South Africa AIDS campaign

South Africa is at the epicentre of seeking to revitalise the fight against the AIDS pandemic.

The country is set to host a global AIDS conference this week. As South Africa prepares to host the global conference, its Health Minister says the country has made great strides in its fight against the disease, 16 years after then President Thabo Mbeki dismissed the link between the disease and the HIV virus.

Aaron Motsoaledi, SA health minister said,
“We look at the progress of HIV and AIDS in South Africa, we have turned the corner. We have not yet, by any means. We haven’t won the battle but we have definitely turned the corner. UNAIDS knows that, the World Health Organization knows that, the United Nations itself.

The industrialized African nation now boasts of the largest treatment programme in the world, with over 3 million people receiving the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

The 21st International Aids Conference will take place in Durban from the 18th to the 22nd of July.

The UN has set a target of ending the AIDS pandemic by 2030.

AFP