Concern over number of young men contracting HIV in KZN
A local NPO says the number of young men contracting HIV in KwaZulu-Natal is alarming.
The latest report by the SA National AIDS Council has revealed that more than one thousand young men are diagnosed with the virus every week.
The Human Sciences Research Council has noted a drop in the number of people living with HIV in the province from 2017 until 2022.
The number of people living with HIV in the province dropped from 1.99 million in 2017 to 1.98 million in 2022.
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But it says KZN still has the second-highest HIV prevalence in the country.
Motlatsi Lepono is with Right to Care, a healthcare group which advocates for medical male circumcisions.
"The benefit of male circumcision is a reduced chance of acquiring HIV, a reduced risk of sexually transmitted infections. There are also benefits, such as reducing female partners acquiring cervical cancer. It is definitely troubling that we still have so many youth that are acquiring HIV; this is youth between 15 and 24."
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