HIV Archives - Voice of the Cape

A new HIV prevention injection has seen a young person in Cape Town become one of the first people in the country to receive an injection outside of a clinical trial

By Kouthar Sambo A pilot project offering a new HIV prevention injection has seen a young person in Cape Town become one of the first people in the country to receive an injection outside of a clinical trial. Speaking on VOC's Drive Time on Thursday, a Social-Behavioural Scientist at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation and Leader of the FastPrEP project, Ms Elzette Rousseau, said the aim is to prevent HIV. […]

1 March 2024

Local

SA population grows despite Covid-19, high HIV rate

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and high rate of HIV, SA’s population has grown and is estimated to be 60.6-million people, according to the Stats SA mid-year population estimates. The overall growth rate is estimated to be 1,06% in the period 2021–2022. The black African population is in the majority (49,07-million) and constitutes approximately 81% of the total population. The white population is estimated at 4,6-million, the coloured population at 5,3-million […]

29 July 2022

Local

Sahpra approves new combo drug to revolutionise HIV treatment for children

A new sweet-tasting combination treatment designed for infants and young children with HIV has been approved for use in SA. The “4-in-1" formulation approved by the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has been developed by the non-profit Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and pharmaceutical firm Cipla. It does not require refrigeration. “It is significant that this first regulatory approval of the 4-in-1 formulation is from a country that has […]

15 June 2022

Local

Angie Moshekga says comprehensive sex education in schools will prevent HIV and GBV

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga says comprehensive sex education in schools is important for preventing HIV, early and unintended pregnancies and gender-based violence (GBV). Motshekga was speaking at the UN educational, scientific and cultural organisation (Unesco) on Wednesday. She said adolescents and young people have a right to sex and reproductive health education. “To ensure that our adolescents and young people become champions of their lives and responsible citizens empowered […]

5 May 2022

Local

Tackling HIV/AIDS in Africa 40 years later

For the first time since 2003, the number of new HIV infections among children has not fallen year-on-year, and in sub-Saharan Africa, new cases have risen slightly. This detail is contained in data accompanying a new report released by UNAIDS. It shows that globally, 160 000 children aged zero to 14, newly acquired HIV in 2020, the same number as in 2019. In sub-Saharan Africa, 130 thousand new infections were […]

5 June 2021

Local

HIV-positive people in SA skipping treatment over Covid-19 fears

A high percentage of HIV-positive South Africans are missing their clinic appointments to collect their medication and testing for HIV has also dropped drastically due to fears of contracting Covid-19, non-profit and non-governmental health organisation Right to Care said on Tuesday. South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic worldwide and patients who are not on treatment and have a low immune system are at risk for the coronavirus, with a […]

28 April 2020

Local

Health dept to investigate ‘forced’ sterilisations of women living with HIV

The Department of Health will investigate allegations that women living with HIV were coerced to undergo involuntary sterilisation. Last month, the Commission for Gender Equality released a report on the practice after an investigation that was prompted by a complaint it received in 2015. The commission had sampled 15 hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, where most complaints were lodged. Answering questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Deputy Health Minister […]

12 March 2020

Local

SA pushes to combat HIV among girls #blessed by sugar daddies

Before 20-year-old Lebogang Motsumi even had sex with her first “blesser” – or sugar daddy – a successful, married, company boss more than twice her age, he handed her a wad of cash. He was soon making regular deposits into her bank account, paying her rent and taking her out in exchange for sex, which the young single mother readily accepted as she had a three-month-old baby to feed. “It’s […]

26 March 2018

HIV

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