Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a growing problem in South Africa, particularly among Indians and blacks, a new study has found.
"The Indian origin community in the KwaZulu-Natal region is sitting on an AIDS time-bomb, yet many members of the community are not prepared to accept the reality," the study said.
The research carried out by Athmanundh Dilraj of the Medical Research Council in Durban titled 'Challenging racial stereotyping of AIDS in South Africa with prevalence and incidence of HIV in pregnant women' found that the disease was prevalent in every community in the province.
Scientific reports on AIDS have said that general perception is that HIV/AIDS is a 'black problem' but the new study has found that AIDS is a growing problem in the Indian community too.
Dilraj's research in 2001 had shown that 1.1 per cent of the 1.2-million Indian people were affected by AIDS.
If this trend continued, 8.8 per cent of pregnant Indian women and 35.2 per cent of coloured women would be suffering from the disease in 2007.
"There is a window of opportunity in the Indian, white and coloured communities to prevent such an explosive increase. The communities cannot remain complacent about the HIV threat," Dilraj said.
