3 November 1999
Deputy President Jacob Zuma will on Thursday 4 November address the SADC Health Ministers Conference which will be held at Chris Hani-Baragwanath hospital, Soweto at 09h00. The Conference brings together Ministers of Health from all over the SADC region including senior government officials and HIV managers. A total of 45 deegates from member-states are expected to attend.
The Conference will also be attended by health experts from the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organisation (WHO) including the Minister of Health from Rwanda.
The central objective of the Conference is to afford SADC governments an opportunity to gather as much information as possible and to lay a basis for decision-making on possible preventative measures that can be undertaken with specific reference to mother-to-child trasmission of HIV/AIDS.
In this regard, the Conference will be addressed on the effects of Nevirapine HIV drug (currently on trial in Uganda and South Africa) on mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS. The Conference will also discuss the critical issue of accessibility to the HIV/AIDS drugs by mothers.
In addition, Conference will discuss progress made thus far on vaccine development against HIV/AIDS as well as measures neccessary to ensure safety for blood transfusion.
Conference is expected to wind its deliberations on Friday 5 November with a press conference to announce resolutions.
For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa at 082-990-4853
Issued by the Office of the Presidency
Communications Unit
Office of Deputy President Jacob Zuma
P/Bag X1000
Pretoria 0001