South Africa’s HIV rate higher than previously thought

One in nine infected with the virus

ASSOCIATED PRESS

        PRETORIA, South Africa, March 20 —  One in nine South Africans is HIV-positive, the government said Tuesday, more than previously thought in a country that already has the world’s largest population of infected people.  In the hard-hit eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, the infection rate was greater than one in every three people, a government study said.

       The study conducted at 400 clinics nationwide concluded that about 4.7 million South Africans were HIV-positive as of the end of 2000. Previous government estimates had put the figure at 4.2 million, or one in 10.

       About 24.5 percent of women attending public postnatal clinics were infected, up from 22.4 percent in 1999, the study based on a sampling of 16,000 pregnant women found.

       The findings, released by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, are considered one of the country’s most accurate measures of the incidence of HIV and AIDS.

        The health minister said the figures represented a leveling off from the steep rise in the early to mid-1990s, but said the pattern of infection suggested that prevention efforts needed to target those who were in stable relationships and might have thought they were less vulnerable.

       According to the study, rates of infection climbed for women between the ages of 20 and 34, but dropped off slightly among women under 20 and over 35.

       Most HIV-positive South Africans cannot afford the drugs that could prolong their lives. Last week, President Thabo Mbeki rejected calls to declare a state of emergency to allow the nation to import cheaper generic drugs to deal with its AIDS crisis. Declaring a state of emergency would allow South Africa to produce the generic drugs without breaking World Trade Organization rules on bypassing patent laws.

       Mbeki told parliament a state of emergency was not needed because South Africa has its own law permitting both importation and production of generic drugs — although implementation has been stalled by a lawsuit brought by major drug companies.
       
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