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EDITORIAL  In this edition of Edges we
focus on Aids in Africa. I can vividly remember two significant international
trips I have made over the last few years. One was to South Africa, the other
was a visit to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The emaciated body of a young women
hardly able to stand as she's lifted into an Aids Treatment Centre in Durban is
a crystal clear image that I will never forget. Nelson Mandela, who lost his eldest son to AIDS, compares the plight of women coping with AIDS to the isolation he felt when imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island for fighting against white racist rule. He says "today there are millions of women in Africa living on their own Robben Islands, struggling against terrible odds, alone and often without much hope". Overall, an estimated 5.3 million of South Africa's 45 million people live with HIV, more than in any other country. Between 600 and 1,000 are dying every day from AIDS related diseases, according to U.N. figures. In Africa more people are wiped out by AIDS ever year than were in the entire Asian Tsunami disaster. On page 8 we read the story of Aimee who discovers a bruise like spot on her left breast. This is the beginning of her journey with AIDS. Soon it covers her whole breast. Yet in the midst of her despair she finds hope and is an inspiration to us all. Some countries have achieved breakthroughs in preventing HIV transmission from mothers to their children and in providing treatment for children living with HIV. But a low percentage of pregnant women with HIV are receiving the antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) they need to prevent their infants from becoming infected. In Rio De Janeiro I visited several projects working with street mothers, providing support and new opportunities for women and their children living with AIDS. In addition countries such as Botswana, India, Rwanda, and Thailand - have been able to scale up HIV treatment of children by integrating it into treatment sites for adults. Yet according to UNICEF, only 1 in 10 children, globally, needing ARV treatment receives it. Only 4 per cent of children born to HIV-infected mothers receive prophylactic treatment to prevent opportunistic infections that can be fatal. In addition to our focus on AIDS and Africa, we share the poetry and stories of our service users going through drug and alcohol rehabilitation. If you have a problem with drugs and alcohol why not visit our website www.thomasonline.org.uk. |
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