Factsheet

• About 33.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide;
• In 2005, 3.1 million people died of AIDS-related diseases and 4.9 million were newly infected. Over 70% of these cases with in sub-Saharan Africa;
• 12 million children in Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS;
• In South Africa, 5.5 million people are living with HIV. The highest national prevalence in the world;
• Over 10% of all infections worldwide occur in South Africa;
• 11% of teachs in South Africa are living with HIV.

2008 epidemic update

• Figures show that global prevalence has declined from 39.5 million in the last year, however this is attributed to increasingly accurate data capture and estimation methodologies. The severity of the pandemic remains;
• Fewer people died of AIDS in 2007 due to escalated efforts to increase access to treatment;
• New infection rates continue to climb in the most affected areas, namely South Africa, but are stabilising in others. This can be attributed in part to prevention education;
• Prevention and treatment work still requires urgent improvement. However attention also needs to be turned to helping those living with HIV maintain health and wellness to delay entering the fatal AIDS stage of the virus;
• 8 countries exceeded a 15% HIV prevalence rate amongst adults (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe), While there is evidence of a significant decline in the HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe, the epidemics in most of the rest of southern Africa are approaching a plateau;
• South Africa remains the country with the highest HIV prevalence int he world, followed by India;
• Every day, over 6,800 new infections occur worldwide. Southern Africa accounts for one-third of this figure.

 

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