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The Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) says the number of people claiming to have lost family members or friends to HIV/AIDS has doubled, leading to greater concern about the disease in the country, Reuters reported.
"HIV/AIDS is now tied with crime as the public's second most frequently mentioned priority problem that faces the country. These everyday experiences, rather than any increased attention by the news media, offer the best explanation of the rising public attention to HIV and AIDS," IDASA noted.
Although AIDS is generally a taboo subject for discussion in most of Africa, former president Nelson Mandela and other well-known South Africans have boosted efforts to encourage public disclosure and end the stigma attached to HIV infection.
South Africa has the highest HIV/AIDS caseload in the world, with an estimated five million of the country's 45 million population living with the virus.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions