Durban - HIV prevalence in the country has increased, while condom use has declined, according to the summary of a major survey made public this week.
The 2012 National HIV Household Survey found HIV prevalence was 12.3 percent in 2012, up from 10.6 percent of the population when the survey was previously conducted in 2008.
Professor Thomas Rehle, director of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), told a session at the 6th SA Aids Conference in Durban that the survey also showed that while the prevalence in women aged 30 to 34 was at 36.7 percent, the figure for men of the same age group was 23.1 percent.
In almost all the age groups, including 55 and above, HIV was more prevalent among women.
Rehle said there had been a “significant” drop in HIV prevalence among males aged between 15 and 24 – from 10.3 percent in 2008 to 7.3 percent last year.
Of the 6.4 million people living with HIV in the country, Rehle said 2 006 593 were receiving antiretroviral treatment. Some 33.7 percent of women and 27.3 percent of men were getting treatment.
Rehle said the statistics suggested it was harder to get men on treatment than women.
Speaking on the behavioural findings of the survey, Professor Leickness Simbayi of the Human Sciences Research Council said they had found a significant decline in condom use in the 15-24 age group.
Simbayi said across all age groups they had found an increase in people who had two or more sexual partners in one year.
Simbayi, however, said the number of people who were aware they had HIV had increased, which he said was good news.
“We are on our way, but we are not quite there yet,” he said.
In response to the survey, Yogan Pillay, of the national Department of Health, said he was happy to hear that more than 2 million people were on treatment and more people were aware of their status.
Pillay said men were still a challenge and “we need to figure out how to do better”.
Dr Olive Shisana, chief executive of the HSRC, said they were still working on the full report.
She said the research they did showed that one of the main reasons for the increase in HIV prevalence (people living with HIV) was the successes of antiretroviral treatment. - Daily News