The Current State of HIV/AIDS in South Africa: Part 1

This is the first blog in a two-part series about the state of HIV/AIDS in South Africa and current mHealth initiatives addressing HIV/AIDS in the country. This post presents the state of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, while the next blog will address mHealth initiatives.  

HIV/AIDS is by far the biggest killer of South Africans, writes Kerry Cullinan in loveLife’s HIV/AIDS 30 years on… report. Cullinan adds, “Last year, 43% of South Africans who died – over 280 000 people – were killed by an Aids-related infection. In Vulindlela, a semi-rural area in KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands, two thirds of the women are HIV positive by the age of 30. Public hospitals in Durban and Pietermaritzburg report that over half the women who give birth are HIV positive. In Johannesburg General Hospital, the majority of babies who die in the neonatal ICU are HIV positive.” ^[1]

As well as having the highest rate of HIV positive citizens around the world, South Africa additionally faces an increased rate in new HIV infections. ^[2] Challenges associated with HIV/AIDS, such as social stigma and ineffective public communication efforts, further exacerbate the situation. Social stigma can prevent many people from pursuing testing and treatment, while public communication programmes can provide misinformation or not provide adequate enough information. ^[3]

Ironically, anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has become increasingly available; nevertheless despite the presence of extensive public HIV clinics, less than 5% of South Africa’s population has been tested. Furthermore, for those who are HIV positive, only 10% are currently receiving ART. The majority of HIV-positive people enter the health system only at the final stages of HIV-related complications, and of those who start ART in Africa, only 60% remain on ART after two years. ^[4]

Additionally, as if the above statistics are not frightening enough, South Africa has the highest rate of tuberculosis in the world ^[5] – a disease that is the leading cause of death for those who are HIV positive.

What’s the way forward? Many organisations in South Africa are already working on projects and services that tackle HIV/AIDS. mHealth can and already is offering solutions with its various initiatives involved in raising awareness, encouraging testing, improving adherence to treatment and follow-up. Nevertheless there is still a need for country-wide collaboration, for the structure of the wider eco-system, creation of innovative new models and well-orchestrated programs.

In part two of the series next week, the mHealth team will discuss initiatives and solutions in South Africa that are addressing HIV/AIDS.

If you are interested in various mHealth initiatives happening in South Africa, and elsewhere, please have a look at the mHealth Tracker here. If you are aware of any other mHealth initiative that we are not listing on our mHealth tracker we would be very keen to learn more about it. In addition you can have a look at the GSMA report published at Mobile Health Summit: Using mHealth to Support Universal Health Access.