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Roundup: S. Africa marks World AIDS Day amid high infection warning

Xinhua, December 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Africans marked the World AIDS Day on Thursday as the government warned against high infection rates of the virus.

At a mass rally commemorating the event in Daveyton, Gauteng Province, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that South Africa is facing an HIV infection emergency.

"As we applaud our remarkable achievements in expanding antiretroviral treatment to more than 3.7 million people, as we celebrate the dramatic reduction of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, as we welcome the marked increase in average life expectancy, we must be alarmed that the rate of new HIV infection remains stubbornly high," Ramaphosa said.

An estimated 266,000 South Africans became infected with HIV last year, and each week, there are an estimated 2,000 new HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24, according to Ramaphosa.

"That is not a mere statistic. That is a tragedy unfolding," he lamented.

South Africa has the highest rate of HIV prevalence in the world, with more than 6 million HIV-positive people among a population of 53 million.

Unless the country acts now to significantly reduce new HIV infections, the progress it has made in the past will be eroded, said Ramaphosa.

Health and lives of millions more South Africans will be put at risk if new HIV infections are not reduced, he warned.

SEX EDUCATION

At a dialogue session with young girls earlier on Thursday, Ramaphosa commended six girls for talking about the challenges they experience, including pregnancy and the issue of a lack of sanitary pads.

"We want sex education not only in school, but we also want parents at home to educate their children on sex. Sex education must be spread out in the school curriculum at schools," he said at the dialogue.

He said the youth must feel empowered to abstain from sex until they are ready. In addition, young people must have the confidence to insist on using condoms.

"They must have the confidence to say: one condom one round," Ramaphosa said.

South Africa has launched the "She Conquers" campaign to address the high rate of HIV infection among adolescent girls and young women.

Ramaphosa urged South Africans to overcome the reluctance of men to test for HIV and go on treatment as soon as they are diagnosed as HIV positive.

"We must challenge unequal power relations between men and women, and particularly between older men and younger women," he said.

Also on Thursday, the ruing African National Congress (ANC) issued a statement to commend the progress achieved by all sectors of society in pushing back HIV, AIDS and TB and calls on all South Africans to continue working together to secure an AIDS-free generation.

The party called for an end to to the sexual exploitation of girls and young women.

"All in society should concern themselves and commit themselves to ensuring young girls are blessed with education, skills and economic opportunities, not with sex and sexually transmitted infections like HIV," the party said. Enditem