NO less than 52% of severely injured patients admitted to the casualty section of the Johannesburg Hospital are HIV, The Citizen reported on Thursday. The figures were collected by Professor Ken Boffard, on the basis of blind sampling of blood drawn from patients over the last year. The figures cannot be accurately extrapolated to the broader population as most of those passing through the unit are between 16 and 36, with men outnumbering women two-to-one. This is the most sexually active section of the population, and so is expected to display a higher incidence of the disease, says Boffard. Around 30% of women between 20 and 30 at ante-natal clinics are HIV-positive, according to Dr Liz Floyd of the Gauteng Aids Programme. – DM&G