HIV Aids trial vaccine
Photograph by: Halden Krog
Credit: The Times

Government is turning the corner on Aids, but that is not enough - all of us must act

In previous years, this day has been one of protest at the government's failure to grasp the Aids nettle. There have been criticisms of the denialism of our leaders, and of their failure to provide with sufficient urgency, and in the required quantity, the anti-retroviral drugs that can alleviate the devastation caused by Aids.

This year is different. Perhaps the single most important advance brought about by the new government of Jacob Zuma is the profound change of attitude to the epidemic. Zuma himself has made a point of talking publicly about Aids and has taken a strong stance against the stigmatisation of those who carry the virus.

And he has pledged to expand the anti-retroviral intervention we so desperately need.

But there are still problems. There are provinces in which the state has failed to manage the supply of the drugs adequately, and there have been shortages, with tragic consequences.

The new health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, has made a massive difference. In place of the recalcitrant denialism of Thabo Mbeki and his health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, we now have a public admission of the scale of the disaster and a willingness to turn around the health service offered to the majority.

The government is turning the corner on Aids, but that is not enough.

The scourge of Aids requires that all of us act. We must teach our children and relatives about Aids and how to avoid it. We must be supportive of people with Aids. We must offer financial, material and emotional support.

South Africans are finally rising from despair to action. And that is the only way to tackle a problem that requires a nation united.