Major boost for fight against Aids and TB

By Lelethu Mquqo
20 December 2010

Health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, says South Africa has received a major boost to fight Aids, TB and Malaria.

Motsoaledi says the Global Fund has approved a total of up to 300-million-dollars funding for South Africa over a period of five years for prevention, treatment and care of Aids and TB.

He says the grant is the highest amount received from the Global Fund as yet and for the first time also covers Aids treatment. An amount of 10-million-dollars has also been set aside for the strengthening of health systems.

Meanwhile, 8 000 babies have died between in the first five months of this year (1 January and 31 May 2010).

In a written reply to a parliamentary question, Motsoaledi said more than 4 000 children under the age of a year died at national level.

He says with the newborns added, a total of 8 000 deaths were recorded.

Motsoaledi says some of the main causes of death are pneumonia, diarrhoea, prematurely and malnutrition

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