Dr. Linda-Gail Bekker and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, July 2008
Seeking solutions, solving with care
HIV has been a growing public health concern in Cape Town since the late 1980s, initially amongst young men largely living on the Atlantic Seaboard, but is now reaching pandemic proportions in Cape Town's low-income residential areas and informal settlements.
Of particular concern are the escalating prevalence rates amongst young women and adolescents. In only twelve years, the HIV prevalence rate amongst 15 to 49 year olds rose from less than 1% of the national population to 20% percent. Today, an estimated 2,000 people are infected with HIV on a daily basis, most of whom are under the age of 25. The immense impact of this disease not only burdens the physical well-being of South African citizens, but is scarring our social and economic futures as a nation.
The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation was established under the directorship of Professor Robin Wood and Associate Professor Linda-Gail Bekker in January 2004. The Foundation had its beginnings as the HIV Research Unit based at New Somerset Hospital in the early 1990's and is well known as one of the first public clinics to offer antiretroviral therapy to those living with HIV.More recently, the Foundation, supported by Emeritus Archbishop Desmond and Leah Tutu, has extended its activities to include HIV treatment, prevention, training and tuberculosis treatment monitoring in the hardest hit communities of the Western Cape.
