Community Health
As members of the community, our employees and contractors can be significantly affected by communicable diseases. Our focus in community health is, therefore, directed towards the prevention and treatment of the three major infectious diseases that afffect many of our operations.
A summary of our approach to these is discussed below, with details on our progress provided in Health>Our Performance>Community Health.
HIV/AIDS
In the communities in South Africa and Mozambique where our operations are located, the incidence of HIV/AIDS is among the highest in the world. We continue to have a responsibility to manage the impact of the disease in order to care for our employees, protect the viability of our operations and support the wellbeing and development of our host communities.
For many years, we have adopted a proactive approach to managing the disease within our workplaces. This has included conducting education programs; offering voluntary testing and counselling programs under the strictest confidentiality; ensuring employees and their dependants have appropriate access to medical care; and reducing hostel-type accommodation for employees which is known to be a risk factor for the disease.
We are now seeking ways to support initiatives that will help manage the disease in the wider population. An example of this commitment will commence during the coming year with a trial of a new HIV/AIDS immune therapy in South Africa.
The trial will be supported financially through a consortium of companies. BHP Billiton has a lead role, promoting development of this consortium and providing major cornerstone funding. The treatment is delivered in the form of a vaccination; and it is expected to offer new options for management of the disease in resource-restrained environments of the developing world.
Tuberculosis (TB)
In the Northwest Territories of Canada, tuberculosis is a significant issue among the Inuit population, which as a consequence has an impact on our EKATI Diamond Mine operation. In an effort to limit development of the disease, we are developing a screening program to detect latent TB infection in our workforce and the local community.
An outline has been developed for the project, and we are now progressing approval from the local indigenous community to proceed with this project.
Malaria
Along with TB and HIV/AIDS, malaria is one of the major infectious diseases responsible for significant illness and mortality around the world. For the Company, malaria is a significant health issue in southern Mozambique and northern Brazil where our operations are located. The disease can impact on the ability of these regions to provide sustainable workforces. The health of employees can also affect productivity and safety.
We are supporting the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), which has been established through the World Health Organization with the aim of developing affordable anti-malarial drugs for people in the disease-endemic countries. We are among the first small group of global companies invited to become corporate supporters of the Medicines for Malaria Venture.
RV2 Rotavirus Vaccine Production
We are currently funding a project through Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia to develop an effective rotavirus vaccine that is affordable for children in developed and developing countries. Rotavirus infection is the leading cause of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis for children under the age of five worldwide and contributes substantially to the mortality and morbidity of children in developing countries.
Avian Flu
Over the last year the threat of a worldwide pandemic associated with the avian flu has become more evident. The Company formed a Pandemic Working Group in mid 2005 to respond to this issue and assist in business continuity planning. Documentation has been developed to assist all businesses with this process and ensure that the issue is linked to standard contingencies and crisis and emergency response procedures. Read more: Sustainability at BHP Billiton>Security, Emergency Response and Business Continuity.
