Swaziland shows signs of turning corner on world’s highest HIV rates

(Reuters) – Swaziland, the country hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, appears to be stemming the pace of new infections thanks to increased funding, more efficient treatment and greater international help, public health workers said.

On a global basis, the rate of HIV infection and the number of AIDS-related deaths have been dramatically reduced, thanks to expanding access to treatment, the United Nations said in a report issued on Monday.

Swaziland has a high incidence rate with about a quarter of the adult population and 40 percent of mothers infected with the virus. Life expectancy in the country of about 1.4 million has dropped from about 60 in the 1990s to 49 in 2012 – one of the lowest in the world, according to U.N. agencies.

“We are in the stabilization phase of the epidemic and seeing the first signs of a reduction on new HIV infections,” said Elias Pavlopoulos, the head of the Swaziland Mission with the international aid group MŽdecins Sans Frontires.

Jon Herskovitz
Reuters
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