More than 70 million people have been infected by HIV since the epidemic was first discovered and approximately 35 million of those have died. Worldwide, 36.9 million people were living with HIV by the end of 2017 – with 0.8% being aged between 15-49 years old. However, the burden of the disease varies between different regions across the globe with Africa being the most affected region worldwide. At least 1 out of every 25 adults (4.2%) across Africa is living with HIV, and makeup two-thirds of the population are living with HIV globally. The determinants of HIV include; poverty, low status of women in the society, the naïve risk-taking attitude, high prevalence of STI poverty and famine.
South Africa is the region with the highest number of people affected by HIV in the world with an estimated 7.2 million people by the year 2017. Individuals that are mainly affected by the HIV epidemic in South Africa include; transgender people, gays, sex workers, prisoners and drug abusers who share injection needles. South Africa alone accounts for one third (270,000) of the new infections in the southern Africa region, and 110,000 of its people dying of AIDS-related infections (Avert, 2019). In addition to this, the country uses its domestic resources to finance the antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme – which is the largest HIV treatment programme globally.
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In 2015, South Africa was investing approximately $1.34 billion annually to finance its HIV programmes countrywide. Nonetheless, the ART programmes have been successful as they have contributed to the increase in national expectancy from 61.2 years in 2010 to 67.7 years in 2015. The high prevalence of HIV among the general population continues to be high (18.9%). The HIV prevalence in Kwazulu Natal is highest with 12.2% followed by North Cape and Western Cape with 6.8% and 5.6% respectively.
References
Avert (2019). Global information and education on HIV and AIDS: HIV and AIDS in South Africa. https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/south-africa
http://www.healthdata.org/gbd
