South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic may be flattening out

South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic seems to be flattening out, according to figures released by the national health department.

The government's much delayed annual statistical report estimates that some 24.8% of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics were infected with HIV at the end of 2001, compared with 24.5% in the previous year.

Slight decreases in prevalence were shown among teenagers, from 16.1% in 2000 to 15.4% last year.

The survey's authors say that the drop is not statistically significant, however, whereas they say that the substantial rise among women aged 30-39 is significant. Experts have questioned the reliability of figures showing a drop in prevalence in that age group in KwaZulu-Natal (the province with the highest prevalence rate in the country) from 36.2% in 2000 to 33.5% last year.

The sentinel population for the study includes pregnant women attending a public sector antenatal …