By Nosihle Shelembe
Secunda – South Africa has the ability and resolve to overcome the challenge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday.
“I say this with confidence; because in this room we have all the expertise and enterprise we need … We have among us some of the world's leading scientists and researchers in this field. We have representatives of vibrant and engaged civil society formations,” he said.
Deputy President Ramaphosa said South Africa had dedicated health providers who had been at the coal face of the epidemic for many years.
He was speaking during the plenary session of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) in Secunda, Mpumalanga.
According to the Progress Report on the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB, and STIs (known as the NSP) there were 6.4 million South Africans living with HIV.
The report said the HIV incidence in the 15-49 age group had decreased from 1.79 percent in 2008 to 1.47 percent in 2012.
Deputy President Ramaphosa said the country had reached the half-way mark in implementing the NSP 2012-2016, which outlines how South Africa will respond to the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS, TB and STIs.
“We have reached the half-way mark in the implementation of this plan and we will be conducting a midterm review of its implementation.
“The findings will help us identify gaps in our current approach. They will allow us to collectively determine what more needs to be done to ensure that we achieve the goals set out in the National Strategic Plan,” Deputy President Ramaphosa.
He said government had set a goal of zero new HIV infections, zero deaths, zero infants born with HIV and zero stigma.
“We share the vision of a society in which all may enjoy good health and live a long life. I am confident that we can achieve these goals. We share the vision of an HIV-free generation,” Deputy President Ramaphosa said.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that next year HIV patients would receive antiretroviral treatment (ART) when their CD4 count was less than 500.
“From the beginning of January we must move over to 500 and we must prepare for that, everybody must get psychologically ready for that to happen,” he said.
Minister Motsoaledi said HIV patients were currently put on ART when they had a CD4 count of 350.
According to the Progress Report on the NSP, by the end of 2013 about 2.3 million patients were on ART in the public sector and 148 331 were children.
It further estimated that 250 000 patients were on ART in the private sector at this time. –SAnews.gov.za
