SA still battling to reduce rates of HIV transmission

South Africa is still battling to reduce rates of HIV transmission‚ particularly among young women‚ says Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Opening the plenary session of the South African Aids Council in Kempton Park on the East Rand‚ Ramaphosa said important progress had been made in several areas in the battle to curb AIDS. 

“We have continued to expand our HIV treatment programme‚ with over three million people on antiretroviral treatment. We have reduced mother-to-child transmission further.

“Yet we are still struggling to reduce rates of transmission‚ particularly among young women‚” he said.

All TB indicators were improving‚ but there was also still a great deal to achieve to reach the proposed targets.

“We need to acknowledge that we have not yet succeeded in finding suitable mechanisms to ensure that civil society formations are adequately resourced and capacitated to do the critical work that is expected of them.

“We must continue to be seized with this issue‚” he added.

He noted that a report was expected on the development of a Private Sector Engagement Strategy to ensure the private sector was more extensively involved in the national AIDS response.

“In the past‚ the engagement of the private sector in the AIDS response has been fragmented‚ with the result that its impact has been less than optimal‚” he stated.