South Africa launches strategic plan to tackle HIV/AIDS

Jacob Zuma,
South African President

South Africa launches strategic plan to tackle HIV/AIDS
Funke Atohengbe, South Africa

South African President, Jacob Zuma has launched the new National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV and Aids which promises to do much more to tackle Tuberculosis and issues of violence against women.

The NSP proposes to deal with HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis by adopting a holistic approach which includes preventive and therapeutic measures.

The plan, which is for the year 2012 to 2016 is to reduce new HIV infections, TB and STI’S   by at least fifty per cent using a combination of preventive approaches.

Accessible legal framework

It is aimed at ensuring an enabling and accessible legal framework that protects and promotes human rights so as to support the implementation of the NSP.

Launching the plan in Port Elizabeth, President Zuma said the country had also adopted the 'three zeros' agreed at the United Nations high level meeting in New York in June as a vision for the next 20 years.

"In addition, we added as a country, a fourth zero, which aims to eliminate HIV transmission from mother to child.

"The four zeros are 'zero new HIV and TB infection; zero new infections from mother to child transmission; zero preventable deaths associated with HIV and TB, and zero discrimination associated with HIV and TB." Zuma explained.

Violence against women

The President expressed delight that the issue of violence against women was reflected in the new plan.

Recent research in South Africa showed that the country could prevent HIV infections in young women if they were not subjected to violence or intimidation by their partners.

“We must also enhance our socio-economic interventions to deal with poverty, unemployment, food insecurity and inequality... these either contribute to the spread of HIV or worsen impact of the epidemic," Zuma said.

The new plan will be implemented in April next year.

Hajia Sani