By Marcus Low, Spotlight Editor – At the end of this year South Africa’s big plan to fight HIV and tuberculosis (TB) comes to an end. The National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV, TB and STIs 2012 – 2016 will be replaced by the 2017 – 2021 NSP. It is vital that the new NSP avoids the mistakes of the past and fully incorporates new scientific evidence.
By Ntsiki Mpulo – Key populations including sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users are still marginalised and suffer the “internal nightmare of shame and stigma” despite the strides that have been made in the response to the AIDS epidemic. This was the message delivered by Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron when he delivered the Jonathan Mann Lecture at the International AIDS Conference today (Tuesday).
By Nomatter Ndebele – Following a 10 000-strong activist march on the first day of the International AIDS conference in Durban, the Treatment Action Campaign and SECTION27 hosted a press conference to outline the strategy of the activist groups beyond the conference.
*Speech delivered by Nkhensani Mavasa, Chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), at the opening of the 21st International AIDS Conference on 18 July 2016* [caption id="attachment_4913" align="alignright" width="300"] Nkhensani…
Stephen Lewis addresses the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban.
Read the opening speech of the Durban International AIDS Conference by Justice Edwin Cameron
Welcome to the first edition of Spotlight. Spotlight is the new identity of the NSP Review. You can follow Spotlight on twitter at @SpotlightNSP, Facebook at Spotlight NSP or sign up for our electronic newsletter at www.SpotlightNSP.co.za.
Welcome to the first edition of Spotlight. Spotlight is the new identity of the NSP Review. You can follow Spotlight on twitter at @SpotlightNSP, Facebook at Spotlight NSP or sign up for our electronic newsletter at www.SpotlightNSP.co.za.
By Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim & Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim – AIDS Conferences are unique in being a cross between a scientific meeting and a community engagement forum. People from all walks of life attend these meetings and they are a far cry from the usual rigid structure in scientific conferences in order to cater for the range of interests.
By Sharonann Lynch – Viral load testing measures the amount of HIV virus (HIV RNA) in a person’s blood. It is the optimal method for identifying antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment failure (defined as an HIV viral load greater than 1000 copies/mL), because it is more sensitive and has a higher positive predictive value than CD4 cell count and other clinical indicators.
By Professor Linda-Gail Bekker & Professor Robin Wood – The June 2000 UNAIDS global report on AIDS painted a sombre picture: already South Africa had the greatest number of people living with HIV than any other country in the world and life expectancy had fallen rapidly to historical levels.
By Professor Glenda Gray & Professor James A. McIntyre – HIV changed the nature of health in South Africa as our new democracy emerged. Seemingly overnight, in front of our eyes, young people and children died in unprecedented numbers. HIV slashed life expectancy, wiped out a generation of economically active adults in their prime across sub-Saharan Africa, reversed gains in under-five mortality and created a cohort of AIDS orphans.
