The Eastern Cape government has received over R620-million
from the US government through the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief
(PEPFAR) as a means to reduce HIV/Aids from a global health crisis.
This was shared by the US Deputy Consulate General Dr Emily
Shaffer during the commemoration of the World Aids Day in Whittlesea outside
Komani in the Eastern Cape on December 1.
Dr Shaffer said that the US government had invested more than R8-billion in
South Africa.
“This is a commitment that saves lives and enables South Africans to live
healthy and productive lives. We have reduced the HIV/Aids pandemic from a global
health crisis to a disease we can control. In the Eastern Cape this year the US
government has invested more than R627-million to support HIV and TB
prevention, care and treatment in PEPFAR’s five focus districts,” she said.
The districts include Alfred Nzo, Amathole and Chris Hani,
Buffalo City Metro and OR Tambo.
Shaffer said that the US government supports more than 380 000 people with HIV treatment in the
Eastern Cape in nearly 600 public health facilities.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said the province
contributes more than 10% of the country’s treatment programme with more than
500 000 people on treatment.
“This treatment porogramme has had an immense
impact on our country’s life expectancy which has improved from 51 years to 59
years for men and from 55 years to 65 years for women within a short space of
10 years. We are also proud to report that our provincial rate of new HIV
infections is also decreasing moving from 35 000 in 2017 to 28 000 in 2020,” Mabuyane said.
He added that the mother to child transmission was now below 1%.
Mabuyane also commended the implementation of the comprehensive
sexuality education in 315 schools, adding that the lessons would provide a solid
foundation to roll out the programme across the province.
“As the province,
notwithstanding the slow start, we celebrate the implementation of the
comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programme in our schools, it has been
reported that at least 315 schools are implementing this CSE. The lessons from these schools are going to provide us with
a solid foundation to roll out the programme throughout the province.
“Rising numbers of teenagers who fall pregnant, including
those who are between the ages of 10 to 14 is rather shameful. In our province girls between the ages of 10 and 19 accounted for 16% of pregnancies last year. There is a suspicion that some of these girls are not impregnated by their
peers but by adult men. We would like our men sector to lead a campaign that
not only illustrates disgust with this behavior but also educate young boys and
men to champion use of condoms,” Mabuyane said.
