Anti-retroviral treatment coverage in the Northern Cape increased from 54.9% in 2017 to 86.2% in 2022.

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) released the key findings of the sixth South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI) for the Northern Cape on Monday (30/9) at a provincial dialogue held at Kalahari Lodge, Kimberley.

For this study data was collected from priority districts and for the Northern Cape Francis Baard district only, John Taolo Gaetsewe, Namakwa, Pixley ka Seme, and Z.F. Mgcawu districts because these had not been oversampled to allow for reliable estimates.

“The survey found that compared to other provinces, the Northern Cape had the second-lowest HIV prevalence at 8.9% in 2022,” said HSRC’s principal investigator, Khangelani Zuma.

“This translates to an estimated 120,000 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the province, which is 21,000 more PLHIV compared to 2017.”

There was a notable downward shift in the epidemic curve in 2022 among the age categories between 20 to 34 years, he said. Data for youth and adolescents aged 15 to 24 years and among males aged 25 to 49 years could not be analysed owing to a small sample size.

‘The NC had the sixth-highest proportion of people living with HIV’

The survey further revealed that, in 2022, among all provinces, the Northern Cape had the sixth-highest proportion of people living with HIV with Viral load suppression (VLS) at 78.6% having increased from 2017 to 52.2%.

Meanwhile, in the Free State, the survey found that the province had the third-highest HIV prevalence at 15.6% in 2022 and 17.0% in 2017. This translates to 450,000 people living with HIV in the province.

The data presented was for three priority districts within the province namely: Lejweleputswa, Mangaung, and Thabo Mofutsanyane. Fezile Dabi and Xhariep were not collected because they had not been oversampled to allow for reliable estimates.

OFM News mvh