Activists and the HIV/AIDS support groups have hailed government’s decision to provide treatment far earlier in the progression of the disease, and predict that it will improve the health of people in Grahamstown.
Activists and the HIV/AIDS support groups have hailed government’s decision to provide treatment far earlier in the progression of the disease, and predict that it will improve the health of people in Grahamstown.
The government recently announced that it would provide R5 billion to fund the supply of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) to HIV positive people with a CD4 count of 350.
The CD4 count refers to the number of special white blood cells that protect the immune system, and as the number of these cells drops, so the body loses its immunity to disease. Counting the CD4 cells present in the blood helps keep track of the progress of the disease.
Up to now treatment has only been made available when the CD4 count dropped to a low of 200.
According to Ntuthu Mxalisa, a support group co-ordinator at Grahamstown’s Raphael HIV counselling and testing centre, the new approach is long overdue as the previous guideline (of making patients wait until their CD4 count dropped to below 200) meant that the health of many people was compromised.
“With the new policy people stand a good chance to respond well to the treatment – unlike before where they provided ARVs only once your immune system has badly deteriorated,” said Mxalisa.
However, she urged that government should also look into the question of nutrition as many recipients of ARVs live in abject poverty and it is difficult for them to afford healthy food. Adequate nutrition must complement anti-retroviral treatment, and poor people who are HIV positive should be helped with the nutritious food they need.
Deputy General Secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Lihle Dlamini, also welcomed the new policy:
“The country is moving in a good direction. It has long been our position that the government must comply with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines [making ARVs available at a CD4 count of 350]. This is now the case – we welcome the move.”
A Makana sub-district health worker, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said although the media had published information about the new plan, health workers were still waiting for official instructions:
“We are all happy to hear about the new policy and are looking forward to implementing it so that many more people get better treatment."
The health worker further said that their workplace has a database of eligible recipients, and once they receive the instructions they can then begin the groundwork to dispense the treatment. However, adding that there could be a shortage of the drugs if there were to be an increase in demand.
The Eastern Cape health department is fully behind the new policy. Provincial spokesperson, Siyanda Manana, said that more people would be able to access anti-retroviral treatment than before.
“The department is ready to implement the plan and we have trained about 88 nurses throughout the province to deal with the administration and dispensing of the treatment,” he said.
