Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - November 30, 2005
A national household survey commissioned by The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which included conducting HIV tests on respondents, found prevalence among 15- to 49-year-olds was 16.2% in 2005, only a slight increase from the 15.6% recorded in 2002.
But investigators from the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa said increasing mortality rates influenced the figures and the rate of new infections remained high.
An alarming 66% of respondents did not think they were at risk of infection - including just over half of those who tested positive for HIV - according to the findings released on the eve of World AIDS Day.
"That means we have more than 2 million people walking the streets of South Africa who are HIV positive and think they probably are not," said Olive Shisana, lead researcher and head of HSRC. They in turn may be unaware of their risk of infecting others.
Estimates of the number of people living with HIV in South Africa range from 5.3 million to more than 6 million - more than in any other country. The disease has cut a swathe through South African society. Some 2.5 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS and other causes.
Researchers found the risk to women is higher than men, with women in the 15-24 age group up to four times more likely to be infected than their male counterparts. HIV strikes hardest at those in their reproductive prime, but men and women over 50 aren't immune, the survey found.
New tests developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control permitted for the first time the identification of recent infections. Researchers expressed concern about the results: a total of 181 samples - 2.7% - were infected with HIV less than 180 days before the test.
They included 11 children aged 2-14, representing 0.9% incidence, which Shisana called "way too high."
Most respondents expressed positive attitudes toward people living with HIV in a country where stigma still runs high. More than 90% said they were willing to care for an infected relative, and just under 80% said infected children shouldn't be separated from their peers.
But researches noted that partner turnover remains high, the age of sexual debut is getting lower and too many people - especially women - aren't using condoms.
It was the second time The Nelson Mandela Foundation commissioned the survey on HIV prevalence, incidence, behavior and communication among South Africans 2 years and older. More than 23,000 people took part, of whom 15,851 agreed to be tested for HIV.
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