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Health South Africa : efforts to ARV for kids are still in their infancy

NDURU, Moyiga
May 2004

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An interesting article noting the challenges of supplying the medicines to HIV positive children who have received little attention. Early in 2004 the South African national programme to provide anti-retrovirals (ARVs) became operational. There is now hope that this will bring opportunities for under 14 year olds including very young children to gain more access to the drugs. The government is seeking to treat over 50,000 people per year under the ARV programme. In private clinics it costs almost US$93 to put a child on ARV for one month although this has halved since two years ago. Doctors and health officials are debating about what age is right for a child to start ARV treatment although theoretically it can start as soon as it is born. Doctors Without Borders advises that treatment should start as soon as a child is discovered to be HIV positive so that the immune system is bolstered

Breaking the cycle : ensuring equitable access to HIV treatment for women and girls

FLEISCHMAN, Janet
February 2004

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Outlines the situation of women and girls with regard to vulnerability to HIV and access to treatment. Makes recommendations for US policy reflecting the links between abuses against women and girls, and HIV/AIDS. Describes treatment programmes in Botswana and South Africa, and work around community mobilization and the involvement of civil society in ensuring access to ARV treatment

South African cities and HIV/AIDS : challenges and responses

SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES NETWORK (SACN)
2004

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This is the first ever assessment on how South Africa's nine largest cities are managing HIV/AIDS. The report summarises the challenges faced by these cities and outlines the innovative responses developed by municipalities and city stakeholders. The report highlights that the most effective programmes have been those that succeeded in transcending the gap between policy development and consistent implementation. The challenges highlighted in the study are likely to become more acute in the near future. The report lists a number of key strategies that cities should adopt in the development of a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS. These include taking stock of the current HIV/AIDS programmes that are being implemented in the cities; linking HIV programming with other development issues; developing clear guidelines for the mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS; and developing stronger intergovernmental relations with provincial and national government levels

National household HIV prevalence and risk survey of South African children

BROOKS, Heather
SHISANA, Olive
RICHTER, Linda
2004

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This valuable new report looks at the levels of infection of HIV and AIDS, the levels of orphaning and child headed households, sexual debut and sexual experiences and risk factors and risk environments for children aged 2-14 in South Africa. This has been investigated as the HSRC recognizes that there is very little known about HIV prevalence rates among children or about the risk factors that predispose them to becoming infected. The study looks at the social and community risk factors that predispose children to HIV infection as well as the impact of the epidemic on children in terms of orphan status and child headed households. It examines children’s knowledge of HIV and AIDS prevention, their knowledge about sexual behaviour and HIV as well as their own patterns of sexual behaviour and changes in that behaviour. This study is interesting as it explicitly includes young children

The development, implementation and evaluation of interventions for the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe : a literature review of evidence-based interventions for home-based child-centred development

STREBEL, Anna
2004

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This short paper gives a literature review of many programmes aimed at supporting orphans and vulnerable groups in the southern Africa region. It is not an in-depth survey, but provides a compact and accessible guide to the many different community initiatives that have been undertaken. It finishes with a short section on the lessons to be learned from care programmes

Persons with disability : study commissioned by the Corporate Planning Unit of the City of Joburg as a component of the human development agenda

WHITEHEAD, Melissa
2004

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The aim of this research is to highlight problems with, and identify gaps in, the human development agenda as they relate to persons with disability in the City of Johannesburg. The research report also gives an overview of the methodologies applied.
The report is useful for organisations and persons who want to learn more about the situation of disabled persons in Johannesburg. Also it is of interest for researchers and organisations that are developing research methodology and policy

Assessing the costs of a rural PMTCT pilot site in the Eastern Cape

DESMOND, Chris
BOYCE, Gerard
Eds
2004

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Mother to child transmission is by far the largest source of HIV infection in children below the age of 15. Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programmes have been implemented nationally in South Africa since 2000. This report presents the results of research conducted at a pilot site in the Eastern Cape into the use of resources associated with the implementation of a PMTCT programme. It is part of a larger research project that seeks to examine and compare the costs of providing nevirapine and AZT in both urban and rural contexts. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the national programme of monitoring and evaluating the costs and effectiveness of PMTCT interventions in South Africa

A description of the selected interventions for the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe

DLAMINI, Phetsile K
2004

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This report contributes to phase one of a research programme which explores the social, political, economic and systemic determinants that affect vulnerability to HIV. This report documents existing interventions to gain more in-depth knowledge of interventions at grassroots level, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and consider opportunities and threats; analyse and assess the outcomes of such interventions and whether objectives were met, including the impact on vulnerable children, their families and communities, considering nutritional and education status, and psychosocial well-being; ascertain the level of awareness around HIV and AIDS, and especially of prevention strategies and care

Women's stories, women's lives : experiences with cervical cancer screening and treatment

BOYD, Anne R
BURNS, Michele
Eds
2004

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This publication is a collection of stories based on interviews with women in developing countries who participated in ACCP programmes. These women's stories illustrate the unnecessary suffering cervical cancer can cause women and their families and how prevention programs can save women's lives. ACCP projects have focused on regions in which cervical cancer incidence and mortality are highest: sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and South Asia, and have also focused on reaching women in their 30s and 40s

Gender differences in time use among adolescents in developing countries : implications of rising school enrollment rates

RITCHIE, Amanda
LLOYD, Cynthia B
GRANT, Monica
2004

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Three research questions are addressed in this paper : 1) How does time use change during the transition to adulthood? 2) Does gender role differentiation intensify during the transition? 3) Does school attendance attenuate gender differences? The research addresses significant gaps in the literature, in particular the lack of attention to how time use is affected by school attendance. The study documents differences in time use patterns between students and non-students. Although female adolescent students still work longer hours than male adolescent students, the gender division of labour that typically develops during adolescence is greatly attenuated among students when time spent at work is measured by combining labour market work with noneconomic household work

Stepping back from the edge : the pursuit of antiretroviral therapy in Botswana, South Africa and Uganda

JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
2004

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This report looks at what is being done to challenge the pace of progress on access to antiretroviral medicines in three very different African countries - Botswana, South Africa and Uganda. It describes who is driving these initiatives at grass-roots level and how. It offers insights and draws on lessons from firsthand experiences that can help those already working towards better access to antiretrovirals, and encourages others to embark on similar initiatives. It is intended for all those with an interest in this issue, from policy- and decision-makers with the power to create a favourable environment for antiretroviral treatment, to those working on the front line in health services, NGOs and AIDS service organizations, as well as those living with HIV, whose role in the battle for wider access is vital

The cost-effectiveness of technology transfer using telemedicine

JOHNSON, K
KENNEDY, C
MURDOCH, I
2004

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This article describes the use of teleophthalmology, a form of telemedicine, as a mode of technology transfer between the United Kingdom and South Africa. Researchers found the technology transfer project to be cost-effective in reducing the burden of eye disease, and that practitioners in South Africa also learned novel procedures that could help future patients and improve cost-effectiveness

Orphans and vulnerable children : taking action, building support. 2004 regional conference report back

VOLUNTARY SERVICE OVERSEAS REGIONAL AIDS INITIATIVE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (VSO-RAISA)
2004

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This is the report of an annual conference entitled 'Tomorrow’s future, today’s choices. Orphans and Vulnerable Children: Taking action, building support'. The conference included youth delegates from Malawi and Zambia and over three days focused on: care and support; rights, psychosocial support, education and networking; skills building

Reproductive health services in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa : a situation analysis study focusing on HIV/AIDS services

NDHLOVU, Lewis
et al
October 2003

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This report describes a 2002-2003 study in KwaZulu Natal that expanded on reproductive health research using situation analysis methodology to assess availability and quality of services, to cover important HIV & AIDS-related issues. These issues were: the quality and availability of voluntary counselling and testing services; the extent of integration of family planning, antenatal care, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services with HIV prevention; and the extent of condom promotion and other HIV prevention strategies

Reproductive health services in KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa : a situation analysis study focusing on HIV/AIDS services

SEARLE, Catherine
et al
July 2003

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Summary of a study in KwaZulu Natal that used situation analysis methodology, first used in reproductive health research to cover important HIV & AIDS-related issues, including: the availability and quality of voluntary counselling and testing services; the extent of integration of family planning, antenatal care, and sexually transmitted infection services with HIV prevention; and the extent of condom promotion and other HIV prevention strategies

The politics of AIDS in South Africa : beyond the controversies

DIDIER, Fassin
SCHNEIDER, Helen
March 2003

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Discussion of AIDS in South Africa needs to move beyond a simplistic "for or against" stance on President Mbeki's denial of a connection between HIV and AIDS. The authors propose ways to widen the debate and hence to increase understanding of the epidemic

Education and HIV/AIDS : a sourcebook of HIV/AIDS prevention programmes

WORLD BANK. Education Team
2003

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Education sectors of affected countries are playing an increasingly important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This sourcebook aims to support efforts by countries to strengthen the role of the education sector in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. It provides concise summaries of programmes around Africa, highlighting the main elements of the programme as well as what lessons can be learned from them

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