IRIN PlusNews HIV/AIDS Briefs, 22 August 2001

SOUTH AFRICA: Officials propose better HIV/AIDS school education ANGOLA: Plans to launch HIV/AIDS testing project SOUTH AFRICA: Officials propose better HIV/AIDS school education Delegates at a conference on sexuality education in South African schools have called for HIV/AIDS education to be integrated into all eight subject areas for pupils between the ages of six and 16, the ‘Business Day’ newspaper has reported. Delegates have been tasked with drafting guidelines for the implementation of sex education at schools. According to the report, Education Minister Kader Asmal said the rising rate of HIV/AIDS “proved there was a need to educate children about the disease”. The National Curriculum Statement mentions HIV/AIDS in two subject areas. However, teachers are not required to incorporate HIV/AIDS education into language instruction, and information on HIV/AIDS receives very little attention from teachers. Parliamentarian Dr Albertina Luthuli told the conference’s delegates that HIV/AIDS was not only directly related to biology, but also to statistical and mathematical modelling systems, literature, gender, and social issues. “HIV/AIDS is about much more than just sex. This is about our very survival as a nation,” she was quoted as saying. ANGOLA: Plans to launch HIV/AIDS testing project The Angolan government plans to launch an HIV/AIDS testing and counselling project to analyse the prevalence of the disease in the country, official news agency Angop reported on Tuesday. Angolan Health Minister Albertina Hamukwaya was reported as saying that the project would be conducted by the health ministry and supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as various local and foreign health institutions. The Italian government donated about US $555,000 to support the project, according to the report. The project would be set up watching centres in the provinces of Luanda, Huila, Benguela, Cabinda, Lunda-Norte, Moxico and Malanje, the report said. WHO representative to Angola, Pier Paolo Balladelli, warned that HIV/AIDS was devastating part of Africa’s most productive population, adding that 1 million people might be infected in Angola in the next nine years.