SA Aids figures showing hope
2008-07-30 08:01
Special Report
The South African government has announced a joint venture to reduce the cost of anti-retroviral drugs with a Swiss company.
Johannesburg - The latest UNAids report indicates that South Africa has the highest number of people accessing antiretroviral treatment, said the Department of Health on Tuesday.
Spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said in a statement that the global report released on Tuesday "confirmed that the country has the highest number of people on treatment globally."
He said the report indicated that out of the three million people on antiretroviral treatment worldwide in 2007, South Africa accounted for 429 000.
Mngadi added that the report showed that the percentage of women getting treatment to prevent them passing it on to their babies had increased from 15% in 2004 to 60% in 2007.
HIV prevalence dropping
He said the report also indicated that South Africa still had the highest number of people living with HIV.
Mngadi said the report showed that the prevalence of HIV in southern Africa was falling.
"It states that the prevalence of HIV in the southern African region is falling and South Africa is one of the three countries in the region where the epidemic has stabilised," said Mngadi.
Zambia and Malawi were named as the other two countries in which the prevalence rate had dropped.
- SAPA