Taking HIV medication is not a death sentence: Health expert

Health practitioner, Dr Eileen Kaba, is urging young people to check their HIV status, and that of their partner – whether they are sexually active or not.

Kaba’s call follows a report that despite medication to prevent this, over 230 babies in the country were born with the virus in the first half of the year and 40 of them were born in the Tshwane District.

Dr Kaba is one of the medics at Keready Health Services, an NPO that provides accessible and affordable mobile health services to the youth.

She says this is a legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the medic, pandemic caused a large number of young people who were already HIV-positive to default on their medication.

“What is important for young people — who have tested and are HIV-positive – to know is that being HIV-positive is not a death sentence. There are advancements for HIV management, treatment, and prevention and are at the youth’s disposal,” he says.

Dr Kaba says despite messages of abstinence, young people are more likely to engage in sexual activities due to curiosity.

She has urged them to further research on ways they can protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases – should they want to engage in sex.

The Tshwane Health Department’s Melanie Langeveldt is on the other hand urging young mothers to visit clinics early on in their pregnancies to test for HIV.

Langeveldt says this will enable healthcare practitioners determine whether they need to be placed on antiretroviral (ARVs) therapy to avoid infecting their babies.

“It is very important to take ARV therapy continuously — if you missed taking your medication, it places you at risk,” she says.

Approximately 7.8 million South Africans live with HIV, which is a 1.3% drop from 2017.

Despite educational programmes on importance of protection, a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) study indicates that new HIV infections are still occurring amongst those between the ages of 15 and 24 years, followed by those between 24 and 35 years. Written by YNews Contributor, Lamile Miya.