HIV & AIDS Information from AVERT.org

South Africa’s commitment to combating HIV and AIDS has achieved positive outcomes. In recent years, efforts to make PMTCT services for pregnant women universal have been realised and access to antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV has improved.

However, previous years of complacency towards the HIV epidemic have resulted in a large number of children living with HIV in South Africa. The country is home to nearly a third of a million HIV-infected children. Unfortunately, children have benefited considerably less than adults from recent improvements in access to antiretroviral treatment, with only one third of those eligible receiving it. Read AVERT’s pages for more about the history of HIV and AIDS in South Africa and how South African children are currently affected by HIV and AIDS.