South Africa
- Population: 50.5 million
- People living with HIV: 5.6 million
- People receiving ART: 971,600
- Treatment Sites: 2
- Locations: Ithembalabantu, Middledrift
- Patients in care: 16,300
- Patients receiving ART: 10,100
The Epidemic
South Africa is one of the largest and most populous countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also one of the countries most impacted by the HIV epidemic. A staggering 18% of people in South Africa are living with HIV. While the country’s ambitious plan to control HIV and other STDs is making gains in the fight against AIDS, South Africa still faces enormous challenges in scaling up its response to the epidemic.
eThekwini District of KwaZulu-Natal Province is arguably the most highly impacted region in the country. Results from the 2007 National HIV and Syphilis prevalence survey show that 41.6% of pregnant women attending antenatal care in eThekwini were HIV positive. The provincial government reported that about 53% of pregnant women eligible for ART received treatment in 2008-2009.
It’s in KwaZulu-Natal that AHF established its first treatment site outside the U.S., in 2002. We work in collaboration with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and local partners such as LifeLine, which provides adherence counseling and social support, Durban Children’s Society, Natal Blind and Deaf Society, Umlazi Legal Aid Board and many community-based organizations around Umlazi.
AHF in South Africa
In 2008, we opened a second center in Middledrift, Eastern Cape Province, in partnership with New Start. At both centers, we provide a full range of HIV prevention and treatment services, including testing, CD4 monitoring, social service support, treatment education, ART and opportunistic infection treatment. We’ve also distributed condoms and conducted tests at community outreach events.
Statistics from UNAIDS.org, 2011, unless otherwise stated.
