South African national HIV prevalence, incidence, behaviour and communication survey, 2008: a turning tide among teenagers?

Abstract

This report is the third in a series of population-based HIV seroprevalence surveys that started in 2002 and were repeated in 2005 and again in 2008. The survey found that South Africas HIV epidemic has leveled off at a prevalence of 10.9 percent for people aged two years and older with 5.2 million people estimated to be living with HIV in 2008. HIV prevalence has also declined among children aged 2-14 from 5.6 percent in 2002 to 2.5 percent in 2008 and a decline in new infections has also been noted among teenagers aged 15-19. But the survey warns that the overall situation remains dire since South Africa has the worlds largest HIV-positive population.