SOUTH AFRICA: Government supports recent study findings

The government has come out in support of the findings of the country's first nationally representative study on HIV/AIDS, saying the results gave "cause for hope" and reason to intensify action to curb the epidemic.

The study, commissioned by former president Nelson Mandela and carried out by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) brought "new information about linkages between prevalence, behaviour and communication," a government statement said.

The study shattered existing stereotypes about the country's HIV prevalence, and revealed that KwaZulu-Natal province did not have the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the country. That position has been taken by the Free State.

There was massive public support - around 96 percent - for the provision of antiretrovirals (ARVs) to prevent mother-to-child transmission and for the treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs).

Public support for the use of ARVs was in accord with government's position that the drugs could improve the lives of PWAs if used correctly, the department of health said in the statement.

The government was particularly encouraged by the results of the study, which indicated a high level of awareness, a change of sexual behaviour and a reduction in the prevalence of the disease amongst young people, the statement added.