United States

Microsoft chairperson Bill Gates flew to Pretoria on Tuesday to discuss the AIDS pandemic with President Thabo Mbeki.

Government will spend an additional R78.3 billion over the next three years on improving public services, infrastructure and boosting the fight against crime, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced on Tuesday.

The conference organizers and the Kaiser Family Foundation, through its online news summary and webcasting service, kaisernetwork.org, are working together to bring online coverage of the conference to those who cannot attend.

An Aids treatment plan, which includes the provision of anti-retroviral drugs at state health facilities, was presented to Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang in Pretoria on Tuesday afternoon. She is to present it to Cabinet, said Anthony MBewu, who headed the task team that drew up the plan. The Cabinet would take a final decision on how the roll-out will occur, he added. The team was appointed last month after a Cabinet decision. They drew up the operational plan with the help of staff of the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation of the United States. The drafting included visits to all nine provinces to assess provincial plans and preparedness. Earlier this month, Ira Magaziner, chairperson of the Clinton Foundation's Aids initiative, told reporters that if Cabinet approved the plan, it would be possible to introduce it almost immediately. That did not mean all people in need of antiretrovirals would get them straight away though, he added. We congratulate the task team for completing its task within the deadline as set by Cabinet. (Source: Sapa September 30 2003 )

Two-thirds of youth are using the Web to research health information, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Half of all online youth have used the Web to research specific diseases; 44 percent to research information about sexual health; and 23 percent have looked up information about drugs and alcohol. The survey contains findings about how youth use the Internet as a health resource, concerns regarding privacy issues and opinions on filtering technology and online pornography. See: http://www.kff.org/content/2001/20011211a