Hogan: Step up Aids fight

2008-10-20 12:53

Johannesburg - More emphasis was needed in Africa to fight HIV/Aids, said Health Minister Barbara Hogan on Monday.

According to statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 22.5 million people infected with HIV are from sub-Saharan Africa.

"Emphasis is needed to invest more effort in addressing this issue," she said at the seventh Pan-African conference held at the Sandton Convention Centre.

She said child-headed homes was one of the main problems affecting Africa because children missed out on education and became exposed to diseases that destroyed the economy of their country.

"We need clear plans on how to address the issue."

She said Africa needed clear plans on how to address diseases such as malaria and cancer.

"Eighty percent of malaria patients are from Africa. We need clear plans on how best we can tackle this problem," said Hogan.

- SAPA