Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report-Mon July 30th 2001
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*Some South African Employers to Begin Providing HIV/AIDS Drugs to
Employees
* AIDS Helpline Now Available
* South African Bishops Oppose Condom Promotion
GLOBAL CHALLENGES
Some South African Employers to Begin Providing HIV/AIDS Drugs to Em-
ployees
Although the South African government has "declined to provide" anti-
AIDS drugs to people in the nation's public health system, some of
the nation's largest employers soon will begin offering the medica-
tions to their employees, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Nearly
20% of working-age South Africans have HIV, and many of the 4.7 mil-
lion people infected with HIV cannot afford to purchase anti-AIDS
drugs. Anglo Gold Ltd., the world's largest gold mining company, is
one company that is preparing to provide some of its sick workers
with antiretroviral drugs. About 30% of the company's 50,000 workers
are believed to be infected with HIV. Through a pilot project, the
company will focus on a few hundred miners to determine if it can ad-
minister medications on a broad scale. The project is also designed
to evaluate how well workers are able to "bear up under the added
stress of antiretroviral drugs".
Increasing Testing
Anglo Gold officials say that they hope the program will help to
"persuade" workers to get tested for HIV; workers who test negative
for the virus will be instructed how to prevent HIV/AIDS, and those
workers who test positive for the virus but are found to be "asympto-
matic" will receive medications and instructions on how to "slow the
onset" of the disease. Anglo Gold has run a voluntary testing service
for the last eight years, but few workers have taken advantage of the
program, partly because they fear their testing information could be
used against them. To counter those fears, Anglo Gold now assigns
each person a number, rather than using names on medical files. Fur-
ther, the company has assembled teams of peer educators to encourage
workers to get tested. But some workers who do receive tests and find
out that they are HIV-positive drop out of the company's wellness
program and seek alternative treatments from traditional healers.
Cost-Effectiveness Will Determine Scale of Effort
Whether the pilot program is expanded to a wider scale depends on its
cost-effectiveness, the Inquirer reports. Anglo Gold will spend an
additional $7 million per year -- 0.1% of its revenue -- on AIDS
treatment. The cost of anti-AIDS medications has been reduced by
about five times its original price, but the drugs still remain out
of reach for many workers. At the discounted rate, the drugs cost
about $2 per day; miners make about $10 per day. Gavin Churchyard,
head of Anglo Gold's health research unit said, "There's no quick fix
here, but I do think we can turn it around. It's my opinion the cost
of treatment is less than the cost of not intervening" (Maykuth,
Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/29).
AIDS Helpline Now Available
In other South Africa AIDS treatment news, South African Health Min-
ister Manto Tshabala-Msimang today will launch a 24-hour AIDS
helpline to provide free, confidential advice from trained counselors
about disease risks and care in all 11 national languages. The Health
Department initiative is supported by the U.S. Agency for Interna-
tional Development (South African Press Association, 7/30).
South African Bishops Oppose Condom Promotion
The South African Catholics Bishops Conference yesterday addressed
the promotion of condoms in HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns during its
plenary session in Pretoria. Conference Vice President Bishop Michael
Coleman told SABC TV that this "pillar of the government's AIDS pre-
vention strategy" sent the "wrong moral message to youth" and was
also ineffective. "Condoms don't make a difference," he said, adding,
"This country is saturated with condoms yet we have the highest rates
of AIDS (transmission) in the world. Promoting condoms increases the
incidence of AIDS." Coleman said that lifestyle changes and "mak[ing]
human dignity of the utmost importance" were better strategies for
curbing the spread of AIDS. However, the South African Press Associa-
tion reports that the church is not opposed to the use of condoms be-
tween married partners to prevent the spread of HIV (South African
Press Association, 7/30).
The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org,
a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, by National
Journal Group Inc. c 2001 by National Journal
Group Inc. and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved
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