International funding crisis threatens lives
This is the main finding of the 2025 Global AIDS Update. The report highlights the impact that the sudden, large-scale funding cuts from international donors are having on countries most affected by HIV.
Although there's some light, the report also shows that countries and communities are stepping up to protect the gains made and drive the HIV response forward.
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The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
'No health risk': Government assures after ARVs were found in water sources
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has assured the public that the presence of anti-retroviral (ARV) residues in drinking water poses no health risk and cannot result in HIV transmission. This comes as a study conducted by the North West University (NWU) found measurable levels of ARV residues in some of the country's water sources. The report by the NWU's Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management and the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, titled 'Quantification, Fate, and Hazard Assessment of HIV-ARVs in Water Resources', revealed that ARVs are entering the water supply primarily through municipal wastewater treatment systems. As per the study, the most detected ARVs included lopinavir and efavirenz, with concentrations at some sites far exceeding global norms. The study found that concentrations of ARVs in some water sources exceeded acceptable thresholds, posing potential long-term health risks to humans, and the team emphasised that the current wastewater treatment processes are inadequate for removing these bioactive compounds, highlighting the need for technological advancements. Higher concentrations of traces of ARVs were found downstream of wastewater treatment plants. This means that the municipal wastewater treatment works are not removing them, because most existing wastewater treatment works have not been designed to remove contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), the Department of Water and Sanitation, together with the Water Research Commission, said in a joint statement. Low concentrations of ARVs were found in some of the drinking water samples. There is a possibility that high concentrations of ARVs in sewage or municipal wastewater might reduce the effectiveness of the wastewater treatment works in removing bacteria from the wastewater. Further research is required in this regard. Following concerns, the Department of Water and Sanitation and the Water Research Commission have clarified that the presence of ARV residues in drinking water is harmless, 'although prolonged exposure to the broader population may lead to antimicrobial resistance, a subject of ongoing research. Pharmaceuticals such as ARVs are drugs used to treat diseases – they do not cause diseases. Therefore, the presence of traces of ARVs in the water will not result in people contracting HIV.' 'At present, there is limited knowledge of environmental toxicity, potential adverse effects on ecosystems, and viral resistance of these compounds. The study did not find any ARVs in fish.' According to DWS, the issue of contaminants of emerging concern in water not only affects South Africa but is a growing global problem and area of attention around the world. Globally, the level of CEC compounds in water is generally not yet regulated. This is partly due to their presence often being below water quality detection limits. However, due to their continuous production, lack of appropriate disposal, constant input into the environment and presence in water resources, albeit in small concentrations, there is now increasing global research into the issue. 'Traces of pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and other such CECs that have been found in water resources in South Africa are tiny quantities, measured in nanograms (one billionth of a gram). Conventional water and wastewater treatment technologies are designed to remove much larger contaminants, such as particles of faeces and bacteria,' the department added. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
19 hours ago
- The Citizen
SA teen pregnancy crisis: 90 000 pregnancies recorded in 2024
Of 90 000 pregnancies recorded in girls aged 10 to 19, more than 2 300 were among girls aged between 10 and 14. These numbers speak not only of a health crisis, but also a grave injustice against children forced to become mothers, stakeholders said at a meeting this week. Teenage pregnancies 'robbing girls of their future' Steve Letsike, Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, warns that these numbers poses a threat to South Africans. Letsike said the scourge of teenage pregnancy is not only a health concern but a threat to the nation's social and moral fibre and future prosperity. 'Teenage pregnancy is robbing too many of our girls of their childhood and their future, and it will take all of us working together to turn the tide,' Letsike said at a stakeholder engagement in Pretoria recently aimed at addressing the persistent ongoing scourge of teenage pregnancy. Not only a statistic but also a crime He said 2 328 girls younger between 10 and 14-years-old recorded pregnancies last year. 'To call this alarming would be an understatement. These are children, some barely in their teens, some not even teenagers, now forced into motherhood,' Letsike said. Letsike said a child as young as 10 becoming pregnant was not just a statistic but evidence of a profound societal failure and a horrific crime because a girl that young cannot legally give consent. 'This crisis threatens the very foundation of our social and economic development as teenage pregnancy poses a serious threat to the health, rights, education and socio-economic well-being of girls. 'When a young girl becomes a mother, her chances of finishing school plummet, her job prospects diminish, and she often becomes trapped in a cycle of poverty. 'In other words, today's teen pregnancy is tomorrow's poverty and inequality. We must recognise this as not only a public health issue but a social justice emergency,' the deputy minister said. Letsike said the high incidence of adolescent pregnancy in the country was interlinked with other scourges of HIV and other STI infection rates, child sexual abuse, statutory rape, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), poverty, educational exclusion, substance abuse and even toxic elements of popular culture. 'To craft effective solutions, we must honestly confront how and why so many young girls are getting pregnant,' Letsike said. Urgent response needed Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli said teenage pregnancy in South Africa has reached deeply concerning levels. 'These are not just numbers; they are a stark reflection of our socio-economic challenges and a call to action. Teenage pregnancy is more than a health crisis,' she said. Mhlauli said the response to teenage pregnancy must be urgent, coordinated and compassionate. 'Government cannot do this work alone. We need the support of all pillars of society, parents, faith leaders, educators, civil society, the media and the private sector,' she said. Pregnancies indicate inability to protect girls Chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Board Asanda Luwaca said 'young girls are our sisters, our classmates, our cousins, our peers and children'. 'It is an indictment of our inability, as a collective, to fully protect the bodies, rights and dreams of girls, especially those from poor, rural and marginalised communities, especially differently abled,' she said. Luwaca said teenage pregnancy was not just about health, but injustice. 'It is about gender inequality, poverty, exploitation, broken family systems, absent accountability and a dangerous silence that protects perpetrators more than it protects girls. 'And until we confront these intersecting issues head-on with honesty, bravery and unflinching determination, we will continue to fail the young women of this nation. South Africa has the policies. We have the frameworks. What we need now is unapologetic implementation across every level of society,' Luwaca said. The engagement with stakeholders is part of an initiative to establish a Roadmap to South Africa's Teenage Pregnancy Prevention and Management Response. – Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
eNCA
19 hours ago
- eNCA
Call for new HIV\AIDS prevention jab to be accessible to all
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - A new HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir, is being called a major breakthrough. The WHO has released new guidelines for the twice-yearly injection, said to be 100% effective.
