HIV
HIV/AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA
an overview

South Africa, with a total of 4,2m people living with HIV/AIDS has the largest population of people infected in the world, according to the June 2000, UNAIDS report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 1999, 250 000 South Africans died of AIDS.

In South Africa 19,9% of adults are infected - up from 12,9% two years ago. Among girls aged 15 to 24, 27.13% are infected; while 15,11% of boys aged 15 to 24 are infected.

Botswana has 35.8% of adults infected.

Uganda has brought its estimated prevalence rate down to around 8% from a peak of close to 14% in the early 1990s with strong prevention campaigns.

Since the start of the epidemic - world wide - 18.8m children and adults have fallen sick and died and almost twice that number are now living with HIV, with some 5.4m newly infected people joining their ranks in 1999.

Tuberculosis has become the leading cause of death among people with HIV infection, accounting for about a third of AIDS deaths worldwide.

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