The fight against HIV in South Africa faces a critical setback, as the South African National AIDS Council (Sanac) raises concern about the declining use of condoms.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Sanac CEO Thembisile Xulu said condom use has subsided to its “lowest ever,” highlighting the need for urgent, effective prevention strategies.
“If we miss the mark on funding and we get it right even just in terms of prevention and make sure we push social behaviour change, we will be able to keep those 52-million South Africans that are negative. That is a win.”
There are about 8-million people living with HIV and of those, 6.2-million are on Antiretroviral Therapy (ARVs), according to figures released by the Thembisa Project model in March.
Xulu stressed that maintaining the health of the HIV-negative population requires a dedicated push for prevention, including condoms, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), and Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC).
“For the people on treatment stay on treatment and their viral load becomes undetectable then they will not be able to transmit and we will be on the way towards a win, but we need to maintain funding and strategies for prevention.”
She noted the severe impact of recent cuts to US funding for global health programmes, particularly those focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness and treatment.
“The situation around the funding in February didn’t help because funding was pulled off. We lost some staff members, some community members that were funded to make sure we bring people back onto care, back onto treatment.”
The funding gaps have disrupted essential community outreach and support systems, making it harder to link people to care. Coupled with stigma, these complexities are hindering efforts to get people onto — and keep them on — treatment, Xaba said.
She added that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be felt, as many HIV-positive individuals interrupted their treatment regimens, creating an ongoing struggle to re-engage them in care.
She said the first step to curbing this pandemic is knowing one’s HIV status.
“If every South African is tested, knows their status, and if you test negative, you either get on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), use condoms, or get circumcised as a man. If you test positive, you start your treatment. If we get that right as a country, we will be on a path because what we find around this time is that people still ask, ‘Is HIV still a thing?’ People are no longer talking about it. Let’s normalise the conversation around HIV.”
TimesLIVE
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