HIV stigma continues to prevail despite World Aids Day efforts

INCIDENTS of new HIV infections in the Western Cape have continued to increase at a slower pace than in other provinces, apparently due to the effective roll-out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) since 2004.

According to a study released by Thembisa.org, HIV incidence peaked between 1998 and 2004, with later peaks in Limpopo, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape. But infections have been steadily declining since then.

Thembisa is a mathematical model of the South African HIV epidemic, designed to answer policy questions relating to HIV prevention and treatment.

The report reveals that the percentage reduction in HIV incidence between the start of 2000 and the start of 2020 was greatest in KwaZulu-Natal (77%) and Free State (74%), but relatively modest in the Western Cape (33%), Limpopo (44%) and Northern Cape (47%).

"HIV incidence declines have been smallest in the Western Cape, Limpopo and Northern Cape (between 33% and 47%), which may be partly explained by the relatively low rates of change in condom use and/or medical male circumcision uptake in these provinces. In contrast, the HIV incidence decline over the 2000–2019 period has been most substantial in KwaZulu-Natal and Free State (74–77%), which is probably a reflection of the high ART coverage in these provinces,” reads the report.

The Western Cape Department of Health spokesperson, Byron la Hoe, said the prevalence of HIV had continued to increase slowly as more people diagnosed with the virus were started on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and survive for longer.

La Hoe said that ART guidelines had evolved over the past 30 years ago and at present, anyone diagnosed with HIV was eligible for ART regardless of their CD4 count.

Despite improvement in numbers and the World Aids Day effort to create awareness and commemorate millions of people who had lost their lives due to Aids, Sibulele Sibaca, an HIV/Aids activist who was orphaned at age 16 due to HIV, believes that a lot more needs to be done to end the stigma associated with the virus.

“My mom died from Aids. I was very young at the time. I wasn't sure what was going on, and my dad was always around for us, however, I noticed he would (take) pills every day, and I just knew he was not well, but I wasn't aware to what extent. I later found out in the early 2000s, after he passed away, that he too had Aids, through community gossip,” said Sobaca.

She said nobody had sat her down to tell her that both her parents had died of Aids.

“My brother raised me. He became my mom and my dad, he really stepped in,” said Sobaca.

After finishing high school, Sobaca got an opportunity to go to Johannesburg, worked in the HIV response and prevention environment and later started her own organisation working to prevent, treat, and manage HIV.

“Around 10 to 30 years ago, when you heard the word HIV-positive, you freaked out, right? And you just thought, ‘Oh, Lord, I'm going to die'… Now, when you hear you are HIV-positive, you know that its a chronic illness that can be managed and avoided with the right lifestyle choices,” she said.

However, Sobaca feels society is yet to get past HIV stigma.

“People are still afraid to go and test because of the stigma still attached to HIV. Young people still don't want to go for tests because they don't know what they're going to do with a positive HIV result. They don't know what the next steps in their lives are going to look like,

“I think there are certain things that have changed over the years, however, we just need people to test right now and make sure that they start their medication. It's important to test and take treatment immediately, and stay on your antiretroviral treatment,” she added.