HIV & AIDS HISTORY IN SOUTH AFRICA

The HIV crisis in South Africa began in the 1980s and the first official case of the virus was diagnosed in 1982. During this time the Apartheid system was in effect meaning mixed-race marriage and sex between different ethnic groups was prohibited.

The first national survey of HIV & AIDS was conducted in 1990. It was discovered that 0.8% of pregnant women were HIV-positive. Also it was estimated that there were between 74,000 and 120,000 people in South Africa infected with HIV.

In 1997, the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women was 17.0%. Research showed that there was a lack of political leadership.

In the year 2000, the Department of Health outlined a five-year plan to fight AIDS, HIV and STIs. The new South African President Thabo Mbeki made a speech that focused on the problem of poverty, creating suspicions that he saw poverty, rather than HIV, as the main cause of AIDS.

In 2003, the government finally approved a plan to make antiretroviral treatment publicly available. The HIV rate among pregnant women was 27.9%.

In 2006, the government was looked upon as a system which wasn't involved in helping struggling lives survive and get proper treatment. The government was still hesitant in providing full treatments and care.

In 2008, the number of South Africans diagnosed with HIV in South Africa is still extremely high. Many people are starving and fighting to survive. All of the age groups are infected with the virus and the South African population is decreasing every day. The average life expectancy in South Africa is 54 years old.