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FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0423
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA 2492
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE

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