June 2011

24-30 June 2011—HIV News Update.

In this issue:

• Fun with a condom? An upbeat article in the Daily Sun covers the escapades of a group of young boys in the Eastern Cape who have discovered that condoms make great catapults and that these inventions are brilliant for shooting birds.
• The Star gets thumbs-up for sensitive photography: On Monday this week The Star ran a feature on orphans and adoption. The article created awareness of the new National Adoption Coalition and its informative website that debunks the adoption process for South Africans. We were particularly impressed by the sensitive, non-identifying photos.
• Drug shortage makes headlines: A widespread shortage of a drug used to treat cryptococcal meningitis is causing panic among the medical community. Both the Business Day and The New Age have published extensive reports on the shortage this week.
• The Sowetan promises a bang but delivers a whimper: A report in the Sowetan has credited Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi with strong words condemning male promiscuity and citing it as one of the main factors sustaining the HIV problem in South Africa.
• Time running out on testing target: Monday’s edition of the Daily Sun has reported that Mpumalanga province has a week to test 145,000 South African’s for HIV or fail to meet its testing target.
• Low blows: Scathing criticism of exploitation of MMC: Using the procedure of medical amle circumcision as an example Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has slammed private hospitals for charging exorbitant fees for simple medical procedures.
• Something Rotten: Coverage of illegal initiation schools continues: Illegal initiation schools which hold and circumcise ‘initiates’ against their will have been media fodder for the last fortnight. The illegal and coercive nature of the establishments should also raise alarm around increased HIV infection.
• Providing context avoids confusion: An article in the Daily Sun praises the efforts of two nurses who went the extra mile in their PMTCT of HIV efforts.
• A 'push' to inclide traditional midwives: The International Confederation of Midwives Congress was held in Durban last week. Consequently The New Age and the Mail&Guardian have both featured articles on midwives. Having said this, the articles confuse the issue to some extent because they talk about midwives as a cohesive and homogenous group.