Fewer babies born Hiv-positive in South Africa, Zuma tells AU conference

JOHANNESBURG: Reports indicate that fewer children are being born HIV-positive, President Jacob Zuma says.

“We have been able to reduce both maternal and child mortality in the past three years,” Zuma yesterday told an AU conference in Boksburg on maternal and child health care on the continent.

“Mother-to-child transmission (of HIV) for instance, used to be 8.5 percent in 2008.

“It went down to 3.5 percent in 2010, and… to 2.7 percent in 2011,” he said.

“Since there are a million pregnancies per annum in South Africa, with approximately 30 percent HIV prevalence rate in pregnant women, it means that in 2008, a total of 25 000 children were born HIV-positive in South Africa, but in 2011 there were 8 100.

“This is a more than a 60 percent reduction,” said Zuma.

While the figures for 2012 were still being verified, they were likely to be lower than those of 2011.

Zuma said reducing deaths of women and children during childbirth was one of the Millennium Development Goals for the continent to achieve by 2015.

Many had doubts that subSaharan African countries would be able to achieve the goal.

“It is generally believed that Africa in general, but sub-Saharan Africa in particular, is going to find it very difficult to achieve the health-related goals. Our view is that a lot can still be achieved in 900 days,” he said.

One of several factors that could assist was better nutrition for women and children. Thus, the government was investing in farming projects around the country.

Zuma praised the fact that the event coincided with Women’s Month in South Africa.

The three-day AU conference runs until tomorrow. It is also being attended by AU commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and delegates from across the world, including Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. – Sapa