Uk to give £15m to fund S Africa Aids fight
Monday, World AIDS Day, sees the start of what many hope will prove a new era in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Barbara Hogan, the health minister appointed in September to help shake up a health service in crisis, is being given UK political, as well as financial support.
The minister, Ivan Lewis, told me that South Africa has one the most severe HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world, with 800 people a day still dying as a result.
The UK announcement comes in the week that the AIDS policies of the former South African president Thabo Mbeki's government were deemed directly responsible for the deaths of 330,000 people in the country. A team from quantified the effect of Mbeki's stance on HIV/AIDS.
Mbeki denied the scientific consensus that AIDS is caused by a viral infection that can be controlled by powerful drugs. He rejected these drugs and as a consequence most adults and children infected with HIV in the country did not get the drugs that could have helped them. The hope is that Barbara Hogan will change all that. On Monday, she is to announce a return to the National AIDS plan, dropped under Mbeki's rule, at a stadium event designed to mobilise the nation in the fight against the epidemic. The planned high-profile media campaign to raise awareness includes persuading famous people to have themselves tested for HIV.
Ivan Lewis says it's vital that Barbara Hogan succeed in overturning myths about HIV/AIDS. The thinking is that there is now a critical window of opportunity before next Spring's elections in South Africa. Jacob Zuma, Leader of the ANC (African National Congress) is widely anticipated to become the new president at those elections, when cabinet positions will once again be up for grabs. The unspoken fear is that priorities could switch back to the previous position of denying the HIV/AIDS link.
Professor Diana Gibb, one of the world's leading authorities on HIV and its transmission from mother to child in developing countries, told Newsnight that getting anti-HIV drugs to babies early is vital in saving lives. Dr Gibb played a key role in a trial carried out jointly by a British and South African team which found dramatic reductions in mortality in infected babies if they are treated early, rather than waiting until the children show clinical symptoms. The results, , were so compelling that they have changed international guidelines on how best to treat HIV-infected babies.
But how to make best use of those findings is a challenge that epitomises the difficulties ahead for South Africa and Barbara Hogan. Hospitals need to find and identify infected babies as early as possible, perhaps by testing as they arrive for immunisations and then administer the necessary drugs. And there are difficult diplomatic choices too, for example whether to stick with expensive drugs from named drugs companies - sometimes in liquid form that is hard to transport. Or to opt for cheaper generic versions in tablet or powder form but risk upsetting drugs company sensitivities.
It may sound easy, but in practice it's a heavy demand for a health service whose skilled staff are leaving the country and struggling after years of inadequate funding and support.
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Comment number 1.
At 29th Nov 2008, Kevin wrote:Laudable, I'm sure, but at a time when our own country is in financial meltdown why on Earth are we pouring yet more of our taxpayers' hard-earned money abroad? Until our own financial situation is straightened out, not a penny should be siphoned off to other countries. British funds for the British people first.
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Comment number 2.
At 29th Nov 2008, kicklikeadonkey wrote:Fighting AIDS is important but SA is a very rich country with a massive arms industry - it has the resources and the millionaires to fund far more than £15m - there is no need for UK tax money to go there - this is a PC publicity stunt - some of the Black Empowerment schemes in companies like SASOL and many others generate 100's of millions to a very elite few who are normally associated with the ruling party
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Comment number 3.
At 29th Nov 2008, barriesingleton wrote:UNACCEPTABLE TRUTH OF WESTMINSTER?
Reading posts 1 and 2 I am driven back to my basic tenet that Westminster is 'OF ITSELF' before being about us. Unsurprising, in that it appoints its own intake (parties are secondary) whose rosettes we rubber stamp - so to speak. Westminsterers then play an assortment of 'games' at our expense (and for which they are poorly qualified) one game being 'aid'.
Effectively, we are still feudal. The Castle of Westminster has all the internecine strife associated with absolute power, but it is of little account OR ACCOUNTABILITY to us, who are milch cows and battery hens.
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Comment number 4.
At 29th Nov 2008, alannwuk wrote:South Africa!! Please this country is rich it doesn't need 15 million pounds of UK money.
Once again this Government seems to be lacking any common sense, its making the UK citizens living here with HIV/AIDS feel let down again seeing that those on disability benefits are now being faced with further medicals to have the benefit they receive reduced or stopped.
Put the funding into our system, not the system of a foreign country.
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Comment number 5.
At 29th Nov 2008, barriesingleton wrote:FURTHER TO MY POST 3
Tony Blair showed how to use the Westminster game as a springboard to international status. When Gordon finally drove him out, he just dropped his constituents as of no, apparent, account and headed for the horizon. His 'rating' in UK declined steadily, as we saw through the illusion, but he had carefully constructed that other stage to strut; and there he was - gone. This sums up the Westminster Experience; Brown continues in the Blair mould. It will be interesting to observe what 'World Statesman' role Brown goes for when ousted. The Middle East is (already) saved. Perhaps China will give him the post of envoy, as a thank you for abandoning Tibet?
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Comment number 6.
At 30th Nov 2008, ecolizzy wrote:#1 and 2 I have to agree with you.
Unfortunate for the people who have HIV but if most people are treated with drugs won't it spread the HIV virus even more? I can't see people changing there sexual ways, and staying celibate.
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Comment number 7.
At 11th Dec 2008, JaysPrudence wrote:Yet another waste of money by this government. Why on earth donate anything to an African country when we can use that money in our own country?
This government is hell-bent on spending money on useless causes. First it was reduction of VAT now this clap-trap of donating money on yet another useless project where money is likley to be siphoned off to a secret bank account in Swtitzerland.
Have we really got anybody who can stop this waste of money?
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Comment number 8.
At 17th Dec 2008, dennisjunior1 wrote:Susan:
it is good that the united kingdom is to give 15 million pounds to the fight against AIDS in south africa
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Comment number 9.
At 5th Jan 2009, JunkkMale wrote:Looking forward to the next report now we're in 2009.
A few things have already happened.
But yes, December was a slow month.
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