In South Africa, 7.5 million individuals are living with HIV, and there is a high prevalence of HIV infection among adolescent girls and women. As a result, this demographic is a primary focus for HIV testing, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and biennial antenatal care HIV sentinel surveillance surveys. These surveys play a pivotal role in monitoring HIV prevalence among pregnant women over time, broken down by age and location.
Our latest Public Health Bulletin reveals a notable shift in HIV prevalence among pregnant women, indicating a decline in 2022 after holding steady since 2004. Encouragingly, a high level of awareness regarding HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage was observed among pregnant women living with HIV. However, it is noteworthy that the proportion of pregnant women with HIV who were cognisant of their HIV status and had commenced ART prior to pregnancy experienced a decline.
The Public Health Bulletin South Africa (PHBSA) is a quarterly publication that provides information on surveillance activities that enable effective monitoring of rates and distribution of diseases, detection of outbreaks, monitoring of interventions, and predicting emerging hazards.
Kind Regards,
Prof Basil Brooke
Managing Editor (PHBSA)
National Institute for Communicable Diseases
