campaign began last April, around 923,000 were on ARV treatment.  However, since the campaign was launched, and thanks to more accessibility to medical treatment because of it, over 1.4 million people are now being treated.

Dr. Motsoaledi added: "We have been able to reduce the prices of ARVs by 53%. The significance of this is that we expand coverage treatment and put more patients on treatment. As we achieve universal coverage at 350, it means further reductions in process will be necessary."

The number of health centers who are now able to provide ARVs has grown five-fold since the launch of the campaign, while the number of nurses certified to provide the treatment has grown ten-fold.

"This has increased access to treatment in a manner unimagined just a year ago," he said. "Our target is that all 4,000 health outlets should be accredited as ARV centers by the end of the year and our target is over 4000 nurses to be certified by the end of the year."

Campaign Expanded to Correctional Facilities

The government has also had the treatment made available in correctional facilities, according to the government's statement.

Those incarcerated and who are suffering from AIDS or TB are provided with medication.

However, Dr. Motsoaledi's assessment of South Africa's AIDS situation was nonetheless chilling, despite the positive steps since the launch of the campaign.

"To summarize the problems of HIV and AIDS and TB in our country, all I need to tell you is that we are only 0.7% of the world population but are carrying 17% of the HIV and AIDS burden of the world," he said.