AIDS: Mashatile urges focus on youth and treatment gaps

By Thapelo Molefe

South Africa bears the world’s heaviest HIV and TB burdens relative to its population, with adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 accounting for the highest number of new weekly infections.

This stark reality framed Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s opening of the 12th South African AIDS Conference in Ekurhuleni on Monday.

Addressing delegates in his capacity as chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), Mashatile warned that while progress has been made, the country is still falling short of global targets to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

South Africa has reached 96-78-97 against the UNAIDS 95-95-95 benchmarks—96% of people living with HIV know their status, 97% of those on treatment are virally suppressed, but only 78% of those diagnosed are on sustained antiretroviral therapy.

“The second 95 remains our biggest challenge…We are falling short on initiating and retaining people