THURSDAY, 12.30PM:
AIDS infection rates in South Africa are growing, with a 13% increase since 1996, Health Minister Dr Nkosazana Zuma said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a conference announcing the results of the 1997 HIV/Aids survey, Zuma said that an estimated 16,1% of women attending ante-natal clinics in South Africa register HIV positive. The results, taken from 12342 anonymous blood samples from ante-natal clinics in all nine provinces, reveal 12,7% of women under the age of 20 are infected, 19,67% of 20 to 24-year-olds, 18,18% of 25 to 29s, and 14% in the 30 to 34 age group. Infection rates in higher age groups are under 10%.
The provincial breakdown revealed the highest infection rate, 26,92%, in KwaZulu-Natal, which also had the greatest increase in cases, 19,9%, since 1996. Mpumalanga’s infection rate is 22,55%, Free State 19,57%, North-West 18,1%, Gauteng 17,1%, Eastern Cape 12,61,%, Northern Cape 8,63%, Northern Province 8,2%, and the Western Cape the lowest at 6,29%.
Despite the growth of the disease, Zuma said she believes the spread can be halted if all the stakeholders in South Africa pull together. She added that the government, as South Africa’s largest single employer, is setting a leading example in allocating resources and skills to fight the epidemic.