Hon Deputy Speaker, the latest impact study by the SA Medical Research Council, MRC, has the following findings. Firstly, in 2008, the HIV transmission rate from mother to child at six weeks of pregnancy was 8%. In 2010, that was reduced by more than half, to 3,5%, and in 2011, it was further reduced to 2,7%. The impact of this on the whole programme is as follows. Firstly, mothers are increasingly bringing their babies back for testing, and are willing to have them tested for HIV, as opposed to what used to happen in the past.
Secondly, these positive trends and decreasing transmission rates bring with them the possibility of achieving virtual elimination of mother-to- child transmission by 2015.
Lastly, because there are now fewer babies born HIV-positive as a result of this programme, it is going to contribute to the reduction of the infant mortality rate and the mortality rate in children under the age of five. Thank you.
Deputy Speaker, I thank the Minister for the information he has given us. We applaud the fact that more children are going to be HIV- free. We are going to have an HIV-free generation. What happens to the mothers that are HIV-positive? Is the maternal death rate due to HIV also reducing?
Deputy Speaker, the findings on the study that specifically focused on the reduction of the mortality rate in women who are HIV-positive are still going to be released. What we currently know in the country is that, yes, the number of people who are dying of HIV and Aids is definitely decreasing. South Africans are living longer lives, and these findings will be released formally by the MRC tomorrow. We do have evidence that because our programmes are working, people are living much longer. Thank you.
Deputy Speaker, the DA welcomes these findings indicating that there has been a significant reduction. We are so glad that the dark days of denialism, when ARVs were denied to people and all those tens of thousands of children who had become infected suffered in vain, are over.
The latest HIV prevalence survey has indicated that girls as young as 10 are becoming infected with HIV/Aids. They are becoming pregnant as a result of having sex with older men. Apart from the fact that this is statutory rape and there have been no convictions, what steps are the Minister and his department taking to counter this abomination?
Hon Deputy Speaker, I am sure the hon member is aware that such an abomination is not the problem of the Department of Health only. It is a societal issue. I am sure she is also aware that the SA National Aids Council, Sanac, has been established to help the department fight these problems. She is aware that it is chaired by the Deputy President of the country, and there are 19 sectors within it to deal with this issue.
The hon member will also be aware that the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities is also going to launch a special commission to deal with these issues of violence against women and children so that society can help. In short, while we are trying our best in the Department of Health, we also want to call out to society, to make them aware that these problems are societal issues.
Lastly, in the next few weeks, we are going to launch a very strong school health programme, together with the Ministry of Basic Education, to try and take these programmes right to school level. We believe it will also contribute positively. Thank you.
Deputy Speaker, hon Minister, there is quite a large number of nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, which have been involved in the fight against HIV/Aids but which are negatively affected by the donors who used to finance them. As a result, some of them might stop functioning. What I would like to know from the Minister is whether, in terms of his budget, he is progressively trying to accommodate these NGOs so that the work that they have been doing does not come to an end.
Deputy Speaker, I am sure the hon member is aware that the issue he has raised is a global phenomenon, affected by the global economic downturn that has not been favourable for anybody. That issue has been discussed at very high levels. It was the topic of discussion during the recent UN International HIV Conference in Washington. Because South Africa is mostly affected by the American funder, President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, Pepfar, the Deputy President Mr Kgalema Motlanthe held several meetings during that conference with US senators who are responsible for these programmes.
Recently, when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited here, this issue was discussed with them. There is a programme we are setting in motion to try and alleviate the effects of this withdrawal by many international donors. The matter is also being discussed within Sanac. We do have programmes that we are trying to put in place, but unfortunately, I will not have the time to explain the details. All in all, however, we believe that the many NGOs who help in the work of HIV/Aids should not be negatively affected.
One of the results of the discussions with US senators by the Deputy President is that for the next three years, at least, nothing will change; things will actually stay the same, giving us a chance to recover. Thank you.
Hon Minister, may I point out that the time for questions is about to expire. Therefore, there will only be enough time for a supplementary question from the person who asked the question. [Interjections.]
Realisation of target date for issuing of all outstanding FET certificates
243. Dr A Lotriet (DA) asked the Minister of Higher Education and Training:
Whether, with reference to his reply to question 841 on 30 May 2012, the target date of 31 July 2012 for the issuing of all outstanding further education and training (FET) certificates, including (a) Report 191 and (b) National Certificates Vocational (NCV), has been realised; if not, (i) why not and (ii) when will the certificates and report be issued; if so, what are the relevant details?