South African President Thabo Mbeki has taken yet another intentional and stupid step along his meandering backward path of dealing ... or actually, not dealing ... with the huge HIV/AIDS crisis in his country -- he's fired his Deputy Health Minister, a knowledgeable, staunch and outspoken advocate for greater and more aggressive action against the virus. The reason? She attended an AIDS conference in Spain against his wishes.

Do the phrase... more

This story from South Africa's Western Province addresses the increasing influx of orphans, and the difficulty children's centers have in keeping up.

Adding to the AIDS toll and poverty, the fact is that crime is rampant and in many places there is no shame in stealing from orphans or burning down and vandalizing facilities that care for them.

In Cape Town, they're ... more

Well, here's a story on child trafficking in Africa you don't hear every day ...

It is being reported that sixty-two children rescued from suspected traffickers have gone on a hunger strike to protest what they're saying is inhuman treatment by the Nigerian state police command who have been caring for them ... that, and "poverty in the land that forced their parents to engage them for sundry jobs", which is apparently the preferred term for slavery.

The... more

This book by Susan Hunter, published in 2003, is a book written for a "lay" audience about the AIDS crisis in Africa. The author has spent 20+ years in Africa, working with UNAIDS, UNICEF and USAID specifically addressing the AIDS issue.

She has written a book that is pretty easy to understand, but harder to digest. She weaves stories of Charles Darwin in with discussions of colonialism, vectors, disease transmission, the role of money and more education on epidemics... more

George W Bush announced on Wednesday that he would be seeking $30 billion dollars to fight HIV/AIDS around the world. This is double the current amount. In fact, in his address from the Rose Garden, he called the $15 billion they are spending an “emergency fund”. Contributing to the fight against HIV/AIDS has been a “big deal” for his administration and has made a difference in the lives of many in Africa.

With the proposed increase in spending, they hope to provide treatment... more

Never Give Up: Vignettes from Sub-Saharan Africa in the Age of Aids I expected from the word “vignettes” that this book would be a collection of individual stories about people living and/or working with HIV/AIDS in Africa. However, it is not. They are the experiences of Kevin Winge who is also the executive director of “Open Arms of Minnesota”. He makes frequent trips to South Africa, where he works with people living with HIV/AIDS. He... more

From the Consensus Statement of the WHO HIV and Infant Feeding Technical Consultation group which met in Oct 2006. These are the findings there were recently reported on by the NY Times and Scientific American.

New evidence on HIV transmission through breastfeeding

• Exclusive... more

There are ways to reduce postnatal transmission of HIV via breastfeeding. This is a list of the current recommendations: *Providing adequate lactation counseling and support to prevent breast conditions. Improper positioning and attachment at the breast and infrequent feedings can cause cracked nipples and mastitis (an inflammation of the breast). A breast abscess—a localized collection of pus—usually results from untreated mastitis. Cracked nipples, mastitis, and breast abscess are three conditions associated... more

According to the World Alliance for Breasfeeding Action (WABA), we already have evidence of harm to infants when exclusively formula fed. In a 1 December 2006 (World AIDS Day) press release, they relate the following:

A stark reality check from Botswana early this year showed how horribly things can go wrong when bottlefeeding becomes well entrenched in an African country. When the national PMTCT programme was launched in 1999 a UNICEF-funded... more

Thanks to Sandra's question on my blog from the other day, I am posting more information on HIV and breastfeeding.

Worldwide, HIV-infection among young women is far outstripping infection in men and the health of tomorrow’s mothers is crucial to child survival.

Most HIV-infected women do not transmit HIV to their infants. A mother... more