More needs to be done to reduce HIV and TB infection rates in SA

South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic in the world, according to UNAids, with more than 7.2 million people living with HIV.

Dr Fareed Abdullah, director of the AIDS and TB Research Unit, says that compared to a decade ago, there has been a significant decline in the mortality rates and a “large increase of more than ten years in life expectancy” in the country. “The number of TB cases in South Africa is also declining. This is mainly due to the impact of antiretroviral treatment in patients who are HIV positive. HIV patients are at the highest risk for contracting TB and ARVs significantly reduced this risk,” Abdullah said.

CEO Professor Gavin Churchyard told City Press that through the institute’s work, they have over the years managed to identify barriers to treatment within communities and have worked around this to ensure that people from all walks of life are able to access treatment when it comes to HIV and TB screening at the various facilities.

Some of the barriers Churchyard discussed included how men felt uncomfortable standing in a queue with adolescent boys who were waiting to be circumcised. Based on a study which was conducted in Thailand in 2009, it showed that a particular vaccine regime could reduce HIV transmission by 30%.“HVTN 702 is testing a new vaccine candidate and is in the process of recruiting 5000 HIV negative participants into the trial. More than half of the participants have been recruited and the study is going well at more than 15 sites throughout South Africa,” Abdullah said.

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