New S. African Health Minister Leading Fight Against AIDS

In South Africa, there are close to six million people that are living with HIV (more than any other country in the world); every single day in this country, close to one thousand people succumb to the disease. Despite the staggering statistics, for the past decade, the government was in blatant denial that the disease had reached epidemic proportions as it so clearly had. Instead of promoting the widely hailed AIDS antiretroviral drugs, the former President Thabo Mbeki, alongside his health minister, would promote the use of lemons and garlic to keep AIDS at bay.

In September of 2008, all that changed when Barbara Hogan was appointed the new health minister. Recently, in a move that is dramatically different from the past decade’s policies, she announced that the government planned to provide antiretroviral drugs to over 1.5 million people in the next three years. At present, only 700,000 people receive the drugs they need to fight the virus. Wearing an “HIV positive” shirt as she made her announcement to throngs of supporters, Hogan was met with serenades from activists, who only half a year ago were attempting to sue the former president for failing to provide the drugs they needed. Hogan said it sounded like music to her ears.

The ceremony took place in the township of Khayelitsha and was being held to welcome for the first time the head of the United Nations’ AIDS program, Michel Sidibe. Khayelitsha is a township of over 500,000 people and is known for being riddled with crime and disease. In fact, of its pregnant women, over 40% of them are infected with HIV; however, despite this, Khayelitsha has become a pioneer for healthcare. For example, pregnant women in this township get tested for HIV and are able to get those antiretroviral drugs that will keep them from passing HIV on to their fetus. In fact, this township boasts the lowest rate of mother to unborn child transmission at 3.5%. Each month, over a million complimentary condoms are distributed at bars and medial centers. When visiting, Sidibe told the townspeople, “I will try to learn from you. I will listen to you because you are the one who is leading the fight.” Hogan added, “Khayelitsha has been the battleground of the fight against HIV and AIDS and of the fight against people who wanted to deny it was a serious issue. I salute you.”

In South Africa, there is an uphill battle to face. Over the past decade, life expectancy has decreased twelve years and, compared to Brazil, children under the age of five are three times more likely to succumb to disease. Sidibe feels that townships like Khayelitsha should be examples for the rest of the country on how mobilizing the communities can stop the spread of AIDS/HIV. He added, “We cannot let the economic crisis paralyze us. Stimulus packages and economic adjustments should be made with a human face in mind. A mother should not have to choose between continuing AIDS treatment and feeding her children. We cannot let down the 4 million people on treatment and millions more in need today.”