Priscilla Lynch recently visited Cape Town, South Africa, as part of her journalism Fellowship. South Africa has a very low national life expectancy – just 61.5 years in 2021, according to data from the World Health Organisation. South Africa still has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world, despite significant progress in the roll-out of antiretroviral treatment (ART). As of 2021, eight million people in South Africa were infected with HIV, which is 13 per cent of the country’s total population. Like many publicly funded health services in South Africa, funding and staffing are inadequate in relation to patient demand.

Source: Irish Independent July 23, 2024 02:05 UTC