Forty years ago, the first case of HIV/Aids was reported, and no country has had to deal with the global war on the virus more than South Africa. For the last four-decade epoch the aids epidemic has been the number one health crisis facing this country and while we have made major strides in the treatment of aids, we have had to face stigmatisation, denialism, and misinformation about the illness.
Today, on World Aids Day we need to ask ourselves some difficult questions about not only HIV/Aids but also future pandemics, after we launched our antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme 17 years ago, we are still no closer to reaching our ambitious goal of ending HIV/Aids by 2030.
We’re not even close.
In fact, as Daily Maverick reports, “one in five of the world’s 37.7 million HIV-infected people lives in South Africa; Of the 1.5 million global new HIV infections in 2020, 240,000 were recorded in South Africa; Of the 680,000 recorded global AIDS-related deaths in 2020, 126,000 AIDS- and tuberculosis-related mortalities occurred in South Africa; and each week in South Africa, 2,000 girls and women aged 15 to 34 are infected with HIV.”
The numbers are shocking and hardly believable given the massive leaps made by the medical community to ensure those that do test positive for aids can live a long and fulfilling life. More than that, we should be testing ourselves regularly and practising safe habits. We should break down any barriers that could still be in place and caused the downfall of so many of our countrymen before us who saw their lives taken from them in their fight against this most heinous of viruses.
While our struggle against aids continues, we must unite against a new foe that has been with us over the last 20 months. The latest coronavirus variant, Omicron, caused panic and led by Britain, many countries decided to shut their borders to South Africa in a ridiculous knee-jerk reaction.
It’s only through the brilliance of our medical scientists that Omicron was identified as quickly as it was and through the impeccable ethics of these same men and women that we announced it to the world even before the World Health Organisation (WHO) would tell us too.
We’ve been dealing with a pandemic for decades; aids and tuberculosis treatment has been at the forefront of our healthcare treatment.
Just as we’ve been dealing with these viruses so too must we deal with coronavirus and any variant, which continues to mutate from it. Omicron has forced a surge in vaccinations as fears continue to rise as we get to know more about this virus.
We cannot take our foot off the accelerator now and we must be even more ambitious if we are to end this pandemic before we try to end the other that has plagued us for decades. Just as we dealt with the misinformation and denialism that came with HIV/Aids, even from people like former president Thabo Mbeki, so too will we have to deal with anti-vaxxers and fear mongers who preach doom and disdain for safe and life-saving vaccines. (Subscribe to read)
On Sunday night, President Ramaphosa said a vaccine mandate is being explored by the government. Make hast Mr President, it makes total sense to do and would be our biggest weapon in combatting the spread of the coronavirus.
If you need some more evidence that vaccine mandates are the way to go, back in September, insurer Discovery decided to introduce a mandate for its 11 000 staff members with only 22% vaccinated at the time of the announcement. Some 95% of staff are now fully vaccinated after the mandate was enforced.
Fighting this pandemic with the vaccine and moving towards a healthier and better future should be the focus. Now is not the time to be selfish. Perhaps, it may even spur us into faster and better action in solving the HIV/Aids question.
Here’s a roundup of interesting opinions, analysis, and editorials:
President Ramaphosa slams travel bans on South Africa ahead of whirlwind tour of West Africa – Daily Maverick
NATASHA MARRIAN: Inside Cosatu’s vaccine U-turn – Financial Mail (Subscribe to read)
Melanie Verwoerd | Please Mr. President, do something! I want my life back! – News24 (Subscribe to read)
GORDON BROWN | To halt Covid, the world has to unite as it did against smallpox – Sunday Times Daily (Subscribe to read)
Jabulani Sikhakhane | Leadership matters, but organisational capabilities are crucial – Fin24 (Subscribe to read)
SAM MKOKELI: Emperor Cyril’s new clothes aren’t so new any more – Financial Mail
