PI Action alerts & updates ... 2001
Letters of Support Needed
for Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa
In late November, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), an organization
of treatment activists in South Africa, began court hearings to
require the South African government to provide access to nevirapine
for HIV positive pregnant women as part of efforts to reduce mother-to-child
HIV transmission. TAC and two other parties are suing the South
African National Department of Health and eight of nine provincial
health ministers, demanding that the government make nevirapine
available (under proper medical supervision) at all public hospitals
and health clinics. In addition, the suit asks that the government
create and implement a comprehensive plan to reduce mother-to-child
transmission.
TAC and the other plaintiffs ask that this program be created within
three months. The program should include voluntary HIV/AIDS counseling
and testing, the provision of nevirapine “where appropriate”
and a supply of formula to help prevent HIV transmission through
breastfeeding. This lawsuit has received support from over 150 health
professionals, trade unions, religious organizations, and human
rights groups.
Boehringer Ingelheim has offered to provide nevirapine free of
charge to developing nations. Currently, South Africa only offers
the drug through 18 pilot programs across the country. The government
states that it is focusing on researching the issue, studying safety
issues and effectiveness.
According to TAC, nearly 300,000 women with HIV will give birth
in the next year. The majority do not know their HIV status and
are not provided information or access to treatment that can reduce
the risk of HIV transmission to their child. TAC predicts that at
least 70,000 children could become infected with HIV during labor
and breastfeeding.
TAC is asking for individuals and organizations around the world
to send letters of support for their efforts. These letters will
help with their court case and demonstrate that they are not alone
in their fight. This is an easy, yet powerful, way to show solidarity
for their efforts to reduce the spread of HIV in South Africa.
What you can do:
We encourage you to take a few minutes and write a short statement
of support for TAC’s efforts. You can use the enclosed sample
letter to help craft your message. There are many ways that you
can send your statement:
You can get more information on this issue, and send a fax for
free by going to http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/aids_sa. There
is even a sample letter available. We recommend adding a personal
message in the letter, such as writing about your experiences with
HIV/AIDS or those of people you care about.
You can send also your letter in the form of an email to the Treatment
Action Campaign at info@tac.org.za Make sure you include your full
name and address in the email
Finally, you can mail your letter to Project Inform (attn: TAN/Project
Inform, 205 13th Street #2001, San Francisco, CA 94103) and we will
fax your letter to TAC.
Thanks to Health GAP (Global Access Project) for the information
contained in this Alert. You can learn more about Health GAP at
www.globaltreatmentaccess.org.
Sample letter:
I am writing in support of Treatment Action Campaign’s
legal action to guarantee access to HIV preventive therapy for pregnant
women and infants in South Africa as part of a comprehensive program
for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Insert short personal statement here. If you or
someone you care about is living with HIV, please consider writing
a few sentences about your personal experiences.
It has been demonstrated that access to antiretroviral
drugs can dramatically reduce transmission of HIV from pregnant
women to children. I strongly support TAC’s efforts on this
issue.
Sincerely,
Your name
