A prevalence level of 29. 3% amongst pregnant women between the ages of 15 and 49 is not a significant reduction from that of 29.4% recorded in the previous survey. Announcing the results of the 19th antenatal clinic survey in Pretoria this week, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, chose not to put a spin on the figures.
‘I do not want to fall in the trap of making good sounding statements about whether the signs represent good or bad, a breakthrough or stagnation, etc’, Motsoaledi said.
‘What cannot be contested is that the burden of HIV and AIDS is now weighing heavily on the shoulders of our country’, he continued.
About 34 000 pregnant women participated in the survey in health facilities across the country. Although the survey was conducted among 15 ‘ 49 year olds, the sample size of women over 40 was small and the results don’t reflect much in that age group. Extremely high prevalence levels were found in the 30 ‘ 34 year age group.
‘The HIV prevalence trends in the less than 20-year age group showed a slight increase in 2008 ‘ 14. 1% as compared to 13. 1%, in 2007. There are high prevalence estimates in the 25 ‘ 29 year age group and the 30 ‘ 34 year age group. The highest prevalence estimates in the 30 ‘ 34 year age group was starting off at 37% in 2006, going up to 40. 4% in 2008’, said Dr Kammy Chetty, Deputy Director-General for the Health Department.
Responding to the figures, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said that ‘the prevalence among women aged 25 years and above has stabilized at high and very unacceptable levels. The age group of 15 ‘ 24 years is important as it is used to estimate the new infections’.
Provincially, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest prevalence, although there hasn’t been a significant increase. Mpumalanga is the only province that has shown a steady increase from a prevalence of 32. 1% in 2006 to 35. 5% in 2008. The lowest levels are in the Western and Northern Cape.
