KwaZulu-Natal has the highest HIV prevalence in the country

Durban — A survey by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) revealed that KwaZulu-Natal has the highest HIV prevalence in the country among adults aged 15 years and older.

The sixth South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour (SABSSM VI) survey was released by HSRC in Durban on Wednesday.

The Department of Science and Innovation believes the results will assist the country in strengthening the interventions in response to the epidemic.

SABSSM VI was conducted in all nine provinces among participants of all ages from January 2022 to April 2023.

Professor Khangelani Zuma, executive of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) hosted the conference alongside Dr John Blandford, country director of PEPFAR (The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and Dr Musa Mabaso, the project director.

The data highlighted that KZN still has the highest HIV prevalence in the country among adults age 15 years and older. Other high HIV prevalence provinces also include Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and Free State.

While unpacking the KZN results, Zuma explained how the questionnaires were administered, showing that among the genders, females were more inclined to participate than males.

The overall national estimate for HIV prevalence for all ages (0+ years) was 12.7% (95%), translating to an estimated 7.8 million (95%) people living with HIV in South Africa in 2022.

The national HIV prevalence was 16.3% among adults aged 15 years and older, translating to an estimated 7.4 million adults aged 15+ years living with HIV.

Among adults aged 15+ years, HIV prevalence was nearly twice as high among females (20.3%) as compared to males (11.5%).

By race, HIV prevalence was highest among Black Africans (19.8%), followed by Coloured (5.1%), White (1.3%), and Indian/Asian (1.2%).

Viral load suppression (VLS) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) aged 15+ years was 81.2% overall, 82.9% among females and 77.6% among males. VLS was lower among younger populations age 15-24 years at 70.1%.

Among females, HIV prevalence was highest in ages 35-39 years at 34.2%, whereas among males, HIV prevalence was highest in ages 45-49 years at 27.1%.

Pronounced differences in HIV prevalence by sex were seen among younger populations.

Compared to males, HIV prevalence was approximately 2-fold higher in females aged 15-19 (5.7% vs. 3.1%), and 20-24 years (8.0% vs. 4.0%), and 3-fold higher in females aged 25-29 years (19.5% vs 6.3%).

The data concluded that:

• HIV prevalence has decreased since the SABSSM V survey conducted in 2017; in 2022 HIV prevalence was 1.3% lower among those 0+ years, and 2.4% lower among adults aged 15+ years than in 2017.
• The HIV epidemic continues to disproportionately affect different geographical regions and demographic groups, especially Black Africans, women, and youth.
• Findings estimate that in 2022, 90% of adults knew their status, 91% of those diagnosed were on ART, and 94% of those on ART were virally suppressed. Strategies to improve both HIV diagnosis and ART use are urgently needed to achieve the 2025 national goals.

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