AIDS panel's report reveals divergent views
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by Lynne Altenroxel
Two-and-a-half million rands later, the Presidential AIDS Panel has
come up with a report that shows little more than the chasm between
dissidents and orthodox scientists.
The final report, presented to the cabinet in Cape Town on Wednesday,
concludes that the rift was so great that the delegates were unable
to find common ground on policy matters.
"The depth of the cleft on the aetiology of AIDS was such that the
commonalities of views on health policy and public policy was by and
large swallowed up," the report concluded.
The panel could not even provide a single set of recommendations. Its
13 pages of recommendations were split up into two sections according
to dissident and orthodox views.
Summaries range from statistical proof that HIV-positive babies are
dying from AIDS to a recommendation by dissident Dr David Rasnick and
Medunsa Professor Sam Mhlongo that donated blood not be screened for
HIV because screening is a futile exercise. Rasnick argues that "AIDS
would disappear instantaneously if all HIV testing were outlawed".
Under the heading South African epidemic - fact or fiction, the re-
port writes: "Those from the school of thought that argues that HIV
does not cause AIDS also argued the futility of discussing an HIV
epidemic, as they do not believe that HIV causes AIDS."
The report deals with the deliberations and evidence brought by both
groups.
The R2,5-million spent on the AIDS panel could have bought 5 million
condoms. Stark statistics presented by the orthodox scientists in-
cluded the results of two studies.
One, from King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, shows that the two-
year fatality for children infected with HIV is almost 60 percent.
Case fatality rates went up from 4,5 percent in 1995 to 22,6 percent
in 1999.
Another, from Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, shows the
infant mortality rate is more than double in HIV-positive children
versus HIV-negative children. HIV incidence at the hospital increased
from 26 percent in 1997 to 30 percent in 1999.
Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said the cabinet meeting,
at which the report was one of the main points on the agenda, focused
more on preparing for the release of the report than on its contents.
She justified the report by saying "the debate of the panel has not
provided ground for the government to depart from its current ap-
proach to the HIV and AIDS problem, which is rooted in the premise
that HIV causes AIDS". "It was not assumed at the start of the exer-
cise that the objective was to achieve consensus," she said.
Ironically, the R2,5-million spent on the AIDS panel could have
bought 5 million condoms, which the government obtains at 50 cents
each.
Source: The Star, 5 April 2001
You can download the full version of the "Presidential Aids Advisory
Report, March 2001" either as
a PDF or WORD file at:
http://www.gov.za/reports/
Regards,
Fatima Suleman
Information Manager
Healthlink Programme - Health Systems Trust
PO Box 808
Durban, 4001
South Africa
Tel: +27-31-307-2954
Fax: +27-31-304 0775
mailto:fatima@healthlink.org.za
http://www.hst.org.za
Source: repro-l@healthlink.org.za
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