Duration: 4min 49sec

Transcript

THANDEKA: Kwaku ngoMvulo obandayo, kusasa nalapho ndaqhuba isithuthu ndilibangise eMakhaza eKhayelitsha kwindibano yam noLulu ndimkhapha kuhambo lwakhe oluya esibhedlele   kugqirha.

 Translation: It was a chilly Monday morning when I drove to Makhaza in Khayelitsha to meet with Lulu, a mother whom I took to the MSF Clinic in Site-C Khayelitsha for a doctor’€™s appointment.

THANDEKA: UMihle oneminyaka esixhenxe nomama wakhe bacela uMongameli Mbeki ukuba anikezele ngamachiza kagawulayo kwabo baphila nogawulayo. UMihle uyayiqonda into yokuba uphila nogawulayo yaye ekwafumana unyango kungoko efuna ukuba nabanye abantu bafumane olu ncedo baludingayo.

Translation: A   7- year, Mihle and his mother are begging President Mbeki to help provide antiretroviral drugs to those who need them. Mihle understands he has AIDS and he needs treatment and he wants others who need it, to get it too. Lulu works at the Red Cross Children Hospital as an assistant in the AIDS unit. Today she has a few hours off hours to have a check-up and to get her treatment. I asked her how she learned about her HIV status.

LULU: Ndiqale ukuzazi ngo 1997 xa umntwana wam wayelele eRed Cross Hospital egula enesifuba ndingamazi ukuba une HIV so u-diagnose(we) ngeloxesha ndingamazi sabe sesi test(a) ke notata wakhe sobabini sazazi ngalo mzuzu ukuthi siphila nalentsholongwane yeHIV. Ngokuya ndandikhulelwe azange nditsalwe igazi ndizazi ngoske kugule yena ngoku sendimbelekile.

Translation: I became aware of my HIV status in 1997 when my baby was admitted at Red Cross Hospital. He suffered from bronchitis. At the time I didn’€™t know that he was HIV, it’€™s only when he was diagnosed when I became aware. My husband and I went for a test as well and we too we tested positive. I was not tested for HIV when I was pregnant.

THANDEKA: Waziva njani xa kuthiwa unale ntsholongwane?

Translation:   How did you feel when you first heard that you were positive?

LULU: Ndaye ndothuka kakhulu kwakunzima kum kangangokuba ndaba nesiyezi ampur unyaka wonke, oko ndi dizzy nje ndingayazi ukuba mandithini na but i-support ndasifumana emyenini wam. Zange ayihoye yena wathi mandingayi hoyi oogqirha kusenzeka ukuba bayaxoka kakade bona into xa bengayazi ukuba umntu ugula ngantoni sebebalekela kule HIV kulapho ndathi ndafumana amandla emyenini wam.

Translation: It wasn’€™t easy for me to know my status. As a result I was dizzy for almost the whole year. I didn’€™t know what to do but my husband gave me support. He took it lightly, he told me not to worry because sometimes doctors like to lie and when they don’€™t know the cause of the sickness they blame everything on AIDS.

THANDEKA: Nayifumana kengoku i-counseling?

Translation: Did you get counseling?

LULU: I-counseling sayifumana eRed Cross Hospital ndiyakhumbula sadibana nosisi Funeka Ginger nguye umntu owasinika i-counseling, sade saba si-right ngoku. Emveni kokuba ndizazile ukuphuma kwam esbhedlele ndaye ndadibana no sisi Daisy owaye esebenza kwaphaya eRed Cross Hospital esebenzela umbutho wakwa Wolanani olapha eKhayelitsha kulapho ke ndathetha nosisi Daisy ndamxelela ingxaki yam wandazisa nge support group sika Wolanani esise Khayelitsha nda attend(a) khona i-support group.

Translation: We got counseling from Red Cross Hospital. I still remember Funeka Ginger the social worker who offered counseling until we felt better and accepted our condition. After I was discharged at the hospital I met Daisy of Wolanani AIDS Project in Khayelitsha that’€™s when I disclosed my status to he,r telling her about my problem. She introduced me to a support group at Wolanani and I started attending the support group.

THANDEKA: Niqale nini ke ngoku ukufumana i-treatment, ezithomalalisi?

Translation: When did you start taking the treatment?

LULU: UMihle uqale ngo 2001 nge 13 kaDecember notata wakhe uziqale ngo December. Mna ke ndisand’€™ukuziqala ndineenyanga ezimbini ngoku ndikwi treatment from u-MSF.

Translation: Mihle (my son) and his father started in December of 2001. I have just started two months ago with my treatment at MSF.

THANDEKA: Okwangoku kunjani ukuthatha kwakho lamachiza? Ingaba akuphethe njani?

Translation: How has it been like taking these drugs? How are they treating you?

LULU: Andikabinazo ii-side effects endiye ndazi experience(a) oko ndiqale nje lamayeza. Ndiwathatha nje kakuhle andinangxaki nawo.

Translation: I haven’€™t experienced any side effects problems since I have started with these drugs. I’€™m consistent in taking them.

THANDEKA: Nakhethwa njani?

How were you chosen to get the treatment?

LULU: I-CD4 count cells yomntwanam yayinga phantsi kuka fifteen. Into eyenzekayo kwa MSF if umntu I-CD4 count yakhe inga phantsi ibe mhlawumbi ube unazo nezinye izigulo onazo ikliniki uyihamba ngendlela e-right bayakwazi ukukuqalisa amayeza ke ngoku.

Translation: My child’€™s CD4 cells count was below fifteen. At MSF if your CD4 count is below 200 and maybe you suffer from other illnesses and your clinic attendance is satisfactory they can start giving you this treatment.

THANDEKA: Ngoku niyaphi ke ngoku?

Translation: Where are you off to now?

LULU: Ngoku ndibheka ekliniki yi date yam namhlanje e-MSF.

Translation: I’€™m now going to the clinic at MSF, I have a doctor’€™s appointment.

THANDEKA: Ufike ekliniki nalapho edibene nabahlobo bakhe baye banencoko evanayo.

Translation: At the Clinic she met her friends and they had a discussion.

ULULU ENCOKOLA NABAHLOBO:   Sowuqalile?

Translation: Have you started yet with the drugs?

NOMHLE: Ah, ah! Ii-ARV’€™s ndizakuziqala namhlanje.

Translation: I’€™ll start taking ARVs today.

LULU: I-CD4 count yakho kanti ithini?

Translation: What is your CD4 count?

NOMHLE: Ngu153.

Translation: It’€™s 153.

LULU: UNomphelo yena?

Translation: How about you, Nomphelo?

NOMPHELO: Kudala kaloku iinyanga zam ziyi five kule nyanga.

Translation: It’€™s been five months since I have started.

NOMHLE: Wena uzitya ngantoni?

Translation: How do you take them?

LULU: Kaloku mna yinyanga yam yesibini le. Ndizitya ngo 9 to 9.

Translation: This is my second month. I take them from 9 to 9.

NOMHLE: UJoe yena?

Translation: And Joe?

LULU: UJoe kaloku yena waziqala ngo 2001 noMihle bobabini. Kukwa ARV nje kulandlu. Utata ngu A, umntwana nguR umama nguV. A-R-V.

Translation: Joe started taking them in 2001 with Mihle. My house is now ARV. My husband is A, my child is R and me, the mother, I’€™m V. A-R-V.

THANDEKA: UGqirha David Coetzee usebenza ngogawulayo kwiikliniki zakwa   MSF ezise Khayelitsha echaza ukubaluleka kokuthatyathwa kwezithomalalisi kugawulayo. UGqirha emvavanya.

Translation: Doctor David Coetzee AIDS doctor at MSF Clinics in Khayelitsha explains the importance of ARV.

DR COETZEE: You’€™re not vomiting? No side effects? Nothing at all? Let’€™s see what is your weight today. Ninety-three.

Translation: Awukhuphi ngasentla? Akukho nto uyivayo ebangelwa ngamachiza?   Masibone ubukhulu bomzimba. 93.

THANDEKA: ULulu wakhe, waqala ukuthababatha izithomalalisi kugawulayo iiveki ezimbini waphinda wayeka. Ingaba ke oku akuyo ngozi?

Translation: Lulu had started with ARV treatment for two weeks last year, but she dropped out immediately. What effect can this have?

DR COETZEE: The main problem is when don’€™t take all the doses so you take antiretrovirals but you forget one day and the next time. You take, then you forget that’€™s the worst possible situation but because she stopped everything and she was only taking for two weeks it’€™s unlikely to have caused any problem. In fact we know we actually read her bloods and we found that it was having little effect. It was a problem that we had. We shouldn’€™t have put her on until she was absolutely ready to go on antiretrovirals. Generally the adherence is very good. It’€™s about between 70 and 80 percent of patients that take all their medicines all the time consistently. But obviously there are some ways where we have problems and then when we take viral load and then we see that the viral load is gone up.   And then we know that the antiretrovirals are not working. It happens because they are not taking them every time and they get resistance to those particular drugs. The HIV gets clever and becomes resistant then we have to put them on a different line of drugs. We don’€™t have many drugs to change to so people don’€™t have many chances they only have really two chances. If they mess up both times then we have nothing left to put them up on.

Translation: Eyona ngxaki inkulu kuxa ungathabathi wonke umlinganiselo wamachiza uphinde ulibale imini enye uibale kwakhona kwixesha elilandelayo. Yena uLulu kuba wayeka yonke into kwii veki ezimbini wazithabathayo ayinto engadala ingozi kuba besisoloko siwajonga amagazi akhe. Le ybaa yingxaki esinayo kuba kwkungamelekanga ukuba simqalise ngezi zithomalalisi xa ebengekakulungeli oko. Kodwa, njeke ukukhuthalelwa kwamachiza kusancomeka kuba malunga neepesenti engama 70 ukuya kwezingama 80 zezigulaneukuba ziyawatya amachiza azo ngokunga hanahananisiyo. Abakhona amathuba apho ke siye sibe neengxaki xa sijonga ubungakanani bentsholongwane (viral load) xa ithe yenyuka kulapho kucaca mhlophe ukuba ke lamachiza awayenzi indima yawo. Yenzeka ke kuba bengawathabathi ngendlela lamachiza yaye neyinto edala ukuba amachiza la aqhelane nomzimba wakho (i-resistance). Intsholongwane iye ibe nobuchule nalapho ke siye sizame ukufaka kwamanye amachiza. Kodwa ke asinamachiza maninzi esinokukutshintshela kuwo neyinto ethi abantu abanandlela zininzi zokuba bangakhetha kuba zimbini qha iindlela zokwenza ukuba lamachiza asebenze ukuba udlalile ngawo akusekho ke enye into enokwenziwa.

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