South Africa

KwaZulu Natal’s integration programme succeeding in combining HIV services with services for cervical and breast cancer, TB, education and other critical social and health issues

Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Dr Zweli Mkhize (left) and UNAIDS Executive Director. 29 September 2011.
Credit: UNAIDS/A. Debiky

GENEVA, 29 September 2011—The Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) commended the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Dr Zweli Mkhize on his commitment to integrating HIV with health and social and economic services.

Through the integrated approach adopted in KwaZulu-Natal local communities have a one stop shop through which they have easy access to information, health services and a broad range of social and economic services addressing poverty, education and development.

“This holistic approach to accessing health and social services is not only efficient but effective and serves as a model for other provinces and indeed other countries across the region,” said Michel Sidibé who was on a seven day visit to South Africa to learn more about the progress and challenges the country is facing in scaling-up its response to HIV. “The work being done here is an example of how to bring services to the heart of the community, to where they are most needed.”

The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has played a leading role decentralising South Africa’s AIDS response and in integrating HIV into the economic and social agenda of the province. The provincial government has put in place integrated programmes to address HIV, TB, breast and cervical cancer, poverty, food security, and a range of other health and social services.    

“By bridging HIV services with other services the community needs we believe that we can help South Africa to reach our national targets of reducing the number of new HIV infections by 50% by 2015 and in significantly expanding the number of people on antiretroviral treatment,” said Dr Zweli Mkhize. “Our model is working.”

HIV prevalence was 39.5% in 2009 in KwaZulu-Natal, the highest in South Africa. The integrated approach adopted by the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal has already contributed to increasing the uptake of HIV testing reaching 2.9 million people in the Province as of end of June 2011. It has also expanded access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy to 489 801 in 518 sites in the Province and in reducing the rate of infections from mother to child from 21% five years ago to 2.8% in 2011.

Countries with the highest rates of new HIV infections in children will meet in South Africa to assess opportunities for scaling up programmes.

Johannesburg, 28 September 2011—The Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) announced today that with political will and focused resources—countries can meet the 2015 target to eliminate new HIV infections amongst children and ensure mothers living with HIV remain healthy through pregnancy, delivery and after the birth of their child. 

UNAIDS estimates about 90% of new HIV infections amongst children are concentrated in 22 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and India. In June 2011, a global pan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive was launched at the United Nations High Level meeting on AIDS. The plan was developed by a Global Task Team Co-Chaired by UNAIDS and United States President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).   

Speaking from the Zola clinic in Soweto, South Africa one of the 22 most affected countries with 14% of the global burden, Michel Sidibé said, “Mother by mother, clinic by clinic, and country by country we can reach pregnant women with HIV services, to ensure their babies are born free from HIV and to improve their own health.

During the country visit to South Africa, Mr Sidibe met with parents and healthcare workers to talk about what can be done to accelerate progress. Zola clinic sees about 15 pregnant women each day, the majority do not know their HIV status. South Africa has an ambitious HIV testing and counselling programme that has reached more than 13 million people from April 2010 to September 2011.

Representatives from the 22 high burden countries will meet in South Africa next week to assess country plans. The two-day meeting will focus on country gap analysis and creating momentum. Since the launch, global interest in supporting the elimination goal is high—with innovative fundraising organizations such as (RED) joining to promote and raise needed resources. The African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank are also considering funding national plans in support of the Global Plan.

Stellenbosch/Geneva, 2 May 2011—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Stellenbosch University have brought together technology leaders, AIDS activists, social media experts and young people to discuss how social media and mobile technologies can be leveraged for HIV prevention.

The event, which is taking place at the Stellenbosch University in South Africa, is being held to find new ways of reaching young people with information about how to prevent HIV. This is particularly important at a time when globally only 1 in 3 young people have complete knowledge of how HIV is transmitted and 7000 people are becoming newly infected each day.

“We must engage young people in defining the prevention interventions that work for them,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “The potential of social media and mobile technologies to re-energize the AIDS movement is clear. We need nothing less than an HIV prevention revolution, with social media and mobile technology at its core.”

The Internet and social media are widely used around the world, particularly by young people. Data released recently by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) shows that there are 333 million mobile telephone users in Africa and 77 million Internet users. Nigeria alone has 44 million people connected to the Internet.

Social media and mobile technology can be used effectively to raise awareness about HIV and provide correct information on HIV prevention. They also lend themselves to facilitating peer-to-peer education and discussions about HIV and creating social movements calling for action.

“The point where social media and mobile technology converge with innovation is where we need to focus our collective efforts in the HIV prevention response to ensure that our young people are not left behind in our endeavour to halt the spread of this epidemic,” said Prof. Jan du Toit, Director of the African Centre for HIV/AIDS Management at Stellenbosch University.

The discussions are being livestreamed and will include question and answer sessions via Facebook at www.facebook.com/unaids and on Twitter (@UNAIDS).

“Effective use of social media and mobile technology in this field will bring hope to a generation whose future continues to be threatened by HIV,” said Prof. Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University.

The event is part of UNAIDS’ strategy to inspire and catalyze young people to use social media to ignite an HIV prevention revolution. It forms part of a series of events taking place in and around Cape Town and Stellenbosch on the occasion of the first meeting of the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention. Other events include a meeting of a new generation of AIDS activists with the HIV prevention commission on Robben Island on 3 May and a condom march, led by the Treatment Action Campaign, on 4 May in Khayelitsha.