S Africa makes progress in tackling HIV

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 02 (Xinhua): South Africa, with the highest number of HIV infections in the world, is making progress in its fight against the virus, a United Nations official said Tuesday.

South Africa has around 7 million people living with HIV, including about 1 million children and young people under the age of 24, Priscilla Ofori-Amanfo, communication specialist of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa, told Xinhua.

The country has taken robust measures to deal with the HIV epidemic, "including an impressive maternal antiretroviral coverage for pregnant women living with HIV of above 95 percent and vertical transmission rate of only 3 percent, resulting in an estimated 548,000 new HIV infections averted among children since 2010," said Ofori-Amanfo.

The COVID-19-induced lockdown disrupted essential life saving services including immunization, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS testing, treatment and prevention, she said, citing some evidence that such services have started to rebound.