Antenatal clinic survey: President Zuma must lead a better prevention programme

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the release of the long-delayed 2008 antenatal clinic survey, and the reworking of the 2007 figures to make them more accurate. The willingness of the new minister to admit to the error made in the 2007 report is a welcome breath of fresh air in this department.

However, this information should have been released in March, and given the desperate picture the figures present of South Africa's Aids epidemic, it is not surprising that the government waited until the election was safely over the present them.

The figures show that around 29% of pregnant women are HIV-positive. A staggering 40.4% of pregnant women between 30 and 34 are infected, and this figure seems to be growing. The infection rate amongst young women is much lower, however, and there is an urgent need for prevention programmes to reach these women particularly and stop them from becoming infected.

While President Zuma has made a much more constructive contribution to South Africa's Aids campaign than President Mbeki did, he is still not doing enough. Where Aids prevention has worked, it has worked because a country's leaders have got involved, so President Zuma needs to sure that he treats South Africa's Aids prevention programme as a matter of the highest priority.

Statement issued by Mike Waters, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of health, October 6 2009

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