South African National Hiv Prevalence Hiv Incidence Behaviour And Communication Survey 2005

A follow-up to the Nelson Mandela Foundation's 2002 national household survey of HIV/AIDS prevalence in South Africa, this 2005 report seeks to provide further understanding of the HIV pandemic. Using data that tested for HIV incidence rather than just using mortality statistics, this study looks at which socio-demographic groups are most vulnerab≤ whether new policies have been successful in fighting the disease; what exactly is being done by key players, such as the government, churches, and other civil society organizations; and how the spread of HIV can be reduced in South Africa.

"South Africa's first national, household sero-prevalence survey of HIV and AIDS was conducted in 2002. A second survey was completed in 2005 and this, the third, in 2008. This report provides an analysis of trends across the three surveys and begins to map the ways in which the shape of the pandemic in South Africa has changed since 2002. Indicators for assessing mid-term progress made in implementing South Africa's National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS, 2007-2011 are also provided. These findings will continue to inform policies and programmes with updated statistics and information and will be invaluable to policy-makers and strategic planners, health professionals, the media, researchers and academics--Publisher's website.

"South Africa's first national, household sero-prevalence survey of HIV and AIDS was conducted in 2002. A second survey was completed in 2005 and this, the third, in 2008. This report provides an analysis of trends across the three surveys and begins to map the ways in which the shape of the pandemic in South Africa has changed since 2002. Indicators for assessing mid-term progress made in implementing South Africa's National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS, 2007-2011 are also provided. These findings will continue to inform policies and programmes with updated statistics and information and will be invaluable to policy-makers and strategic planners, health professionals, the media, researchers and academics--Publisher's website.

The National Household HIV Prevalence and Risk Survey of South African Children forms part of the Nelson Mandela/HSRC Study of HIV/AIDS: South African National HIV Prevalence, Behavioural Risks and Mass Media Household Survey 2002. This report provides information on HIV prevalence, orphanhood, risk factors for HIV infection and knowledge of HIV/AIDS among South African children. A total of 3 988 children aged 2 to 18 years participated in the survey. Caregivers of 2 138 children 2 to 11 years of of age answered a questionnaire on the child's behalf. A total of 740 children 12 to 14 years of age directly answered a separate questionnaire. An additional 1 110 children and between 15 and 18 years of age answered a youth questionnaire. Of the 3 988 children, 3 294 (82.6 per cent) provided a saliva specimen for HIV testing. The results show HIV prevalence among children 2 to 18 years of age to be 5.4 per cent. Prevalence was nearly constant across age groups and did not vary significantly. There were insufficient numbers to compare prevalence across race groups. The prevalence was higher than expected. Further studies are necessary to verify this finding.

Over 20 years ago Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first documented and more than 15 years ago HIV was first identified as a causative agent for AIDS. Since then, the epidemic has spread throughout the world, but at an uneven pace. It is estimated that more than 60 million people worldwide have lived with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic and 20 million of these have died (UNAIDS 2002). HIV/AIDS now affects every country in the world. Despite advances made in knowledge about HIV prevention, the disease continues to spread. Globally, sub-Saharan Africa is the most severely affected, with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) being home to half of the estimated 24 million people living with HIV/AIDS in this region (UNAIDS 2000). Country level estimates of HIV infection are usually based on surveys of women attending antenatal clinics. In South Africa over the past decade, this has been the primary means of monitoring the spread of HIV. Antenatal surveillance systems provide countries with a low-cost tool for regularly monitoring key aspects of the HIV epidemic. For example, the data can be used to track the epidemic in different parts of a country or among a specific age cohort. The antenatal survey's major usefulness is to track trends of HIV infections over time.