Aids stats spark controversy

2004-09-22 22:39

Mandy Rossouw

Johannesburg - The Aids pandemic in South Africa, which has affected 28% of the population, is stabilising, according to the latest statistics.

However, the report, issued and posted by the health department on its website, was overshadowed by a cloud of controversy after the Democratic Alliance threatened legal action to get access to the results.

The report was based on the department's annual findings in its HIV and syphilis survey.

In response to the DA's threat, Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, said on Tuesday the report had been dished out to role players.

Neither the opposition parties nor the Treatment Action Campaign were aware on Tuesday night that the report had been released.

According to the department, the occurrence of HIV/Aids had increased since last year but this increase was "insignificant".

Showed a marked increase

"The findings, in general, show the pandemic is slowly starting to stabilise. The increase between 2002 and 2003 is statistically insignificant," read the report.

But the Treatment Action Campaign said the statistics in the report were alarming because they showed a marked increase in the number of HIV-positive people in the past two years.

"We are losing the battle and the government does not want to admit it," said Nathan Geffen of the TAC.

According to the report, 5.6 million South Africans are HIV-positive - of whom 3.1 million are women.

By the end of 2003, 300 000 additional people had become infected compared to the previous year. This translated into a 1.4% increase.

The largest percentage of infected people was in KwaZulu-Natal, where 37.5% of all HIV-positive people in the country lived.

The Western Cape had the lowest figure at 13.1%. Gauteng was fourth with 29.6%.

There was no decrease in HIV/Aids in any of the provinces.

More than 16 000 women took part in the study.

The report claimed that, since 1999, there had been a drop in infection among teenagers, but that 67% of all teenagers still did not use condoms regularly.

The largest group of HIV-positive South Africans was in the 25- to 29-year age group and 96 226 babies were infected with the virus.

The report admitted that although there was a growing use of condoms among the youth, a lot of work still was needed to promote safe sex.

More-concentrated campaign is needed

The release of the report, according to the DA, was done quietly to avoid too much attention.

According to DA spokesperson Ryan Coetzee, the increase in HIV-positive people was a sign the government's anti-Aids campaign had not been a success.

He said a more-concentrated campaign was needed and that it should be led by President Thabo Mbeki.

Coetzee said: "As with any pandemic it will reach a plateau, but the stabilising comes only after the pandemic has reached unprecedented levels."

The existence of syphilis has dropped in all age categories.

- Die Burger