MAKE UP SEPT 2007


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Well, spring has sprung and this bumper Spring edition is the
final for 2007. What a year it has been! Important circumcision
trial results push us to ask about the implementation logistics,
and equally important negative results in HIV vaccine,
microbicide and diaphragm research make us realise that the
road to efficacious prevention modalities will be a long one. In
the meantime safer sex, more testing and positive prevention
are what we must rely on to curb the epidemic. We must also
continue to hone our expertise in treating both HIV and the
myriad of opportunistic infections associated with HIV. This
edition highlights fungal infections, with excellent laboratory
insights from Govender, a terrific cryptococcal review by Jarvis
et al., and of course our signature guidelines, in this edition

focusing on cryptococcal management. Thanks to the
guideline committee led by Graeme Meintjies for this. A case
study illustrating just how complex multiple opportunistic
infections can be is also presented.

We also highlight the 3rd South African HIV Conference, held
mid-year in Durban. It focused on consensus building with the
launch of the Conference Declaration (www.sa-
aidsconference.com), and featured here are some of the
highlights as captured by the track rapporteurs and a synopsis
of a plenary on positive prevention by Kalichman. As the
epidemic moves into its 3rd decade, we pay tribute to Reuben
Sher, a great stalwart and warrior of the South African
epidemic. We also feature a thought-provoking article by
Whiteside et al. entitled ‘AIDS: A Darwinian event?’, in which
the authors question why historians have not written about
the HIV epidemic as a history-changing event and make a
convincing case for this.

At the end of 2007, with its highs and lows, its politics and its
triumphs (not least those in green and gold), despite having an
HIV epidemic of unprecedented proportion and much work to
be done, it is GOOD to be in South Africa!

LINDA-GAIL BEKKER

Editor

FROM THE EDITOR

T H E S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N J O U R N A L O F H I V M E D I C I N E                               S P R I N G 2 0 0 7

There’s never a dull moment on the South African HIV scene.
The dramatic firing of the Deputy Minister of Health was
greeted with shock by many of us, and elicited a strong
reaction from the Society, as well as many other organisations.

Deputy Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge gave hope and
inspiration to many health care workers after years of
arrogance and disregard by senior political officials within the
Department of Health. The Society extends its gratitude for her
contribution to the National Strategic Plan, and we hope her
political future is bright.

The Society has a new website (http://www.sahivsoc.org/)
which I urge you to visit, where you can find electronic copies
of the Journal and lots more. We also have a major and
evolving project, our Karabo website, which is intended to be a
map-based directory of all HIV services, including testing, CD4
access and ART availability. Check it out at http://www.
karabo.org.za/#home.

FRANCOIS VENTER

President

M E S S A G E  F R O M  T H E  E X E C U T I V E

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