HIV stats causing friction
2003-09-10 09:40
Special Report
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Johannesburg - While the department of health says a survey shows South Africa's HIV infection rate is slowing, the Treatment Action Campaign says the findings have not been properly interpreted.
The department said its annual HIV and syphilis survey - released on Tuesday after months of delay - showed 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," said the department.
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.
Pandemic slowing down - health dept
The survey was conducted at public-sector ante-natal clinics in October 2002 and involving a national sample of 16 587 pregnant women.
The health department said the study showed the HIV prevalence in the under-20 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 pandemics around the world, the department said.
It also claimed the 26.5% prevalence figure, although 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 pandemic".
"We don't think it gives sufficient weight to the scale of the pandemic."
Planning has been delayed
"They say more than one in four sexually active women in the country may have HIV. That, in itself, is alarming," said Achmat.
He said the TAC remained continually worried at the delay in the release of the survey figure - due about April this year.
"The delays not only pose a question mark over the results and 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 health department maintained 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 25-29 age group were the most affected by HIV - with an estimated 34.5% infection rate - while women in the 30-34 age group followed with a 29.5%prevalence rate.
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