Democratic Alliance — 01/24/2008
100,000 BABIES UNNECESSARILY INFECTED WITH HIV

Statement by Mike Waters, MP, opposition Democratic Alliance spokesperson on Health:

According to the DA's calculations, more than 100,000 babies are likely to have been unnecessarily infected with HIV because of the Minister of Health's four year delay in implementing dual therapy guidelines to replace the outdated mono-therapy guidelines currently in place. The Minister owes the nation an explanation.
 
This is yet another example of how problems in the Health Department, arising from the Health Minister's ineffectiveness and the lethargy in her department, are having direct consequences in terms of human lives. The guidelines reportedly have been ready to be applied since November 2003. No good reason has ever been given for the delay, and in the meantime babies have continued to be subjected to an outdated regime which places them at much greater risk of HIV infection.
 
Statistics
Average no. babies born in SA every year:
1,000,000 
No. babies at risk of HIV infection in SA[1]:
291,000
% babies that will become HIV positive with mono-therapy[2]:
22%
% babies that will become HIV-positive with dual therapy[3]:
8%
Number of at-risk babies annually subject to mono-therapy regime[4]:
183,330
Difference between 22% of at-risk babies and 8% of at-risk babies:
25,667
Probably total no. of infections over four years:
102,668
 
Questions to Minister
The DA will be asking a Parliamentary question to the Minister of Health about the reasons for this inordinate delay, and what steps she intends taking to ensure that important changes to policy are in future implemented without unnecessary hold-ups. It is outrageous that, in the face of the many complicated and difficult health challenges that South Africa faces, babies should continue to be infected with HIV because of the lack of a single, simple and easily implemented process.

NOTE
[1] Based on a figure of 29.1% of pregnant women in SA being HIV-positive
[2] Based on figures from KwaZulu-Natal, where mono-therapy is used
[3] Based on figures from the Western Cape, where dual therapy is used
[4] I.e. The number of babies born to HIV-positive mothers outside the Western Cape, which is the only province to use dual therapy, and in the approximately 70% of health facilities where PMTCT programmes are in place.