Nearly 900 000 people in Mpumalanga (or 17.4% of the population) are HIV positive, giving it the dubious title of province with the highest infection in the country, according to the findings of the sixth SA HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI), released by the Human Sciences Research Council this week.
Principal investigator Khangelani Zuma told News24 their findings showed that in 2022, HIV prevalence in the province was 7.8% among the youth, aged 15 to 24 overall, and 1.5-fold higher among males (9.8%) than females (6.3%) in this age group.
Among adults 25 to 49, HIV prevalence was 26.4% overall, and 1.6-fold higher among females (31.9%) than males (19.9%). HIV prevalence was higher in rural and farm areas.
“A concerning find was that HIV prevalence peaked at 40.8% among the 45- to 49-year category in 2022, compared with 39% in 2017 among 35- to 39-year-olds, suggesting a possibility of continued new infections,” said Zuma.
There was a notable downward shift in the epidemic curve in 2022 among respondents aged 15 to 44 years, he added.
Antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage in the province rose from 65.4% in 2017 to 81.8% in 2022, translating to an estimated 630 000 people with HIV on ARVs in 2022.
In 2022, ART use among all infected people in the province was 56.4% among those in the 15 to 24 age group, and 83.9% among 25- to 49-year-olds.
Among females, ART coverage was substantially lower among those aged 15 to 24 (58.6%) than those aged 25 to 49 (85.2%). ART coverage among males from 25 to 49 was 81.6%, while it was 54.8% for the male youth aged 15 to 24.
The SABSSM VI survey, conducted between 2022 and 2023, aimed to maintain surveillance of HIV infection and behaviours in South Africa, evaluate the progress of the SA National HIV and Aids, STI and TB Strategic Plan, and monitor HIV indicators for national and international reporting.
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