PPRETORIA, 26 March 2020 – The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) congratulates Professor Koleka Mlisana for her appointment as the Co-Chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on COVID-19 following the resignation of Prof. Salim Abdool Karim.
Prof. Mlisana has been a member of the SANAC Board of Trustees since 2016 and was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa who was, at the time, the country’s Deputy President and Chairperson of SANAC. Prof. Mlisana is the Associate Professor and Head of both the Medical Microbiology Department at the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) and National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) based at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. She served as the Project Director of the tenofovir gel trial in eThekwini under the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), as well as the Head of HIV Pathogenesis and Vaccine Research Programme (also under CAPRISA).
Her research interests include TB diagnostics, drug resistance as well as sexually transmitted infections. Prof Mlisana has also been a member of the Board of the South African Medical Research Council and currently sits on the National Advisory Group on Immunisation (NAGI).
SANAC takes this opportunity to congratulate the Prof. on her appointment and believes that her background in medical science coupled with her passion for public health advancements will stand her in good stead in her new position.
SANAC has continuously lobbied for the integration of HIV and TB services into the country’s COVID-19 response so that the country does not lose or compromise gains made in response to HIV and TB thus far. Government has responded positively in this regard – the Department of Health has designed catch up plans that prioritise the integration of these services. SANAC hopes that Prof. Mlisana’s appointment to MAC will further advance the integration agenda as the country forges ahead with plans to arrest the coronavirus pandemic.
For media queries, please contact Nelson Dlamini, SANAC Communications: 078 731 0313 / nelson@sanac.org.za