Johannesburg - Aids-related deaths have been reduced by a fifth in Gauteng, the provincial health department said on Wednesday.
“HIV infection among pregnant mothers has stabilised around 30 percent and TB incidence rates have dropped from 424 people per 100 000 in 2006 to 239 per 100 000 in 2010,” spokesman Simon Zwane said.
The province had developed a new plan that aimed to halve HIV infections and provide 80 percent of eligible people with antiretroviral treatment.
“Currently there are 500,000 people on antiretroviral therapy in the province, and the number of people dying from HIV and Aids 1/8related 3/8 complications has dropped by 20 percent.”
The TB cure rate had also shown a significant improvement, from 64 percent in 2005 to 79 percent in 2010.
“The new plan seeks to build on these successes by reducing the number of new TB infections further, and cutting the number of TB deaths by 50 percent by 2016.”
The province planned to step up its HIV counselling and testing campaign in the next four years, to ensure three million people were tested each year. - Sapa