SHALL WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV

Khayelitsha township,
South Africa - extraordinary to recall
how much time we spent attending
funerals in Cape Town, South Africa 2003
whilst working on Living(+)Positive. We
always found ourselves looking back at
the mountain, our hearts and feet firmly
held in the dust of the townships whilst
documenting those living with HIV- so
many have benefited from free access to
ARV's - it's only now when looking through
this work for a client that it slowly dawns
on me how many we lost; how many shacks
and houses we visited over a period of
a year or so simply to find them empty.
Thankfully South Africa introduced free
antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in the public
sector in April 2004 after a lengthy battle
between activists and former President
Thabo Mbeki and Health Minister Dr Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang, who questioned the
link between HIV and AIDS. and ARVs
effectiveness. As of 2016 the estimated
overall HIV prevalence rate in South Africa
was approximately 12,7% of the total
population. The total number of people
living with HIV was therefore estimated
at approximately 7,03 million in 2016.
For adults aged 15-49 years, an estimated
18,0% of the population is currently HIV
positive.bold