Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association (Johannesburg) - August 5, 2003
Blood samples would be drawn from 25 000 teachers in the case study conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council, Asmal said. He was speaking at a media conference following a regular meeting between him and the nine provincial education MECs in Bloemfontein.
Asmal said the study was commissioned by the Education Labour Relations Council and was to finish by December 2004.
In a previous major national HIV/Aids survey by the HSRC, saliva tests were conducted on around 8 400 people. The results of this study, commissioned by former president Nelson Mandela, were released in December 2002.
Until recently, most of the country's HIV/Aids prevalence estimates were based on largely unrepresentative data derived from state antenatal clinics and modelled for the wider population.
Asmal said on Monday "outrageous" figures regarding the prevalence of HIV/Aids among teachers had been given in the past. These were mostly "thumb-sucking" as they had been extrapolated from state clinics' data.
The new study should produce more authentic statistics about the impact of the disease on teacher replacement needs, as well as on attrition rates.
Asmal added that the new study should be more accurate than the previous HSRC survey as scientists believed blood tests to be more systematic and verifiable than saliva samples. - Sapa
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