TAC pushes for HIV dual therapy roll out

The TAC has called on the Department of Health to provide AZT and 3TC as dual therapy

The Treatment Action Campaign says the implementation of a dual therapy for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV is long overdue.

The TAC has called on the Department of Health to provide AZT and 3TC as dual therapy. This is a different combination of drugs compared to the one government promised to roll out this year, which is Nevirapine plus AZT.

Meanwhile spokesperson for the National Department of Health, Sibani Mngadi, says they've already increased the budget for the implementation of dual therapy.

The head of the country's first planned human testing of HIV vaccines, Glenda Gray, says there'll be no reason for the Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to deny the tests.

Tshabalala-Msimang issued an order last year that no HIV trials would be done before she received a detailed report on why the Phambili study had failed. Gray, who also headed the aborted study, says they are ready to submit their report to the minister.