Toronto’s Globe and Mail Examines Progress of South Africa’s National HIV/AIDS Treatment Program

Toronto's Globe and Mail on Monday examined the progress of South Africa's national HIV/AIDS treatment program, which has been "implemented extremely slowly," with about 33,000 people receiving antiretroviral drugs at the end of January. The program aimed to provide medication to 53,000 HIV/AIDS patients by April 1, but "[n]o one expects to reach that target," according to the Globe and Mail. However, Nomonde Xundu, director of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis in the South African Department of Health, said "[a] lot has been done," even though the program probably will not meet its April 1 goal, adding, "Even to put 30,000 people on ARVs over a nine-month period, I don't know any country that has managed to do that." There are about 5.7 million HIV-positive people in South Africa and about 800,000 HIV/AIDS patients who are "so sick" that they need immediate access to drugs, according to the Globe and Mail (Nolen, Globe and Mail, 3/28). The complete article is available online.