PRESIDENT ZUMA ANNOUNCES HE WILL TEST FOR AIDS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 002463 DEPT FOR AF/S JCARSON USAID FOR BUREAU OF GLOBAL HEALTH AND AFR/SA HHS FOR OFFICE OF GLOBAL HEALTH AFFAIRS EGOOSBY, JMONAHAN CDC FOR GLOBAL HEALTH OFFICE SBLOUNT NIH FOR RGLASS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO PGOV EAID KHIV SF SUBJECT: PRESIDENT ZUMA ANNOUNCES HE WILL TEST FOR AIDS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: President Zuma called for a renewed struggle against AIDS in South Africa, leading by example as he promised to have himself tested for AIDS. Zuma emphasized that prevention was the key and called for wide testing. He announced a number of new initiatives to give more AIDS patients access to treatment. Zuma thanked international partners for their material support to the campaign against AIDS. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) South Africa's President Jacob Zuma embraced the challenge of preventing HIV infection and overcoming the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa in his World AIDS Day address on December 1, announcing a number of initiatives to give more AIDS patients access to treatment and expand testing for HIV. The President stressed prevention and a massive campaign for testing. His overall message was one of taking charge and showing leadership to grapple with the AIDS crisis in South Africa. He called for: "no more shame, blame, discrimination, or stigma with respect to HIV/AIDS in South Africa." Zuma likened the current need to "deploy every effort and mobilize every resource" against the scourge of AIDS to the struggle to overcome apartheid. In addition, Zuma called for integration of HIV/AIDS counseling, testing, and treatment into the overall health system by March 2010, instead of solely relying on the parallel, separate system. ¶3. (SBU) President Zuma announced that he is making arrangements for his own HIV test. He said he has taken HIV tests before and knows his status. Zuma said he would do another test as part of this new campaign and urged all South Africans to "start planning for your own tests". He also called for South Africans to take responsibility for their actions and to act safely to ensure prevention. ¶4. (SBU) The President announced the following major outcomes-based policy initiatives, effective from April 2010: - - All children under one year of age will get treatment if they test positive (regardless of CD4 cell count),aiming to reduce the high rate of infant mortality in South Africa. - - All patients with both TB and HIV will get treatment with antiretrovirals (ARVs) if their CD4 cell count is 350 or less. (At present, treatment is available only when the CD4 cell count is less than 200.) The intent is to change treatment for TB and HIV/AIDS so that it is "under one roof" and to reduce the number of early deaths due to TB in HIV-positive individuals. - - All pregnant HIV-positive women with a CD4 cell count of 350 or less or with symptoms regardless of CD4 cell count will have access to treatment. (At present, HIV positive women are only eligible for treatment if their CD4 cell count is less than 200.) - - All other pregnant women not falling into this category, but who are HIV-positive, will be put on preventive treatment at fourteen weeks to protect the baby. (In the past, this was only started during the last term of the pregnancy.) ¶5. (SBU) President Zuma thanked South Africa's international partners, who continue to provide material support to "our campaign against AIDS." He did not mention any specific countries or programs, including PEPFAR, by name. The Health Minister told the Ambassador after the speech that the Deputy President and Department QAmbassador after the speech that the Deputy President and Department of Health (DOH) would make a statement thanking the U.S. for its commitment to give South Africa an additional $120 million for ARVs in response to a plea from President Zuma. The Embassy, with DOH agreement, had already organized media coverage for the R900 million U.S. commitment for ARVs, which ran in this morning's papers and on the international wire services. Radio and TV coverage was massive and is continuing this afternoon, as well as additional requests for interviews with Ambassador Gips. Complete media run-down will be sent separately. ¶6. (SBU) Before the speech, the Ambassador participated in a panel with the Deputy President/South African Nation AIDS Council Chair and the Minister of Health, among a few others, for a dialogue responding to questions from a number of key sectors: women, men, children, and people living with AIDS and disabilities. The Ambassador recognized the leadership of the South African Government (SAG) and expressed the U.S. commitment to work closely with it to mitigate the AIDS crisis. ¶7. (SBU) President Zuma's speech follows an equally strong speech PRETORIA 00002463 002 OF 002 on the AIDS crisis that he delivered to Parliament on October 30, ¶2009. He announced the SAG's targets to reduce the rate of new infections by 50 percent and to extend the antiretroviral program to 80 percent of those who need it by 2011. His speeches and policies mark a sea change from previous denialism, but Zuma has been careful to stress that the SAG and the ANC had already put in place various strategies to comprehensively deal with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases. GIPS