The newly constituted South African National AIDS Council (Sanac), which will be the lead agency in the fight against HIV/AIDS, was officially launched on Monday after years of delays by the government, reported Business Day.

The council, which is chaired by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has endorsed the national strategic plan for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

This was the result of months of planning and meetings between the government and civil society on what the plan should cover and fund. Last year saw increased pressure from opposition parties, anti-AIDS groups and the Congress of South African Trade Unions on the government for it to be more effective in the fight against the epidemic.

The main goal of the five-year plan is to reduce the rate of new HIV infections and mitigate the effect of AIDS on individuals, families and communities.

Sanac’s membership includes the government at a ministerial level, and leaders of business, labour and civil society. They are supposed to help step up SA’s HIV/AIDS battle.

More than 5,5-million South Africans are infected with the disease, a figure second only to India’s 5,7-million, according to the United Nations.

Targets of the plan to be reached by 2011 include: providing treatment to 80% of adults who need it; reducing the proportion of adults starting antiretroviral treatment in hospital to 30%; increasing the number of HIV patients on treatment overseen by nurses to 70%; and reducing the rate of new infections by 50%.

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