Study of HIV Risk in Children Sounds Alarm Bells
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
May 13, 2004
Posted to the web May 13, 2004
Cape Town
The first national study of HIV risk in South African children aged between two and 18 has revealed an overall prevalence rate of 5.4 percent.
The National Household HIV Prevalence and Risk Survey of South African Children by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) showed that 6.2 percent of children aged between two and nine were HIV positive, 4.7 percent of 10 to 14 year-olds, and 5 percent of teenagers aged 15 to 18.
"Most of the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS research that has been conducted is on youth and adult - there is a dearth of information on HIV risk among children," Dr Olive Shisana, executive director of HSRC told PlusNews.