Findings of an extensive survey released by the Human Sciences Research Council last week include that sexual debut before the age of 15 – higher among adolescent males than females – is one of the key drivers of the Western Cape’s HIV epidemic.
The Sixth South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI) for the province showed an increase in the proportion of adolescents and youth aged 15-24 who reported sex before 15 in 2022 (16.3%) compared with 2017 (14%).
The figures were also higher among males (21.5%) than females (11.3%), reports IOL.
Despite this, the survey found that compared with other provinces, the Western Cape had the lowest HIV prevalence (7.4%) in 2022, translating to 540 000 people – a decline from 560 000 in 2017.
The HSRC noted that Mpumalanga had the highest HIV prevalence at 17.4% in 2022, or about 890 000 people, while KwaZulu-Natal recorded the second-highest HIV prevalence rate at 16% in 2022.
The study’s principal investigator, the HSRC’s Professor Khangelani Zuma, said the worsening prevalence among people under 24 was deeply concerning, as it showed continued new infections from both horizontal and vertical transmissions.
“We recommend a continued focus on increasing coverage and demand for medical male circumcision among males aged 15 and older, and we must enhance public awareness and uptake of effective HIV prevention measures, like regular HIV testing, condoms and PrEP,” he said.
The report also found that condom use in the Western Cape had declined – 22.1% reported using a condom with their most recent sexual partner in 2022 compared with 26.6% in 2017, representing a 4.5% decline.
The HSRC survey was conducted in partnership with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), UCT, and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
A provincial results dissemination roadshow, dubbed the Provincial Dialogue, has now been completed in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Gauteng North West and Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, with the final event taking place in the Northern Cape this past Monday.
Cape Times article – How adolescents drive HIV spike in Western Cape (Open access)
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