29 September 2006
The Citizen seemed to be the only media that has failed to understand a very simple statement presented by the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on HIV and AIDS this week.
The article: Manto denies AIDS boobs and the accompanying editorial comment (28 September), reports of "a war of words" that has erupted as result of the Minister's effort to clarify the role of nutrition, treatment and other elements of the government policy in response to HIV and AIDS.
Despite the efforts I made to assist the Citizen reporter to understand basic facts about the progression of this condition and the relevance of various interventions at different stages of this progression, the newspaper still writes with an assumption that the only intervention that is effective in maintain optimal health of people living with HIV and AIDS at whatever stage is antiretroviral therapy. That assumption is wrong.
If one is infected with HIV today, it does not mean that that person has become sick and therefore in need of treatment. Government says that that person has to take care of how he or she lives in order to maintain good health and therefore, delay progression from HIV infection to development of full-blown AIDS.
This includes engaging in regular physical activity and eating balanced and nutritious meals, avoiding health risk behaviours such as smoking, alcohol and substance abuse and unsafe sexual behaviour. In any case, this is an ideal life for everyone, whether you are living with HIV or not.
HIV in particular, puts additional nutritional demands on the body and extra efforts have to be made to meet these demands. That is where the emphasis on the use of a number of fruits and vegetables that provide particular vitamins and other micronutrients necessary in dealing with conditions associated with HIV and AIDS becomes important.
Nutrition and healthy lifestyle interventions are made to maintain optimal health for as much as possible. They are not an alternative to treatment but serve as a critical factor in enhancing the effectiveness of many medical interventions.
When people living with HIV and AIDS develop opportunistic infections, treatment for these infections is provided in most health facilities. This is the treatment that Minister Tshabalala-Msimang was making reference to in your 2000 and 2001 quotes and it remains a very important element of our response.
Antiretroviral drugs play a role in prolonging life when the CD4 count decreases to 200 or below. Under the leadership of the Minister Tshabalala-Msimang, the Department of Health have made ARVs available through 262 accredited health facilities that are spread across our country. At least 178 635 people had accessed this one form of treatment by June 2006.
Included in Government policy on HIV and AIDS is acknowledgement of the role of traditional medicine and the need to support research and development of these medicines. This is based on the World Health Organisation studies which indicated that 80% of the people in Africa use traditional medicine for various conditions including those associated with HIV and AIDS. This is what the Minister was referring to in your 2005 quotation.
All the quotes used in your article are in line with the Government's Comprehensive Plan for Management, Care and Treatment of HIV and AIDS.
Let us get our facts straight before declaring fictitious wars which can only serve to undermine efforts to address the challenge of HIV and AIDS in our country.
Contact: Sibani Mngadi (Spokesperson for the Department of Health)
Tel: (012) 312 0763 or Cell: 0827720161