South Africa faces uphill battle to reduce HIV infection rates among young women
A nurse (L) hands out a red ribbon to a woman, to mark World Aids Day, at the entrance of Emilio Ribas Hospital, in Sao Paulo December 1, 2014. REUTERS/NACHO DOCE/FILES
"When it comes to the area of socio-behavioral interventions, it is an uphill battle, especially in the age group 15-24 year old girls and young women," Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told parliament.
Interventions in South Africa, which has the world's largest HIV and Aids treatment programme, has seen Aids deaths decline to 140,000 in 2014 from 320,000 in 2010, he said.
The number of mother-to-child transmission of HIV has fallen significantly to less than 7,000 babies in 2015 from 70,000 babies in 2004, Motsoaledi said.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by James Macharia)
