Want to send this story to another AOL member? Click on the heart at the top of this window. South Africa has 4.2 million people with HIV JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa said on Tuesday an estimated 4.2 million South Africans, or just under 10 percent of the population, were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. The figures, extrapolated from a national survey of women attending public antenatal clinics also released on Tuesday, confirmed South Africa as having one of the world's highest HIV infection rates. The ministry of health said the 10th national HIV survey showed that on a national scale, 22 percent of tested pregnant women were HIV positive. In the worst hit province of KwaZulu-Natal, one in three women was HIV-positive. ``The epidemiological profile shows that HIV continues to be a very serious health problem in South Africa,'' Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang told reporters. An official at the health ministry said that the results of the survey showed that people in their 20s comprised more than half the infected population of 43 million. ``This has tremendous impact on the social fabric of the country and its economy...(South Africa) faced a future that inevitably will include the AIDS epidemic for at least the next decade,'' the report said. South Africa faces an alarming AIDS epidemic which will cause intolerable strain on the country's already over-stretched health system. President Thabo Mbeki has caused controversy by saying he is not convinced that HIV was the single virus causing AIDS or deaths attributed to AIDS. 09:52 04-18-00 Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html <A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
