Tomorrow (December 1) is World Aids Day, and people, schools and companies across the Ridge are marking this special day. Tell us how you are getting involved.
World Aids Day has special significance in South Africa, a country with one of the highest rates of infection in the world. There is hardly a person in our community who is not infected or knows of someone who is infected with this terrible disease. How are you marking this special day?
Some startling figures (courtesy of www.avert.org). An estimated 5.6 million people were living with Aids in South Africa in 2009. It’s believed that about 310 000 South Africans died of the disease last year. Almost one in three women aged 25-29, and more than a quarter of men aged 30-34, are living with HIV, according to the figures.
According to Avert, the overall number of annual deaths increased sharply from 1997, when 316 559 people died, to 2006 when 607 184 people died. While this rise is not necessarily due solely to HIV/Aids, young adults – the age group most affected by Aids – are shouldering the brunt of this vicious disease.
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In 2006, 41% of deaths were attributed to 25-49 year olds, up from 29% in 1997. This is a strong indicator that Aids is a major, if not the principal factor in the overall rising number of deaths.
Ravages
KwaZulu-Natal has certainly not escaped the ravages of this disease. The website www.aids.org.za states: “The (Aids) burden is not felt evenly across the country The results show that the highest HIV prevalences are recorded on the north-eastern side of the country, and the lowest prevalences in the western parts of South Africa. While the national average of HIV-positive women attending antenatal clinics in 2008 was 29.3%, the province of KwaZulu-Natal continues to have the highest prevalence at 38.7% followed by Mpumalanga at 35.5%. The lowest recorded prevalence of women attending antenatal clinics was in the Western Cape, at 16.1%.” (2008 National Antenatal Sentinel HIV & Syphilis Prevalence Survey).
However, there is some good news when one looks at the national picture. Or, at least, the news has not got any worse: “In South Africa, the National Antenatal Sentinel HIV & Syphilis Prevalence Survey 2008 reveals that the estimated national HIV prevalence among women has remained stable over the past three years at around 29% (see Figure 2). This concurs with the projections by UNAIDS that the HIV epidemic curve is reaching a plateau. However the UNAIDS Global Report on HIV 2008 suggests that this plateau does not appear to be indicative of major behavior change but rather the natural progress of a long wave epidemic.”
The Ridge urges you to spare a thought on Wednesday (December 1) for all those afflicted and affected by HIV/Aids, and the burden many carry today and into the future.
Sources: www.avert.org/www.aids.org.za/hiv.htm