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Reports published on HIV/AIDS and TBReports published and available for download are listed here in chronological order. These include:
South Africa Antenatal Survey for 2008
South Africa has almost two decades (1990–2008) of good sentinel surveillance data that assists in monitoring the HIV epidemic trends in the 15–49 years old female population. At the end of 2007, the estimated prevalence of HIV in the general adult population was 17.5 %. The Government has responded to the HIV and AIDS epidemic by facilitating a multi-sectoral approach to implement and monitor appropriate treatment, prevention, care and support interventions. The Ministry of Health has played a leading role in these efforts, including the provision of strategic information for monitoring the magnitude of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. South Africa has one of the largest HIV sentinel surveillance systems in the world. Since 1990, the Department of Health has monitored the HIV epidemic using this surveillance system. Currently the HIV sentinel survey is carried out Click here to view the Executive Summary: Antenatal Survey 54.66 Kb Click here to access the survey on the Deparment of Health website. Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS: Home truths: facing the facts on children, AIDS, and povertyFebruary 10, 2009 London - The global response to HIV/AIDS must be significantly reoriented to address the unmet needs of millions of children and their families in the worst affected countries, according to a new report by the independent Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA). The report, "Home truths: facing the facts on children, AIDS, and poverty" calls for change in global, regional and national responses to the epidemic, including greater emphasis on strengthening families and communities to enable them to give children the care and support they are uniquely suited to provide. The report also recommends new approaches to address the simultaneous impacts of HIV, poverty, food insecurity and social inequality that many countries confront today. For more information, click here. Makerere University and Family Health International: Research shows support for medical male circumcision February 2, 2009 Kampala - Most men and women in Uganda support medical male circumcision as a way of lowering HIV risk, and up to 62 percent of uncircumcised men would consider being circumcised, a new study has found. The study, conducted by Uganda's Makerere University and Family Health International, surveyed 1 675 men and women in four districts; the results were released in the capital, Kampala, in December 2008. Support for circumcising sons was even greater: almost 100 percent of circumcised men supported the circumcision of their male children, while 59 percent to 77 percent of uncircumcised men were in favour of having their sons circumcised, and between 49 percent and 95 percent of women wanted the procedure performed on their male children. Three randomised trials in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda in 2005 and 2006 found that circumcision could reduce the risk of HIV infection among men by up to 60 percent. World Health Organization: Universal voluntary HIV testing with immediate antiretroviral therapy as a strategy for elimination of HIV transmission: a mathematical model November 27, 2008 Nairobi - Universal HIV testing and immediate antiretroviral (ARV) drugs could reduce new infections in high-prevalence countries by as much as 95 percent within ten years, according to a new study by scientists from the UN World Health Organization (WHO). The findings of the mathematical modelling exercise, published on 26 November 2008 in the British medical journal, The Lancet, suggest that immediate treatment - regardless of clinical or immunological evaluations such as CD4 count (which measures the strength of the immune system) - could significantly reduce new infections in many sub-Saharan African countries. "We took available data from southern Africa, where the epidemic is generalised and transmitted mainly through heterosexual sex, and plugged it into a computer model," Reuben Granich, a medical officer with WHO's department of HIV/AIDS and lead author of the study, told IRIN/PlusNews. "The model found that if all adults were tested at least once a year and put on treatment immediately, then theoretically prevalence would reduce from 20 000 per million people annually to 1 000 per million people annually within 10 years." Granich said the model worked on the assumption that once patients started taking ARVs, their viral load - the amount of HIV in the blood - was significantly reduced and they became much less likely to transmit the virus. To read the full report, click here. To read the media release, click here: Universal HIV testing could eliminate HIV within a decade - WHO.
World Health Organization: Beyond fragmentation and towards universal coverage: insights from Ghana, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania November 2008 In the November 2008 edition of the World Health Organization Bulletin, health economists explore the extent of fragmentation within the health systems of three African countries. Fragmentation is when there are a large number of separate funding mechanisms (for example, many small insurance schemes) and a wide range of health care providers paid from different funding pools, which leads to an inequitable system. Its report concludes that there is a growing international consensus that out-of-pocket payments are contrary to the goal of universal coverage, particularly given the ineffectiveness of fee waivers in providing financial protection to the poor. "There is also consensus that universal coverage can only be achieved through prepayment funding mechanisms. However, it is of concern that financing strategies ... that inevitably further fragment health systems are still being promoted as useful financing mechanisms for low- and middle-income countries," reads the report. "The analysis presented indicates that South Africa has made the least progress in addressing fragmentation, while Ghana appears to be pursuing a universal coverage policy in a more coherent way ... Ultimately, there is a need to achieve as much integration of financing mechanisms as possible to promote universal cover with strong income and risk cross-subsidies in the overall health system." To read the full report, click here. Department of Health: 2007 National HIV and syphilis antenatal prevalence survey September 2008 The report on the 2007 National HIV and Syphilis Antenatal Prevalence Survey suggests that South Africa may be making some real progress in its response to the HIV epidemic. Released by the national Department of Health, these are the first results to show a comparison of the impact of HIV infection between districts over two consecutive years. The epidemic is progressing at a different pace in the different provinces, and the findings suggest that the South African HIV epidemic is on a downward trend. Another important observation in the 2007 survey is that HIV prevalence among younger women (in the 15 to 24 years age group) continues to show a significant decline. A decline in this age group is suggestive of a decline in HIV incidence and is a good indicator of the impact of intervention programmes. More concerted efforts in prevention strategies are needed in the older age groups, where declines have not been observed. The need for targeted strategies cannot be overemphasized in the country's comprehensive approach to reducing new HIV infections and reducing AIDS-related morbidity. Differences in site and age group imply that different age groups at the different geographical areas need to have specific interventions, depending on their situation if the overall low prevalence is to be sustained. To read the full report, click here. IOM: HIV risk and vulnerabilities of migrant farm workers in South Africa Within Southern Africa, livelihoods are increasingly based on mobility, with the search for income opportunities in different locations and sectors seen as a sound risk management by many. Poverty and exploitation, separation from regular partners and social norms, and a lack of access to HIV prevention and care services and programmes make labour migrants and mobile workers vulnerable to HIV infection. To address this, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) developed the Partnership on HIV and Mobility in Southern Africa (Phamsa), which aims to reduce the HIV incidence and impact of AIDS among migrant and mobile workers and their families. Regional Guidelines on HIV in the Commercial Agriculture, Construction and Informal Cross Border Trade sectors have been developed to encourage key players to adopt policies that help reduce the HIV risk environment of migrant workers. Founded in 1951, the IOM is an intergovernmental agency with 120 member states that is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. Phamsa is funded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida). The IOM has presented the study, HIV risk and vulnerabilities of migrant farm workers in South Africa: good practice in addressing migrants' rights to health It focuses on the organisation's HIV Prevention and Care Project, which targets seasonal farm workers on 38 commercial farms in South Africa. The project started in 2005. Permanent and seasonal farm employees were found to be highly vulnerable to HIV: of the 1 500 employees who voluntarily participated, 28,5 percent were living with HIV. Female workers had higher HIV prevalence than male workers (32,5 percent versus 20,9 percent). The IOM's response was a comprehensive HIV prevention and care project in large agri-estates that includes creating a conducive work environment; primary health care and access to health services; peer education; gender: male role models; recreational activities, and integrated social change communication. For more information on Phamsa, click here. For the full report, click here.
Center for Global Development: Seizing the opportunity on AIDS and health systems August 2008 A report by the Washington-based Center for Global Development, Seizing the opportunity on AIDS and health systems, launched at the International AIDS Conference, suggests that donors may actually have weakened the health systems necessary for an effective AIDS response.
The conference was held in Mexico City, from 3 to 8 August 2008. UNAIDS: Report on the global AIDS epidemicJuly 2008
The rate of new HIV infections is slowing in a number of countries, but the AIDS epidemic is not over in any part of the world, and is gaining pace in some.
Heterosexual intercourse is still driving the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, which shouldered two-thirds of the global AIDS burden and three-quarters of all AIDS-related deaths in 2007. SANAC: Civil society position paper on male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategyMay 2008 The South African National AIDS Council, SANAC, released a position paper on male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy in May 2008. It was endorsed by several sectors - traditional leaders, men's sector, PWA sector, law and human rights sector, NGO sector, children's sector, and research sector. The paper concluded that adult male circumcision (MC) was already a part of South Africa's cultural landscape and that knowledge of the outcomes of MC trials was also already in the public domain, although linked to misunderstanding. Many men were getting circumcised and there was a need for public messaging that spoke to their needs and the needs of their partners to help them avoid risky behaviour and to best protect their health. The SANAC civil society sectors that were consulted believe that male circumcision offers:
As a result, the SANAC paper concluded not whether circumcision and appropriate messaging needed to be introduced but that public messaging was needed to provide clear and unambiguous guidance that spoke to the needs those who elected to be circumcised and the needs of their partners. To read the full position paper, click here. To read the paper published in AIDS 2008, Male circumcision for HIV prevention - from evidence to action, click here. To read the latest recommendations of UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation, click here. To read the latest recommendations of WHO-AFRO (the Regional Office for Africa), click here. IOM and Hoedspruit Training Trust: HIV prevalence survey in commercial agricultureApril 2008 Some 1 500 farmworkers on 10 farms in the Hoedspruit area in Limpopo Province took part in an Integrated Biological and Behavioural Survey on HIV prevalence among commercial agriculture farmworkers run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Hoedspruit Training Trust (HTT). It found that farm workers were highly vulnerable to HIV, and that female workers were significantly more at risk than male workers. Dr Clive Evian, who conducted the survey, characterised the results as a "serious epidemic" and highlighted the need to strengthen current HIV testing, care and support services. The key findings suggested that 60 percent of all employees and 53 percent of HIV-positive employees did not know their HIV status; and that 25 percent of HIV-positive employees who reported to know their status did not use condoms. To read a summary of the report, click here.
UNICEF: Children and AIDS: Second stock taking reportApril 2008 More mothers and children in developing countries are receiving treatment than ever before. But stigma, limited information and fragile health systems still pose hurdles to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Coverage of mother-to-child transmission prevention (PMTCT) services continues to expand, especially in southern and eastern Africa. The proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in developing countries increased from 10 percent in 2004 to 23 percent two years later. In eastern and southern Africa, the figure more than doubled in roughly the same period, reaching 31 percent in 2006. The report is part of the “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” initiative started by UNICEF in 2005, and noted that 21 middle and low-income countries are on track to meet the MDG of 80 percent coverage. World Health Organisation: Global tuberculosis control - surveillance, planning, financingMarch 2008 This report is WHO's twelfth annual report on global tuberculosis control in a series that started in 1997. The report presents WHO's latest assessment of the epidemiological burden of TB (numbers of cases and deaths), as well as progress towards the 2015 targets for global TB control that have been established within the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It also includes a thorough analysis of implementation and financing of the WHO's Stop TB Strategy and the Stop TB Partnership's Global Plan to Stop TB, since in combination these have set out how TB control needs to be implemented and funded to achieve the 2015 targets. The report gives particular attention to the period 2005–2008, but selected epidemiological, implementation and financial data are presented for previous years as well. This includes epidemiological data back to 1990 and financial data back to 2002. Bringing together data reported by 202 out of 212 countries and territories in 2007, as well as data collected from these countries and territories in previous years, Global tuberculosis control 2008 is the definitive source of information about the national and international response to the worldwide TB epidemic. Click here to view the WHO report summary. Click here to download the full report (3.51MB). |
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