It’s estimated there were at least 2.9 million immigrants residing in South Africa in 2020, but rising unemployment challenges and the impacts of natural disasters across the continent have likely further increased this number.
The Malawi High Commission in South Africa estimates there are more than 140,000 undocumented Malawians living in the country, of whom 30 per cent are believed to be HIV positive.
Despite antiretroviral services being free of charge for anyone in South Africa, most irregular migrants do not access the medicine via local hospitals because of their illegal status.
This creates opportunity for Malawi drug smugglers, who typically masquerade as drivers or businessmen, but it can also lead to patients skipping their antiretroviral therapy.
These drugs are needed to suppress the HIV virus within an infected individual; without them, the pathogen has the opportunity to replicate within the body and, over time, Aids can develop.
Death by ‘drug defaulting’
A Malawi High Commission official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the situation in South Africa is culminating in a rise in Aids-related deaths among Malawian patients.
“At the moment we don’t have statistics to share with you but I can confirm that a number of deaths and dead bodies being repatriated to Malawi are HIV related and mostly caused by drug defaulting,” the official said.
Nyirenda has yet to meet the same fate, thanks to his mother Grace who has managed to source his medication through drug smugglers and a local hospital in Malawi.
“I was worried to hear that he was not able to go to hospital and access the antiretrovirals because he doesn’t have legal documents for his stay there,” she tells the Telegraph. “I felt my son will die due to lack of treatment.
“Then, I approached one of the health workers at Nyungwe rural hospital [in northern Malawi] who managed to sell me each bottle of antiretroviral drugs at MWK 5,000 [the equivalent of $5] and I sent him them through the drug smugglers.”
When she is unable to buy the antivirals from the local hospital, Grace turns to the Malawian drug syndicate, which charges $50 for three months’ worth of supplies. She says the smugglers always have the medication in stock.
“They charge MWK 15,000 [$15] for transportation if I source it myself and MWK 50,000 [$50] when they are supplying it themselves.”
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/hiv-antiviral-drug-smugglers-south-africa-malawi/
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Publish date : 2023-07-26 07:00:00
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