According to KZN Department of Health, the province with a population of 10.4 million accounts for 28,7% of all SA HIV infections and has approximately 1.5 million infected people.

The sixth South Africa HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Survey (SABSSM VI) found that KwaZulu-Natal is still recording alarming numbers of HIV infections especially in younger women. HSRC Professor Khangelani Zuma blamed older men who engage in sexual relationships with younger women. "When a woman is in a sexual relationship with an older man, there are power dynamics at play and in most cases there is no condom used. The high percentage in KZN shouldn't be looked through one lens of infection but also through the lens of how many people were on treatment and had a suppressed viral load," he said. He said among adults aged 15 years and older, HIV prevalence varied geographically, ranging from 8,2% in the Western Cape to 21,8% in KwaZulu-Natal.

SABSSM VI also found that the number of people living with HIV in South Africa has decreased from 14% in 2017 to 12,7% in 2022. This, according to Professor Zuma, translates to about 7.8 million people living with HIV in the country in 2022 as compared to 7.9 million in 2017.

The survey also indicates that the country has made significant progress toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. The national department of health targeted that 95% of all people living with HIV to be aware of their HIV status, 95% of those aware of their status to be on antiretroviral treatment (ART), and 95% of those on ART who also know that that they are living with HIV to achieve viral load suppression by 2025. SABSSM VI also shows that among adults aged 15 years and older living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, 90% were aware of their status, 91% of those aware of their status were on ARV's, and 94% of those on antiretrovirals were virally suppressed.

With today being World AIDS Day, commemorations will take place under the theme: ?Let Communities Lead', a call to invest in and strengthen community-led interventions and community-centred approaches in the management of HIV. "This further highlights the importance of greater involvement of civil society in strengthening accountability and empowering communities to be at the forefront of strategic interventions against stigma, discrimination and human rights violations of people affected and infected with HIV," said Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC). Mashatile will today lead the Official Commemoration of World AIDS Day and the launch of the South African Chapter of the Global Alliance to end AIDS in Children. He will be in KZN, where HIV prevalence is high.