Government to launch the “Worlds Biggest” HIV and AIDS Treatment Campaign.

Government to launch the “Worlds Biggest” HIV and AIDS Treatment Campaign.

The National Department of Health has announced it will be implementing “the worlds biggest” HIV and AIDS Treatment Campaign where everyone who lives with the HIV virus will be enrolled into the anti-retroviral program irrespective of their CD4 count. Government to launch the “Worlds Biggest” HIV and AIDS Treatment Campaign. This announcement was made by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, during his department’s budget speech in Parliament earlier this month.“I’m happy to inform you that we are busy finalising a programme that will see us giving to all our people who live with HIV/AIDS as well as those who are newly infected anti-retroviral from September this year,” said Motsoaledi. Currently anti-retroviral are only given to those people who are found to have a CD4 count that is below the 500 mark. This change in the criteria of rolling out anti-retroviral s follows a country wide testing campaign that was launched by the Department of Health in 2010. During this campaign over 18 million people were tested for HIV/AIDS. The Minister also presented declining statistics that showed the damage caused by the scourge was slowly being reduced. Between 2010 and 2014 adult AIDS related deaths declined from 320 000 to 140 000 and mother to child infections between 2007 and 2015 declined from 70 000 to only 7000. Motsoaledi attributed all these positive results to great efforts put in by the Department Of Health, Religious Groups, Non Profit Making Organisations as well as ordinary South Africans, however, he admitted that the country still faced a huge challenge. He said young girls between the ages of fourteen and twenty four were increasingly found to be among those newly infected. To avert this the Minister pleaded with everyone to provide guidance to the youth, educate them on correct behaviours as well as health related matters. In conclusion, the Minister urged everyone to continue to work together with his Department and other Organisations to continue to fight against the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

IsiZulu:

Sebezothola imishanguzo bonke abaphila negciwane lesandulela ngculazi.

Uhulumeni uyinyusela egiyeni eliphezulu impi yokulwa nesifo sesandulelangculazi kanye nengculazi. Kusukela ngenyanga ka-September kulonyaka bonke abantu abaphila naleligciwane sebezonikezwa imishanguzo(Anti-retrovirals) ethithibalisa leligciwane.

Lokhu kumenyezelwe ngungqongqoshe wezempilo kazwelonke u-Dr Aaron Motsoaledi ngenkathi ethula inkulumo yesabelo zimali somnyango wakhe ephalamende ekuqaleni kwalenyanga.

“Singumnyango wezempilo siphezu kwezinhlelo zokwethula uhlelo olukhulu lokunikeza wonke umuntu ophila nesifo sesandulela ngculazi kanye nengculazi imishanguzo ngaphandle kokubheka ukuthi I-CD4 count yabo yehle kangakanani. Ukunikezwa kwalababantu lemishanguzo sizimisele ukuba sikuqale ngo-September kulonyaka,” kusho uMotsoaledi.

Njengamanje abantu abathola imishanguzo yilabo amatholakala bene CD4 count engaphansi kwamakhulu amahlanu. Ukunikezwa kwabobonke abantu abaphila naleligciwane lengculazi imishanguzo kulandela umkhankaso owaqalwa umnyango wezempilo ngonyaka ka-2010 lapho lomnyango waphuma inqina wahlola abantu bakuleli ubahlolela leligciwane.

Ngalomkhankaso babalelwa ezigidini ezingaphezulu kweshumi nesishiyagalolunye isibalo sabantu abahlolwa behlolelwa lesisifo ezinyangangeni eziyishumi nesishiyagalolunye.

U-Motsoaledi uphinde waveza ukuthi isibalo sabantu ababulawa ilolubhane sehle kakhulu kusukela ngonyaka ka-2010 kuya kunyaka ka-2014. Phakathi kwaleminyaka isibalo sehle kusukela kubantu abangu-320 000 kuya ku-140 000 kanti izingane ezithola leligciwane komama naso sehle kakhulu phakathi konyaka ka-2007 kuya onyakeni ka-2015.

Ngonyaka ka-2007 babebalelwa ku-70 000 abantwana ababethola leligciwane komama kanti ngonyaka ka-2015 besebebalelwa kwabangu 7000.

UNgqongqoshe uthe konke lokhu kungenxa yamagalelo omnyango wezempilo kanye nokusebenzisana nezakhamizi zaseNingizimu Africa. Nakuba kunjalo uNgqongqoshe uthe inselelo umnyango wakhe osabhekene nayo eyokulwa nokusuleleka ngaleligciwane kwezingane zamantombazane aneminyaka ephakathi kweyishumi nanhlanu kuya eminyakeni engamashumi amabili nane.

U-Motsoaledi ube esenxusa bonke abantu baseningizimu Africa ukuba baqhubeke basebenzisane nomnyango wakhe, izinhlangano ezizimele kanye nezenkolo ukunqanda ukubhebhetheka kwaleligciwane.