HIV Prevalence and Incidence in People 50 Years and Older in Rural South Africa (Scientific Letters) (Letter to the Editor)

To the Editor: Studies of HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa usually focus on the age group 15-49 years. (1) However, estimates of HIV prevalence in older people are required for health policy and planning. The health care and social needs of older HIV-infected individuals differ from younger people; e.g. because of different co-morbidities, (2) different responses to antiretroviral treatment (ART), (3) and the central role of older adults in African households. (4) In South Africa, a nationally representative survey provided first insights into the burden of HIV in the population 50 years of age, reporting HIV prevalence in men/women as 10.4%/10.2% (in the age group 50-54 years), 6.2%/7.7% (55-59 years), and 3.5%/1.8% (60 years). (5) However, the South African HIV epidemic is highly heterogeneous (6) with substantial variation by geographic location and ethnic group, limiting the value of national averages. Method