HIV still prevalent in SA community despite anti-HIV measures

The incidence of HIV in a poor area of South Africa has remained high despite activities geared towards preventing the spread of the virus.

Levels of HIV in the rural community of Hlabisa in Kwazulu-Natal between 2003 and 2007 were unchanged, with almost half of all new infections occurring in people who had already obtained a negative test result through voluntary local initiatives.

Research conducted by the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies of the University of Kwazulu-Natal found that more than 8,000 people became HIV-positive over the course of the study.

The researchers wrote: "The study demonstrates for the first time that high levels of HIV incidence have been maintained in a rural South African community without any sign of decline over the past five years.

"It is unlikely that the HIV epidemic in rural South Africa can be reversed without new or intensified efforts to prevent HIV infection."