World Aids Day

1 December

Key messages

World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) Prevention, and is celebrated on 1 December each year. Governments and all sectors of society join hands on this day to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS around carefully proposed themes. The day creates an opportunity to show solidarity for the global fight against HIV and AIDS. The year 2012 marks the 24rd Anniversary of World AIDS Day, thus making it the longest – running international health commemorative day.

The global theme for World AIDS Day, 1 December 2012, announced last year runs till 2015 and involves the three messages: “Zero New HIV infections”, “Zero Discrimination” and “Zero AIDS-related deaths”. Governments and civil society sectors will each year choose one or all of the Zeros that best address their respective situations.

South Africa has subscribed to the global World AIDS Day targets of Getting to Zero by 2015 on i) New HIV and TB Infections, ii) Stigma and Discrimination against People with HIV &AIDS and iii) TB and Zero AIDS and v) TB Related Deaths. In line with the global theme and the significant focus on HIV prevention and the National Strategic Plan on HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)and AIDS, STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and TB (Tuberculosis) 2012-2016 – referred to as the NSP in our country the national theme for
2012 World AIDS Day is: “Zero new HIV and TB infections”.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicentre of the pandemic, and more so South Africa, since it is the country with the largest number of people living with HIV in the world and the largest country in the most affected region. Whilst we have come a long way since 1988, there is still much more to be done in order to turn the tides against HIV and AIDS.

The UNAIDS in consultation with member countries, organizations and partners has developed Getting to Zero Strategy (2011 – 2015) to ensure that universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support is achieved. Ultimately, these initiatives will contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by
2015. Over the years, government and NGOs have initiated programmes in the fight against HIV and AIDS such as Komanani, Ground Breakers, and LoveLife to name but a few. The National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS, STIs and TB 2012 – 2016 is our nation’s response to the dual epidemics of HIV and TB.

KEY MESSAGES:

KEY MESSAGES	SUPPORTING STATEMENTS
All efforts on strengthening the plan for Zero new HIV and TB infections.	South Africa has had a focused five year based country plan since 2007 to mobilise and guide a national effort to reduce and control HIV and STIs; to mobilise buy-in and accountability within government and amongst all sectors of society. Almost six years later, we have achieved much through working together and turning the tide against the HIV epidemic, and we have begun to aggressively tackle TB. For the first time in our history, the new NSP 2012-2016 launched in December 2011 integrated HIV and TB in the same strategic plan. The National Strategic Plan for HIV STIs and TB 2012 – 2016 is South Africa’s response to HIV and TB. In the next five years the key strategic objectives include: Addressing social and structural barriers that increase vulnerability to HIV, STI and TB infection Preventing new HIV, TB and STI infections Sustaining health and wellness Increasing the protection of human rights and improving access to justice. The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) was restructured to ensure greater representation of sectors and inclusivity. The new SANAC governance structure includes civil society organisations, Provincial AIDS Councils, and government.
Prevention is better that cure - Make healthy and responsible life choices.	There is no cure for HIV so the HIV pandemic remains one of humanity’s greatest challenges requiring a deliberate change in the way we live our lives. Prevention in a form of safer sex and healthy lifestyle choices is a critical pillar of NSP. Benefits of a Healthy lifestyle have been proven to prevent and delay the onset of Non Communicable diseases (NCD’s), as well as management of other chronic health conditions. Healthy lifestyles entail the following practical actions. Knowing your HIV status Safer sex- consistent, correct condom use Exercising (walk, run, dance, physical work) daily Male circumcision reduces the risk of HIV acquisition by 60% Circumcision reduces the risk of a man from being infected with HIV but it does not reduce the risk of women from contracting HIV from an infected man. Prevent mother-to-child transmission, visit clinics for family planning and antenatal programmes when pregnant Take Treatment consistently- Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) Zero tolerance for Gender Based Violence; Eat healthy balanced meals - low in sugar, fat and salt.

KEY MESSAGES	SUPPORTING STATEMENTS
	Sport in particular encourages active healthy development that protects and discourages youth from risky behaviours. Prevention remains the critical pillar of the NSP and will contribute to the decrease in ill health. the of HIV and AIDS and TB the unacceptably high rates of Maternal and Child Mortality the expanding burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and the high incidence of violence and injury including Motor Vehicle accidents. Government, led by the Department of Health is rolling out plans and initiatives to strengthen the health system including: Launch of the Academy of Leadership and Management in Health Care is a giant step in strengthening public health. Ensuring the country's 97 hospitals all have well trained Chief Executive Officers. National Health Insurance pilot programme rollout. Improving the quality of healthcare in the public service and tackling corruption. Reviewing pricing in the private health sector. Healthcare infrastructure development.
Let’s work towards a united national effort against new HIV and TB infections.	We all commit to strengthen the country’s ability to integrate its work and to mainstream HIV / TB into the core mandates of key departments, sectors and partners and build capacity on mainstreaming HIV and TB. Make the right choices: Government and its partners continue to work hard to ensure access to quality services to support the right healthy choices people make. In view of the upcoming African Cup of Nations in 2013, the 2012 World AIDS Day campaign uses football and HIV prevention to drive the overall message and promote healthy lifestyles. The supporting sub-messages are: “A re dlale safe for zero new HIV and TB infections” or translated as “Let’s play it safe for zero new HIV and TB infections”. As we celebrate the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign (25 November-10 December) we will partner with the new Council on Gender Based Violence to address the social factors which contribute to gender based violence.

FACT SHEET:

Improved access to treatment for children, adolescents and youth.
1.7 million People are on ARV treatment. We have achieved this by increasing ARV sites from 490 in February 2010 to 3000 in April 2012.
Increased the number of nurses certified to initiate ARV treatment from 250 in February 2010 to 10 000 in April 2012.

Exceeded the target of testing 15 million- 20 million people have been tested for HIV during our annual testing/screening for HIV, TB and STIs- The HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign
The rate of mother to child transmission has dropped from 8% in 2008 to 3.5 per cent in 2010 and to 2.7 per cent in 2011.
Medical male circumcisions programme is underway - the target set is 600 000.

The National Strategic Plan on HIV, STIs and TB 2012 - 2016 [PDF] has the following broad goals:

Reduce new HIV infections by at least 50% using combination prevention approaches
Initiate at least 80% of eligible patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART), with 70% alive and on treatment five years after initiation
Reduce the number of new TB infections as well as deaths from TB by 50%
Ensure an enabling and accessible legal framework that protects and promotes human rights in order to support implementation of the NSP
Reduce self-reported stigma related to HIV and TB by at least 50%.

Government statements and advisories:

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Last modified: 30 November 2012 10:36:28.