While the Department of Health said a survey released on Tuesday showed that South Africa’s HIV infection rate was slowing, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Democratic Alliance said the findings had not been properly interpreted.
The department said its annual HIV and syphilis survey — released on Tuesday after months of delay — showed that South Africa’s HIV infection rate was slowing.
”No statistically significant increase or decrease was noted in each of the provinces’ 2002 HIV prevalence estimate,” the department said in a statement.
But TAC chief Zackie Achmat said the average national prevalence rate might not have increased but the prevalence rate in certain race and age groups most definitely had.
”You can’t take comfort from that [stable national prevalence rate]. This must not mean we should think our prevention work is over or has been done properly. We should redouble our efforts.”
The survey was conducted at public sector ante-natal clinics in October 2002 and involved a national sample of 16 587 pregnant women.
The department said the study showed the HIV prevalence in the under 20-year-old age category, considered to be the most accurate indicator of whether new infections were on the increase, had not increased for the fourth consecutive year.
”These findings support the view that although the HIV infection rate is high in South Africa, there has been a significant slowing down in the spread of the epidemic and South Africa can be considered to have a slow developing epidemic.”
The survey revealed the national HIV prevalence rate had the characteristics of prevalence rates in mature HIV epidemics around the world, the department said.
It also claimed the 26,5% prevalence figure, though higher than the previous year’s 24,8%, was not statistically significant.
Achmat’s response was that the survey was not, in the TAC’s opinion, ”a fair interpretation or reflection of the scale of the epidemic”.
”We don’t think it gives sufficient weight to the scale of the epidemic. They say more than one in four sexually active women in the country may have HIV. That in itself is alarming,” Achmat said.
He also said the TAC remained continually worried at the delay in the release of the survey figure, which had been due about April this year.
”The delays not only pose a question mark over the results and the government’s interpretation of them, but also unnecessarily delay planning that relies on these statistics.
”For us that is very important because the planning is about saving people’s lives and preventing re-infection,” Achmat said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health maintained that it was ”particularly encouraging to observe what may be the beginning of a decline in HIV rates among women aged below 20 years” while conceding the decline in the rate for this age group was not statistically significant.
According to the survey women in the 25-to-29-year age group were the most affected by HIV — with an estimated 34,5% infection rate –while women in the 30-to-34-year age group followed with a 29,5% prevalence rate.
However, MP Mike Waters, the DA spokesman on HIV/Aids, said the report in fact suggested an overall increase in rates of infection from 24,8% last year to 26,5%.
He further slammed Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang for making the report public four months later than was usual.
”It is simply unacceptable in our democratic state that the minister of health kept this report under wraps for so long. The annual survey is the only measurement compiled by the government tracing the progression of HIV infections in South Africa. It is an important indicator of the government’s attempts to control the disease,” said Waters.
In terms of provincial comparison, KwaZulu-Natal maintained its unfortunate — but contested — status as the province with the highest HIV prevalence rate.
The province was also found to have a statistically significant increase in prevalence between 2001 and 2003.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape, for the first time, recorded a prevalence rate above 10%. — Sapa