HIV rate among SA teens declines
Candace Freeman
5 November 2004
While HIV/Aids prevalence rates among South African teenagers have been declining since 1999, the general infection rate in the country remains critical.
This is one of the conclusions of the 14th National HIV and Syphilis Sero-Prevelance Survey of women attending public antenatal clinics for 2003, conducted by the Department of Health.
"There has been a constant decline in prevalence among teenagers since 1999", the department said in a statement accompanying the survey report. "Other age groups have shown increases in prevalence, with the 25- to 29-year age group consistently recording higher rates."
An estimated 35.4% HIV prevalence was found among 25- to 29-year-olds attending antenatal clinics in 2003, compared to 31.4% in 2001.
A figure of 15.8% was recorded for teenagers up to 20 years.
Based on results of the survey, 5.6-million South Africans were estimated to be HIV-positive by the end of 2003 - a rise of 300 000
from estimates in 2002.
The estimates for 2003 include 3.1-million women and 2.4-million men between the ages of 15 and 49. An estimated 96 228 babies were infected.
"The findings in general seem to suggest that HIV prevalence is slowly stabilising", the report said. "While HIV rates have not declined nationally, the rate of increase has slowed, indicative of a mature epidemic."
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of new infections among antenatal clinic attendees, with 37.5% compared to 33.5% in 2001.
Mpumalanga recorded a 32.6% prevalence rate, followed by the Free State with 30.1%. The Western Cape recorded the lowest infection rate at 13.1%.
"HIV/Aids is still an important public health problem in South Africa", the report stated.
"Strategies such as the Comprehensive HIV and Aids Management, Care and Treatment initiative, as well as other health programmes, need to receive the full support of all sectors and partnerships to improve
the health status of South Africans."
The report also found that syphilis infection rates among pregnant women had generally declined since 1998. Syphilis, if contracted by pregnant women, can be transmitted to their unborn children, causing congenital syphilis.
An estimated 2.7% of pregnant women were found to have the disease in 2003 compared to 3.2% in 2002.
The highest provincial syphilis rates were recorded in the Northern Cape, with an incidence rate of 8.6%, followed by the Western Cape with 5.5%.
"Encouragingly, syphilis rates remain low across the country and also across all age groups", the report said.
"These findings should continue to encourage health workers and all those involved in community programmes associated with HIV and STI prevention to strengthen these programmes and the syndromic management of STIs nationally."
Source: BuaNews
| 
