HIV figures in South Africa drop for second successive year

South Africa has seen the numbers of HIV cases among pregnant women in the country decrease for the second consecutive year.

Its health minister has revealed the findings of a new survey of women who attended antenatal clinics in the country.

The study found that the infection rates dropped from 29.2 per cent in 2006 to 28 per cent in 2007. The occurrence of the virus in the 15 to 19 age group decreased to 12.9 per cent from 13.7 per cent in the previous year.

Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang says that the figures demonstrate a "downward trend in HIV prevalence".

"These figures do indeed suggest that we have a trend of decreasing prevalence overall and in the younger age cohort and this trend is in line with the predictions of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids spectrum model," he added.

According to Aids charity Avert, South Africa has experienced a severe Aids epidemic and in 2005 it was estimated there were over five and a half million people infected with the disease.