WORLD AIDS DAY BY SINAZO MKOKO
Let communities lead
T
he world can end AIDS, with communities leading. This was the key message for the 2023 World AIDS Day, celebrated globally on December 1.
The day was celebrated under the theme “Let Communities Lead”, as the world came together to show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have lost their lives from AIDS-related illnesses. WHERE DOES SOUTH AFRICA STAND? The percentage of people living with HIV in South Africa decreased from 14.0% in 2017 to 12.7% in 2022. This is according to the Sixth South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI), conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in collaboration with its partners.
The survey’s key findings, announced on Tuesday, November 28, emphasise progress towards eradicating HIV in South Africa, the country with the world’s largest HIV pandemic. The HSRC stated that the latest figure translates to approximately 7.8 million people living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, compared to 7.9 million in 2017. According to Professor Khangelani Zuma, Divisional Executive of the Public Health, Societies, and Belonging Division of the HSRC and the overall Principal Investigator of the survey, a number of factors contribute to HIV prevalence. “These factors include fewer people getting infected with HIV, more children born HIV-negative, AIDS-related mortality, and people ageing and dying from
44 | Public Sector Leaders | December 2023/ January 2024
natural causes. The increase in the population (birth of HIV-negative babies) would also increase the denominator of HIV-negative people in the country. The epidemic curve also shows an ageing population of people living with HIV who are living longer as the epidemic stabilises,” said Professor Zuma. According to the 2022 survey, South Africa has made significant progress towards the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, which call for 95% of all people living with HIV to be aware of their HIV status by 2025, 95% of those aware of their status to be on antiretroviral treatment (ART), and 95% of those on ART who are also aware that they are living with HIV to achieve viral load suppression. SABSSM VI revealed that in 2022, 90% of people aged 15 and older living with HIV in South Africa were aware of their status, 91% of those aware were on ART, and 94% of those on ART were virally suppressed.
