TAC supports new government HIV plan

Aids lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), on Thursday welcomed the expected launch of a new strategic plan to fight HIV.

"It is a bold plan. South Africa is showing leadership at a time when many other parts of the world are retreating from their commitments on HIV," it said in a statement.

"Already there are over a million people on treatment. By the time the plan is complete that number must be three million."

President Jacob Zuma was expected to launch the five-year National Strategic Plan (NSP) at a national World Aids Day event in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.

Zuma, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, who chairs the SA National Aids Council (Sanac), and Eastern Cape premier Noxolo Kiviet were expected to mark the 23rd commemoration of World Aids Day at the Wolfson stadium. Cabinet ministers and Sanac members would also attend.

The TAC said commitments set out in the NSP needed to be followed through.

"The NSP makes some bold commitments that will need leadership from the government, including the long delayed issue of the decriminalisation of sex work," it said.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi released the annual National Antenatal Sentinel HIV and Syphilis Prevalence survey -- eight months later than expected.

According to the report, HIV-prevalence among pregnant women in the country had increased from 29.4 percent to 30.2 percent. There was a high degree of stabilisation in the percentage increase of pregnant women between ages 16 to 24 who were infected. However there had been an upward spike between the ages of 24 and 39.

Motsoaledi said prevention methods aimed at the youth were one of the reasons why the numbers had stayed within the "confidence interval".

He attributed the high HIV prevalence in the older category to a lack of antiretrovirals and counselling.

According to the survey, KwaZulu-Natal still had the highest prevalence of HIV-infected pregnant women, while the Northern and Western Cape had the lowest.

Union federation the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) wanted to see a clear implementation programme and budget for the NSP's objectives.

"Will government and the department of health achieve its target to have 2.6 million people on ARVs within 2013 and 2014?" HIV and Aids policy co-ordinator Jacqueline Bodibe asked in a statement.

Cosatu said if nurses did not receive adequate training, the goal to cut the number of new infections in half would not be reached. It was concerned by the number of people dying of Aids because they had tuberculosis as well.

Meanwhile, mineworkers affiliated to the National Union of Mineworkers would gather at the Eskom College in Midrand to commemorate World Aids day.

"HIV/Aids is the greatest threat ever facing mineworkers in particular and construction and energy workers in general," spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said in a statement.

"The Num fully backs the minister of health's comprehensive response to the pandemic and appeals to all organs of society to rally behind government in the fight against the pandemic."

He said mineworkers were encouraged to get tested and know their status.