Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PRETORIA, South Africa, Jul 12, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- AIDS activists in South Africa say that nation might have the world's largest number of people with the human immunodeficiency virus.
South Africa's health department has released figures suggesting HIV infection rates in the country may be greater than previously thought, the BBC reported Tuesday. A study of women in antenatal clinics suggests more than 6 million of South Africa's 40 million people are infected with HIV.
In May, the nation's statistics agency estimated 4.5 million South Africans were carrying the virus. That suggested South Africa had been overtaken by India as the nation with the world's highest number of HIV-positive citizens -- 5.1 million people.
But the South African government's latest announcement indicates South Africa still has the largest number of people living with HIV.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
