SA’s battle against HIV/Aids has seen significant progress over the past few decades.
Once the global epicentre of the HIV/Aids epidemic, the country has made enormous strides in its fight against the virus. Widespread testing, groundbreaking treatment and persistent public health campaigns have saved millions of lives.
However, a disturbing new trend is emerging: the rate of HIV infections is rising among older adults, particularly those aged 50 and above. This is a sobering reminder that the fight is far from over.
A new study from Wits University’s Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience has revealed that older adults – a demographic long overlooked in HIV research and policy – are showing higher infection rates and prevalence than previously believed, as HIV has traditionally been associated with younger populations, particularly young women.
This alarming trend exposes a critical gap in SA’s HIV response – one that has the potential to reverse years of hard-earned gains.
Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has warned that a growing perception that HIV is no longer a threat is fuelling this resurgence.
Indeed, this shift in attitude is visible across society. The introduction of the effective “one pill” antiretroviral treatment drastically reduced HIV-related deaths and improved the quality of life for many.
But success has come with a side effect: a false sense of security. People no longer fear HIV the way they once did, believing that HIV is manageable or even no longer relevant.
The situation is compounded by the prevalence of older men engaging in sexual and often transactional relationships with younger women. As Motsoaledi points out, this “sugar daddy” phenomenon remains a major driver of new infections.
Dr Luicer Olubayo, a researcher involved in the Wits study, notes that there is a persistent and false belief that people over 50 are not sexually active or that they are at lower risk.
This blind spot must be urgently addressed and public health efforts need to focus on HIV prevention for older people who have been left out of both the data and the conversation.
Awareness campaigns must expand to include older adults as both at-risk individuals and key players in transmission, challenging outdated beliefs, promoting condom use, regular testing and open communication.
We must also confront the root causes of transactional relationships and sexual exploitation that are not just a social concern, but a path of infection through education, economic empowerment for young women and accountability for older men who perpetuate this cycle.
HIV is still with us. And if we ignore the changing face of the epidemic and the complacency that now fuels it, we risk repeating the mistakes of the past.
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