AIDS Program May Be Reducing S. Africa Deaths

New figures showing a slight decline in the number of deaths in South Africa "might be a data problem," or "might be good news," the Department of Health's deputy director-general for strategic health programs told Parliament on Wednesday. "We hope at least part of it is the ARV [antiretroviral] program," Yogan Pillay said. The latest mortality figures, released Monday by Statistics SA, show 601,133 deaths recorded by the Department of Home Affairs in 2007, a 1.8 percent drop from 2006. After long delaying the rollout of ARVs, a decision largely due to former President Thabo Mbeki's doubts about their safety and efficacy, South Africa began distributing the medications in 2004. By April 2009, more than 700,000 people were receiving ARVs at state health facilities. Pillay said more research is needed to determine whether the figures represent a sustained downward trend.

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