God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

12/23/2010 • 1:20 pm Comments Off on Vatican Clarifies Pope’s Condom Remarks

Vatican Clarifies Pope’s Condom Remarks

The Vatican clarified Pope Benedict XVI’s recent remarks about condoms by reiterating they could sometimes be used to prevent the spread of disease but not to prevent pregnancy, The New York Times reports. The recent statement, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was issued to clear up the possible misinterpretations and manipulations of the pope’s comments as permission for widespread condom use, which goes against the church’s stance against birth control. This was the Vatican’s third clarification on the pope’s condom comments, which were welcomed by AIDS activists when they appeared last month in a book.

To read the Times article, click here.

Source: http://www.poz.com/rssredir/articles/Pope_condoms_clarification_1_19635.shtml

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, , , , , , , , ,

12/19/2010 • 8:34 am Comments Off on Web-based translation of “God-AIDS-Africa”

Web-based translation of “God-AIDS-Africa”

The book “God – AIDS – Africa” was published in 2007 telling stories and reflections of the work in the fields of HIV and AIDS and the RC church in South Africa. An English translation is now available for those who want to read the book in their mother tongue. The book is free for reading and further distribution.

http://www.stefanhippler.com/ebook/God-Aids-Africa.html

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Medical and Research, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , ,

12/17/2010 • 8:29 am Comments Off on POZ Magazine: World AIDS Day: 1 Million Now on HIV Meds in South Africa

POZ Magazine: World AIDS Day: 1 Million Now on HIV Meds in South Africa

One million people are now on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in South Africa, according to an announcement December 1 by South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, which was reported by Agence France-Presse.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world. The United Nations estimates that out of a population of 50 million, 5.6 million are living with HIV. The country went through nearly a decade of inaction on the epidemic—largely a result of then President Thabo Mbeki’s skepticism about the link between HIV and AIDS. This changed toward the end of the past decade, with the implementation of one of the largest ARV distribution programs in the world.
Deputy President Motlanthe and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi kicked off their World AIDS Day observation by visiting the homes of households affected by the epidemic in a rural South African village. “What we are observing here is the devastation of HIV/AIDS. All four houses we visited here were headed by grandmothers who are looking after orphans,” said Motsoaledi, adding: “What is left for us is to see how we pick up the pieces.”  Picking up the pieces is something that the country has been quick to do in recent years. The country now has the highest rate of people with HIV on ARV therapy on the African continent, and in the past year it hit this new milestone.
“More than 200,000 new patients have been initiated on ARVs since April this year, bringing a total number to 1 million,” Motlanthe told a public gathering to mark World AIDS Day in the eastern province of Mpumalanga.

Source:  http://www.poz.com/rssredir/articles/hiv_southafrica_antiretroviral_761_19491.shtml

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Politics and Society, Society and living environment, , , , ,

12/10/2010 • 8:27 am Comments Off on Papal comments on condoms reflected pastoral concern

Papal comments on condoms reflected pastoral concern

Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments about condoms represented a “normal and traditional” pastoral application of moral theology, according to a theologian who advises the Vatican on doctrinal matters. The pope’s comments reflect the principle that there can be “intermediary steps toward moral awareness” that allow for some flexibility in how church teachings are applied, Franciscan Father Maurizio Faggioni said. Father Faggioni, a moral theologian and a consultant to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, spoke to Catholic News Service about the reaction to the pope’s statement on condoms in the book, “Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times.” In the book, the pope repeated his view that condom campaigns are not the way to stop the AIDS epidemic, but he allowed that in some specific cases — for example, a prostitute who tries to diminish the risk of spreading infection — use of a condom could be a first step toward taking moral responsibility for one’s actions.   Father Faggioni said the pope’s comments should be seen in the light of traditional principles of moral theology, including gradualism, which understands moral decision-making as a path that involves a series of progressions.

“The Holy Father recognizes that there is a path of growth in responsibility,” Father Faggioni said. By saying condom use may mark a step along that path, he said, the pope is allowing for a “wise and prudent” application of church teaching to individual cases. “This is nothing more than a normal and traditional application of some principles of pastoral teaching and of moral casuistry,” Father Faggioni said. Moral casuistry refers to a method that tries to determine appropriate moral responses to particular cases and circumstances. Father Faggioni said the pope’s comments do not place in question the church’s teaching against birth control, but recognize that there can be different ways of applying the general law to specific situations.  “One could ask to which other cases this would extend. This is something that will be seen. One should not force the words of the Holy Father, either,” he said. Father Faggioni noted that the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation began studying the morality of condom use in disease prevention at a time when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict — was the congregation’s prefect.

He said the pope had chosen an informal medium, that of a book-length interview, to discuss the issue. In the strict sense, then, his words do not have the weight of official church teaching, he said. But at the same time, Father Faggioni said, the pope knows what he’s talking about, having followed the theological discussion on this issue for many years. He said commentators should remember this when suggesting, as some have, that the pope may have strayed outside his field of expertise. “This is the pope speaking, after all,” Father Faggioni said. “He is the supreme teacher.”

Source: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1004977.htm

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, , , , , , , , , ,

11/18/2010 • 5:44 am Comments Off on HIV prevalence is going nowhere in South Africa

HIV prevalence is going nowhere in South Africa

Results of the 20th antenatal surveillance survey, which were released this week, show that South Africa’s HIV epidemic is not gaining nor is it slowing down. But does this mean that the country’s efforts in combating HIV are paying off?
Every year over a period of one month, pregnant women between the ages of 15 – 49 attending selected public antenatal care clinics in the country’s 52 health districts take part in an anonymous HIV testing programme. This is for the annual antenatal HIV surveillance survey which helps the Health Department project the prevalence of the epidemic in the general population, so it can develop policy and plan interventions. The survey for 2009 involved 33 000 women and shows very little difference from the previous four years, during which prevalence has hovered around 29%.
“By 2009, we have got 29.4 percentage prevalence. From 2006, nothing is changing in terms of prevalence. Actually, it has flattened out”, said Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, announcing the results at Birchwood hotel, near the Johannesburg International Airport.
“Why is it important?” , Motsoaledi asked. “By 1990, the prevalence was only 0.7% and it kept on going high and high until it reached a peak of 30 by 2003. From 2005 or so, it started getting flat. We don’t know for how long it will stay flat, but it’s like that. There’s no change in terms of the prevalence in the general population of antenatal women”, he said.
Although the epidemic seems to be stagnant, the survey shows a difference of HIV distribution among different age groups. At a high level of 21.7%, HIV prevalence among pregnant women between the ages of 15 – 24 is unchanged from the 2008 finding. However, infection is increasing among older women. HIV prevalence levels among the 15 – 24 year age group have to drop drastically in order to show that the country’s efforts are making a dent on HIV distribution. The level of prevalence in this age group is also a marker in the Millennium Development Goal specific to reducing HIV.
“Our MDG baseline is 21.7%. By 2015, this must go to 17.3%. This is the most important group to use to provide evidence when monitoring new HIV infections incidence. The 15 – 24 year olds is a very important group to us to tell us what’s happening. These are still very young (women) who are falling pregnant for the first time. These are new entrants and what is happening to them is a good reflection of showing the changes in terms of the prevalence”, the Health Minister said.
The only group where HIV prevalence is not stagnant is the 30 – 34 year age group. “It has increased to 41.5% in 2009. This age group, which is the hardest hit is moving from 39.6%, 40.4%”, he said. The World Health Organisation’s Dr Patrick Abok interprets the finding.  “We are seeing a lot of people now having access to treatment and care, which means that many people now are trying to know their status and be able to come early and have access to treatment and care. The other element is regarding the awareness… having people who know they are HIV-positive and knowing where to go and seek treatment, and in that way, it positively is affecting their lifestyle in terms of now trying to live longer. So, we are bound to see that number increasing simply because it means that the number of people who have access to treatment, very few of them will be dying. The longer they live that means the more people in that category, the more the prevalence”, said Dr Abok.
Deputy chair-person of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), Mark Heywood, described the results as being “fairly predictable”. Heywood said the report suggests that the country is not doing well to prevent new HIV infections. “We’re not getting on top of the HIV epidemic, at least, as far as prevention is concerned. It shows that there is still very high numbers of new HIV infections and it shows that we have a growing number of people living with HIV in this country because of the combination of new infections and people who are now living as a result of antiretroviral treatment. I wouldn’t say that it points to our failures, but it points to our short-comings and our inadequacies, and it tells the Department of Health and SANAC that they have to do more to get this thing right, and, actually, we’re not getting it right this moment in time”, Heywood said.
As usual, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest HIV prevalence, followed by Mpumalanga and the Free State. The lowest prevalence – below 20% – is in the Northern and Western Capes, while the North West, Gauteng, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape have a prevalence level of between 20 – 30%. Prevalence levels also vary within provinces, with certain districts ranking higher than others.
Source”
ihttp://www.health-e.org.za/news/article.php?uid=20033008

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Politics and Society, , , , , , , ,

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