South Africa, Changing Track on AIDS, Faces Challenges

In April, President Jacob Zuma launched a new AIDS campaign whose objectives include testing 15 million people for HIV and distributing 1.5 billion condoms. However, financial and human resources may already be stretched too thin in the worst-hit KwaZulu-Natal province.

At an AIDS clinic in Ndulinde, 55 miles north of Durban, nurses said nothing has changed, since they still do not have enough time or staff capacity. Of its five employees, two are nurses and none is a physician. Currently, they are taking care of up to 300 patients a day.

At the King George V hospital, TB section head Dr. Iqbal Master said the campaign could help people access treatment earlier, so they could live longer lives. As the hospital is already struggling with staff and treatment shortages, however, Master wondered how it would cope with more patients.

Another huge challenge to prevention: Drinking, smoking and having sex are "in style" even among 12- and 13-year-olds, said one 16-year-old. The youth's mother is HIV-positive but has not told the other children in an effort to shield them. "Here, if you have HIV, people laugh at you and think you're going to die. And that you've done bad things," the teenager said.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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