More needs to be done

Started on 1 December 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2010 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

An estimated 5.7 million people were living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa in 2009, more than in any other country globally. It is believed that in 2008, over 250,000 South Africans died of AIDS. Prevalence is more than 15% among those aged 15 to 49, with some age groups being particularly affected. Almost one-in-three women aged 25 to 29, and over a quarter of men aged 30 to 34, are living with HIV. HIV prevalence among those aged two and older also varies by province, with the Western Cape (3.8%) and Northern Cape (5.9%) being least affected, and Mpumalanga (15.4%) and KwaZulu-Natal (15.8%) at the upper end of the scale.

Marking a welcome change from South Africa's history of HIV, the South African Government launched a major HIV counselling and testing campaign (HCT) in 2010. By raising awareness of HIV, the campaign aims to reduce the HIV incidence rate by 50% by June 2011.

References:
1. UNGASS (2010, 31st March) 'South Africa UNGASS Country Progress Report
2. Statistics South Africa (2009, July), ‘Mid-year population estimates 2009
3. Human Sciences Research Council (2009), ‘South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Survey, 2008: A Turning Tide Among Teenagers?
4. SANAC (2010, February) 'The national HIV counselling and testing campaign
5. UNGASS (2010, 31st March) 'South Africa UNGASS Country Progress Report'
Source acknowledgement: www.avert.org