|
|
  |
|||
| South Africa has the highest number of people with HIV in the world, with an estimated 5.3 million people living with HIV/Aids. The epidemic in South Africa appears to have stabilised, however, with rates of new infection starting to come down - particularly among young people. For example, South Africa's third national HIV prevalence, incidence and communication survey in 2008 found that HIV prevalence has declined among children aged 2-14, from 5.6% in 2002 to 2.5% in 2008, and a decline in new infections has also been noted among teenagers aged 15-19. A 2010 study has found that incidence declined by 35% in the 15-49 age group between 2002 and 2008.
HIV incidence may be declining, but South Africa's national prevalence rate remains unacceptably high at 10.8% of the total population. And the burden of HIV is massive: the death rate among young adults has more than doubled in the past decade and nearly two million children and teenagers have been orphaned. Although more and more people have access to anti-retroviral treatment (ART), the costs are climbing steadily and it will be difficult to sustain the ART programme unless we can substantially reduce the rate of new infections. If we can prevent 50% of new infections, we will save over R5-billion over the next five years and R20-billion over the next decade. HIV in South Africa at a glance:
For more info on the status of the epidemic, click here for A gauge of HIV prevention in South Africa >> Board Members | Organisational Structure | Our Strategy | Our Footprint | Status of the Epidemic |
|||
