In South Africa, one of the most pressing health issues is HIV/AIDS. According to 2019 United Nations figures, the nation has the highest prevalence of HIV of any nation and the fourth-highest rate of adult HIV prevalence.
According to a UNAIDS dataset obtained from the World Bank, Eswatini (Swaziland) had the highest prevalence rate of HIV among adults aged 15 to 49 in 2019 (27%), followed by Lesotho (25%), Botswana (25%), and South Africa (19%).
How many are infected in South Africa
One of the biggest issues facing South Africa after apartheid is HIV and AIDS. South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV-positive adults and children in the world, with over 7.2 million people living there. The disease is widespread among the populace of the nation and is mainly caused through sexual transmission. Nearly 60% of the estimated 7.2 million South Africans with HIV are women older than the age of 15. Transgender persons, males who have sex with men, female sex workers, and drug injectors are some significant groups where HIV incidence is still unacceptable high—in some situations, it is double the national prevalence rate of about 19 percent.
This outbreak is what’s causing the TB and STD epidemics to occur simultaneously. Adult HIV incidence increased in South Africa during the first ten years of democracy, going from less than 3% to an estimated 18.1%.
Low TB cure rates and significant treatment failure rates have increased worries about the emergence of drug-resistant TB. AIDS-related mortality is high, especially in adolescents and children.
Impact in South Africa
After the initial period of refusal, the South African government today funds about 80% of the HIV response, demonstrating an unmatched commitment in sub-Saharan Africa, and supports more than 4 million patients with anti-retroviral therapy (ART). By increasing testing and treatment, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an increase of 2 million South Africans on ART by December 2020.
PrEP
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a method to aid in breaking the cycle of transmission. One daily dose of oral PrEP can significantly lower infection risk by 97%. Every sexual interaction has a high risk of contracting HIV in locations where the virus is so prevalent, and widespread PrEP may be a key component of prevention. Since it was approved in national guidelines in 2016, South Africa’s implementation of PrEP has been insufficient and delayed. Communication, training, and availability of health workers have all experienced problems. In order to ensure that everyone at high risk can receive PrEP, it will be necessary to conduct significant outreach to generate demand, assure adherence, and remove any stigma. The national objective of more over 18,000 people using PrEP is presently being missed by only an estimated 12,000 people at about 50 clinics nationally. To put that in even more context, 12,000 is equivalent to just 5% of the 231,000 people who are thought to be at risk for new infections based on 2017 statistics.
The way forward
HIV infection rates in South Africa must be managed as a public health emergency. It is not business as usual that is reducing new infections or enrolling people in treatment. The government should go beyond strategy and break down roadblocks to actual implementation, get services into schools, and retrain South Africans on HIV. The future of South Africa would be greatly protected if PrEP could be widely scaled up for young adults and all others who are at high risk.
