Making up for lost time

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7519.719

BMJ 2005;331:719 (1 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7519.719

News

Africa theme issue

Making up for lost time

Pat Sidley

Johannesburg

In Botswana—land of Precious Ramotswe and the No 1 Ladies'Detective Agency—the health services are fighting oneof the highest rates of HIV infection in Africa

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

"We are so grateful. These days we are burying old women again,"a village chief said with noticeable relief to Botswana's ministerof health, Sheila Tlou. It was anecdotal evidence of an improvementin the country's mortality figures, which have been dominatedin recent years by the AIDS epidemic.

Before Botswana introduced an antiretroviral treatment programmefor its large population of people with HIV or AIDS, the chiefwas burying young people.

A feature of the epidemic in the region is the high proportionof young people who die, filling cemeteries and leaving theirchildren to be cared for by their grandparents.

Dr Tlou had been responding to a question put to her about theeffect of the treatment programme. Despite the success claimedfor the programme, Botswana continues to have proportionallyone of the largest epidemics in the world, with about 38% ofadults infected.