HIV prevalence in the province went down to 11.9% in 2022 from 12.1% in 2017.
The HSRC’s Professor Khangalani Zuma said that the prevalence of HIV in the province did not statistically change, as people who were not HIV positive in 2017 were detected positive in 2022.
Zuma presented the report’s key findings on Thursday.
“The prevalence of HIV in 2017 was 12.1%. In 2022, it mathematically went down to 11.9% but statistically did not change. The prevalence of HIV in Gauteng did not change significantly.
“This means that 1.7 million people were living with HIV in 2022, and more than 1.7 million currently live with HIV. So, there is change but it is not a statistically significant change.
“Women are still at higher risk of being infected with HIV compared to males. The prevalence was slightly higher in rural areas amongst those in formal-rural areas, followed by those in urban areas, and the least among those in tribal areas,” Zuma explained.
The province saw an increase in the number of people receiving antiretroviral treatment compared to 2017.
However, Zuma said some half a million people are not on treatment.
“We have so many young children living with HIV who are not on treatment. Those are our young children who are in school, and most likely, a number of them do not even know their HIV status.
“In Gauteng, we have 350,000 people who are living with HIV who stand a higher chance of transmitting the virus. A number of them are among those 15 to 24 year olds who are sexually active and not on ARVs.”
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