Last week, it was announced that a man in the UK had been cured of AIDS, but what does this mean for the rest of the people affected by this disease, especially those in South Africa?
Dr. Burt Davis, a senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University (SU), who also works at the Africa Centre for HIV and AIDS Management, explains that there are differing views on how close we are to reaching a cure in South Africa.
Davis says that “some scientists believe we are as little as 5 years away from a possible cure, while others feel we might never get there due to the complex and ever-changing nature of the HI virus.”
A Stellenbosch University student reads a pamphlet about HIV tests. PHOTO: Lia Snijman.
He points out that current medication is, while not a cure, very successful in suppressing the effects of HIV and allows patients to manage their disease in a way that is similar to how other people live with a chronic disease, such as diabetes.
When asked about the many articles talking about “the Aids virus”, Davis immediately warns that one must “beware what you read on the internet.” He explains that the “Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the virus which causes AIDS.”
“HIV has different stages, with the final phase being full-blown AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome which is characterised by a set of specific infections and conditions that indicate a much weakened immune system.”
Davis says South Africa’s health policy is to put every person who is tested positive for HIV on antiretroviral treatments for the rest of their lives. The government offers these treatments to citizens free of charge.
Jeremy Bingham (26), a Stellenbosch student who is working with the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA) and is doing his Master’s degree in Epidemiology, echoes this, saying: “According to South African law, anyone who tests HIV positive should have access to antiretroviral therapy.” However, he adds that people need to have access to government health care and need to know that they are infected.
Jeremy Bingham sits outside the SACEMA building to chat about HIV and AIDS. PHOTO: Lia Snijman.
According to Bingham, the case in the UK and the previous case of someone being cured of AIDS seemed to be a very context specific solution. He expands: “I believe that there are currently more feasible solutions to the pandemic than complex procedures involving bone marrow transplants.”
Bingham is very excited about a study done by Brian Williams which uses modelling to support the 90-90-90 policy.
“He showed that if we got 90% of people who are HIV-positive to be diagnosed, and we get 90% of those people who are diagnosed to be on antiretroviral treatment, and we get 90% of those people on the antiretroviral treatment to be virally suppressed […] – if we get that 90-90-90, then HIV transmissions should be almost completely stopped in a matter of decades,” he says.
Bingham’s work revolves around blood safety and the testing of blood donations for diseases. While he says that blood doesn’t get tested well enough in poorer countries, he explains that in richer countries, and countries like South Africa, the procedure is much safer.
He says: “I crunched some rough numbers and calculated that you’re more likely to die in an accident driving to work over the span of just one month than you are to contract HIV when receiving a blood transfusion.”
Bingham also explains that “if you receive one unit of blood, it’s conservatively estimated that you have around one in a million chance of contracting HIV from that – the real risk could be quite a bit lower.” Bingham says that this is because of the good work being done by the South African National Blood Service.
He also emphasises that the quality of blood received at public and private hospitals are the same because “all the blood is supplied by the same organisations”.
The First Things First campaign is currently being run in the VV hall in the Neelsie where students and staff are tested for HIV. Kaylan Weppelman, the First Things First site supervisor, explains that the procedure only involves a prick in the finger with a small needle. It takes ten to fifteen minutes and is free of charge.
The First Things First campaign is set up in the VV Hall in the Neelsie. PHOTO: Lia Snijman.
“People tend to shy away,” Weppelman says. She adds that the organisation tests about 600 to 700 students annually. They believe that students stay away because of the stigma attached to merely getting tested for HIV.
Tshepo Mokonotela, who does the HIV testing and counselling at the Equality Unit, explains that they are there to “help through the journey”. If someone’s test reveals that they are HIV positive, then they are taken to campus health and receive references to counsellors.
The First Things First campaign is running until the 15th of March at the VV Hall in the Neelsie from 9:00-16:00. They can be contacted on 021 808 3136 or condoms@sun.ac.za.
HIV tests are administered at the Equality Unit every week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 13:00 to 16:00. Students can simply drop by or email them at hiv@sun.ac.za.