BuaNews (Tshwane)
Proffesor Ndawonde
2 December 2008
Durban — Deputy President Baleka Mbete has called on HIV positive mothers to do more to protect their children from being infected with the virus.
Speaking to thousands of people at the national World AIDS Day event in Durban on Monday, Ms Mbete said HIV positive mothers must enrol into government's Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission Programme to ensure they get the necessary access to anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy.
She further urged mothers to test their children early so that the necessary therapy could be administered in time.
"Children from households affected by HIV and AIDS must be protected from abuse and neglect. These children must be enabled to complete their schooling," the Deputy President said.
During the 2007/08 financial year, more than 90 percent of public health facilities were able to provide voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and treatment and services related to the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) with a recorded uptake of 60 percent.
According to government's Towards a Fifteen Year Review, released recently, there is a need for more innovative approaches to address the needs of children infected and affected by the virus as well as improving access to ARV treatment.
The Deputy President, who is also the head of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) said despite the high prevalence of HIV in South Africa, the country has achieved significant gains over the past few years in the implementation of government's National Strategic Plan (NSP).
The NSP is a detailed outline of national interventions and targets seeking to guide the national response to the pandemic and is used by all government departments, the private sector, civil society and development partners to assist the country reach the desired goals of halving new infections and reducing the impact of HIV and AIDS on individuals, families and society.
The Deputy President said that HIV and AIDS and Tuberculosis were national priorities requiring urgent action by all sectors of society.
"Our goal in the National Strategic Plan is geared towards halving new HIV infections by 2011. For us to achieve this, we must own up, spread and practice the key messages for the prevention of new HIV infections in the country," she said.
Ms Mbete said on World AIDS Day, the world needed to come together and work jointly to reduce the negative impact of HIV and AIDS on society.
"World AIDS Day is also a reminder to all the people in the world that HIV and AIDS is a global challenge, and that we need to work collectively to reduce the socio-economic devastation brought about by this disease," she said.
There are more than 33 million people living with HIV worldwide and according to UNAIDS 30.8 million are adults of which 15.5 million are women.
World AIDS Day, which was commemorated around the world, aims also to encourage greater involvement of people living with HIV and also promote greater public awareness and participation in all matters related to HIV and AIDS.
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