HIV treatment

South Africa’s anti-retroviral programme and HIV treatment to treat HIV infection are the largest in the world with 5.5 million people in treatment.

This programme is available on the Health Check Page and is available NOW On-Demand until Wednesday the 17th of November. It will also be broadcast on Sunday the 13th of November in Phuket at 8:00 AM on 91.5 FM and 102.5 FM and Online via the Internet radio portals.

It’s transformed this disease from an automatic death sentence to something that can be managed as a chronic illness and the government is determined to expand the programme and get more people into HIV treatment.

It’s an ambitious plan and Claudia Hammond hears how psychological tools called “nudges”, drawn from behavioural economics, are being used and tested as low-cost interventions to persuade more people into treatment.

Dr Sophie Pascoe, Co-Director of South Africa’s first HIV nudge unit, Indlela, describes how HIV treatment and new techniques are being used.

Covid-19 shielders

The plight of the Covid-19 shielders. Shannon is so vulnerable to catching the virus that she has lived apart from her husband and teenage daughter for almost two years.

What’s it like having your life on hold and not being able to hug or kiss your loved ones?

And Matt Fox, Professor of Global Health Epidemiology and Boston University joins Claudia to discuss the increase in cholera outbreaks and the shortage of vaccines and the new UK trial to manufacture blood in a laboratory.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Fiona Hill

Image: Beaded HIV/AIDS ribbon brooch among beaded South African flag keyrings, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Credit: Neil Overy/Getty Images)

Sunday morning with Phuket FM Radio and the BBC